ADOLESCENTS WITH LEARNING-DISABILITIES - A COMPARATIVE LIFE-STREAM INTERPRETATION

The subjective experiences of adolescents with learning disabilities ( LD) were compared to those of their low-achieving and normally achievi ng peers. Three groups of juniors and seniors from one suburban high s chool district, 18 students with learning disabilities (15 males, 3 fe males), 17 low-achieving students (12 males, 5 females), and 20 averag e-achieving students (12 males, 8 females), were given electronic page rs and booklets for 1 week. They were signaled every 40 minutes during school hours, and every 2 hours after school. As soon as possible aft er receiving a signal, they responded to questions in their booklets. The questions provided subjective measures on levels of affect, activa tion, cognitive efficiency, self-esteem, motivation, and feedback from others. The students with learning disabilities reported feeling more positive and active than either of the other groups during school hou rs, while after school there were no differences on any of the subject ive measures for the three groups. Specific LD school practices are hi gh-lighted for their probable impact on the heightened affect and acti vation of the students with learning disabilities.