Explaining the Cognitive and Metacognitive Strategies of Students with Learning Disabilities Based on Motivational Beliefs and Mediation of Learning Styles

A learning disorder is a disability in one or more of the psychological processes necessary to understand or use language, writing or speech, which may be in the form of disability in listening, thinking, speaking, reading, spelling and performing mathematical calculations. Student learning disruptions lead to academic failure, drop in motivation and graduation, and will have psychological and economic harm to the child and family and the education system. One of the factors associated with motivational beliefs is cognitive and metacognitive strategies. Students’ motivational beliefs in the amount of learning and using cognitive strategies and self–regulation learning are very influential and are the determinants of academic achievement. Many studentschr('39') problems in learning related to weak cognitive and metacognitive skills. Cognitive strategies help them to connect new information, combine them with previously learned information, and prepare them for storage in long–term memory. Metacognition is the acquisition of knowledge and recognition of weaknesses, strengths, and cognitive activities that guide them in the process of cognitive activity. The main objective of this study was to explain the cognitive and metacognitive strategies of students with learning disabilities based on motivational beliefs and mediation of learning styles.

The research method was descriptive, correlational and the statistical population of the study included students with elementary school (4th–6th grade) learning disorder in Kerman (south of Iran) during the academic year of 1969–97. For this purpose, 202 students with elementary school learning disorder was selected using available sampling method from Kerman learning disability centers, then the cognitive and metacognitive strategies (Dawson and McAdamry, 2004), learning styles (Colb, 2000), and motivational beliefs (Pinttir and Drogrot, 1990) (three dimensions, internal evaluation, and test anxiety) were performed on them. Data were analyzed using structural equation model (SEM).

The final model showed a specific pattern of relationships between research variables, which explained 0.44 of self–efficacy, 37.0 internal evaluation and 22.0 exam anxiety (p≤0.001). The fitting indexes of the model showed the fit of the model with the data (p=0.61, χ2=1.81, RMSEA=0.01, GFI=1.00, AGFI=0.99, CFI=1.00, NFI=0.99). The direct effect of cognitive strategies on motivational support was not confirmed, but its indirect effect was confirmed by the mediation of learning styles on three dimensions of motivational beliefs. Direct and indirect effects of meta–cognitive strategies were significant on all three dimensions of motivational beliefs (p≤0.001).

Metacognitive strategies were more effective than cognitive strategies explaining the motivational beliefs of students, which indicates the importance of the role of meta–cognitive strategies in motivational beliefs of students with learning disabilities. The results of this study indicated that the quantity and quality of motivational beliefs (self–efficacy, internal evaluation, and test anxiety) influenced by cognitive and meta–cognitive strategies of students with learning disabilities.