A STRATEGIC INTERVENTION FOR ENABLING STUDENTS WITH LEARNING-DISABILITIES TO IDENTIFY AND CHANGE THEIR INEFFECTIVE BELIEFS

This study evaluated the effects of a strategy intervention designed t o teach students with learning disabilities (LD) how to understand, id entify, discuss, and transform ineffective beliefs. Multiple-probe and control-group designs were employed simultaneously and in combination . The 23 students with learning disabilities who participated in the s tudy were randomly divided into two groups, experimental and control. The BELIEF Strategy, a strategy based on the professional literature, expert advice, and practice, was taught to the experimental group, The multiple-probe design was utilized to demonstrate students' mastery o f the BELIEF Strategy. The results indicate that students with LD can be taught to apply the BELIEF Strategy. The control-group design was u sed to compare the performance of students who learned the BELIEF Stra tegy to that of students who did not learn the strategy, All analyses indicated that students who learned the strategy performed the strateg y steps significantly better and had more knowledge of the strategy th an students who did not participate in the instruction. Students repor ted satisfaction with certain aspects of the training but not with oth ers. The results support the conclusion that students with LD can be t aught skills associated with examining present beliefs and specifying new beliefs.