HOW LOCAL IS THE IMPACT OF A SPECIFIC LEARNING-DIFFICULTY ON PREMATURE CHILDRENS EVALUATION OF THEIR OWN COMPETENCE

The aim of this study was to determine whether children's perceptions of their own competence levels reflected their actual strengths and we aknesses (Specificity Hypothesis) or transcended these (Generality Hyp othesis). Harter and Pike's measure of self-perception was administere d to 163 prematurely born 6-year-olds with or without motor co-ordinat ion and/or reading problems. Associations between children's self-perc eptions and their scores on standardised tests of motor co-ordination and reading were assessed in three distinct ways. These analyses produ ced converging results: self-perceptions of physical competence were a ssociated specifically with performance on the Movement ABC Test, and self-perceptions of cognitive competence were associated specifically with performance on the BAS Word Reading Scale. Our results support th e Specificity Hypothesis. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.