Positive distance learning perception, personal resources, and loneliness among higher education students with ADHD and/or SLD

Abstract

This study assessed the positive perception of distance learning of undergraduate students with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or specific learning disorder (SLD), and examined their personal resources (academic self-efficacy [ASE] and sense of coherence [SOC]), and social vulnerability (loneliness) in predicting their positive distance learning perception. Participants were 276 Israeli undergraduates, 138 diagnosed with ADHD/SLD and 138 in a comparison group without disabilities. Students’ positive perceptions toward distance learning, ASE, SOC, and loneliness were assessed via self-report questionnaires. Students with ADHD/SLD reported a less positive perception of distance learning, lower ASE and SOC, and higher loneliness than students without disabilities. In both groups, females had a more positive perception of distance learning than males. ASE uniquely contributed to a positive perception of distance learning only for students with ADHD/SLD. As hybrid learning becomes more and more common in higher education, it is critical to understand the unique needs and adaptation to distance learning of students with ADHD/SLD.