Motivation, Resilience, and Rural Students With Learning Disabilities

• In Event: Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: Motivation in Education SIG Poster Session 2

Abstract

Rural students with learning disabilities face a multitude of challenges in their pursuit of academic success. In this study, a resilience theoretical framework was used to hypothesize that positive achievement motivation may buffer rural students with learning disabilities toward better educational outcomes. The sample used in the study included 300 rural students with learning disabilities and 300 nondisabled peers matched by school attended, grade level, ethnicity, and gender. Cluster analysis was utilized to create three separate groups of students based on their motivational beliefs. Analysis of variance was then used to compare motivational belief groups, learning disability status, educational aspirations, and academic achievement. Results of these analyses did not support initial hypotheses.

Author

• Michael Caprino, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill