A Comparison of Experienced Control in Learning Disabled and Normal Adolescents

Recent research dealing with learning disabled children and locus of control have primarily been based on Rotter’s theory of locus of control, in which two basic loci exist: internal or external. Most results have concurred that learning disabled children view themselves as externally oriented, however it is the contention of this paper that Rotter’s theory may actually be a collapsed view of a broader concept, experienced control. That is Rotter, expresses control which includes but does not differentiate different dimensions. Experienced control (EC) is a phenomenologically oriented theory which is concerned with both intrapersonal and interpersonal events, and self directed and non-self directed behavior. EC theory posits four kinds of control at two basic loci. The types of control are as follows: From Internal (FI) forces, Over Internal (OI) forces, From External (FE) forces or agents, and Over External (OE) forces or agents. Forty-eight students from USD 489 participated in the study by filling out the Tiffany EC Scale, which assesses experienced control in eight different situations. Twenty-four students form the seventh through the ninth grade LD programs were matched on age, sex, and socioeconomic status with students form the regular educational curriculum. Results were analyzed using a discriminative function analysis. The resulting equation was significant at the .0011 level indicating that LD students do differ from regular curriculum students in experienced control as measured by the Tiffany EC Scale. TH LD students experienced greater control at FI and FE for situations in which learning, past or present, was involved. Remediation efforts for the LD student should include a greater awareness of self, and methods by which they might control forces or pressures form internal or external loci