Predictors Of Global Self-Worth And Academic Performance Among Regular Education, Learning Disabled, And Continuation High School Students

Adolescence, Fall, 1998 by Dudley J. Wiest, Eugene H. Wong, Dennis A. Kreil

METHOD

Participants

A total of 251 junior and senior high school students (107 females and 144 males) from a large Southern California school district participated. Within this sample, 104 students were from five regular education classes at a comprehensive high school: one class was considered "low track," another was labeled "advanced placement," and the other three classes were typical, nonremedial, nonaccelerated, "college prep" classes. Ninety-three students were from a continuation high school. The majority of these students were transferred there because of credit deficiencies and rule violations at their respective comprehensive high schools. These youths were considered to be typical of the student population at the continuation high school. Finally, 54 students from the three comprehensive high schools in the district were learning disabled (LD). Students had been identified as learning disabled as a result of an assessment reflecting a discrepancy between ability and achievement, as well as indications of a processin g disorder.

It is important to point out that the sampling procedure was not random. Students were picked as members of a class that was thought to be reflective of the total district population. School administrators, teachers, and the researchers made the decision as to which classes would be appropriate for measuring a cross section of the students.

The school district is multicultural. The sample was likewise diverse: 42% White, 29% Latino, 9% Asian, 4% Black, and 16% other. The district has three comprehensive high schools, one continuation high school, and several other alternative education programs to serve its students.

Procedure

Following district approval of the project, teachers and parents were informed of the study's rationale, goals, procedures, and confidentiality. Negative permission for participating was employed; that is, if parents objected, they were to fill out and return a form stating that they did not want their child to participate. Such an approach was felt important to the success of the study, since older students often fail to get positive parent permission for activities.

Standard instructions were provided during administration of the instruments, and students were encouraged to finish all items. Teachers were adamant about having a proctor read the scales to the LD students, because they often have a low reading level and also tend to be very nonevaluative in their responses.

Instruments

Seven scales, along with a demographic questionnaire, were administered. For each of the measures, the subscale or scale score used was the average of item ratings.

Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (ASRQ). The ASRQ (Ryan & Connell, 1989) measures self-regulation in the academic domain and consists of four subscales: external regulation (i.e., one acts in order to obey rules and avoid external consequences), introjected regulation (i.e., one acts to avoid guilt or anxiety), identified regulation (i.e., one acts to achieve self-valued goals), and intrinsic regulation (i.e., one acts for the inherent enjoyment of the behavior). Items are rated on a 4-point scale. Internal consistency for the scale ranged from .62 to .86.