Prior Academic Achievement as a Predictor of Non-Cognitive Variables and Teacher and Parent Expectations in Students With Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Research has suggested that the relationship between previous academic achievement and student variables is mediated by parent and teacher expectations of the child’s ability and future success. The goal of this study was to analyze the mediating role of teachers’ expectations and teachers’ perceptions of parents’ expectations between previous academic achievement and variables in students with Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) that are significant for school learning. The participants were 230 students with SLD from Spain, between 10 and 14 years old. Extrinsic variables influenced the students’ intrinsic variables even more than the students’ own experiences of academic success or failure. The way in which teachers in the child’s academic life respond to prior results and the expectations they form can affect their instruction and, ultimately, the children’s motivation, involvement, and persistence in learning.