PERCEPTIONS OF CONTROL OF STUDENTS WITH AND WITHOUT COGNITIVE DISABILITIES

Research in the educational and psychological literature has linked ad aptive perceptions of control to positive adult outcomes like better e mployment, higher quality of life, and increased independence. in rece nt years these findings have been extended to people with mental retar dation. Research with this population has suggested that they tend to be more externally oriented than peers without disabilities or peers w ith other types of disabilities. This research, however, has not provi ded direct comparisons between people with mental retardation and othe r populations. The present study compared the perceptions of control o f 431 students (227 boys, 204 girls) ages 10-20 years (M=14.3) with me ntal retardation (n=94), learning disabilities (n=159), or no disabili ties (n=178). Analysis confirmed that students with mental retardation scored significantly more externally on measures of locus of control and attributions of academic success and failure than their peers with learning disabilities or without disabilities. The discussion focuses on implications for these students.