TO STUDY THE POTENTIAL DIFFICULTIES IN THE

ADJUSTMENT OF STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITY

IN GOVERNMENTS SCHOOLS OF CHANDIGARH

SYNOPSIS

SUBMITTED TO

PANJAB UNIVERSITY, CHANDIGARH

In partial fulfillment of course requirements

For the degree of

MASTER OF EDUCATION (LEARNING DISABILITY)

(2014-15)

SUPERVISOR

INVESITIGATOR

Dr. Dazy Zarabi SamritiAssistant Professor M.A. Sociology Department of Community Education and B.Ed(Spl Edu) Learning Disability Disability Studies M.Ed( Roll No. 11)Panjab University, Chandigarh

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY EDUCATION ANDDISABILITY STUDIES

PANJAB UNIVERSITY, CHANDIGARHINTRODUCTION

In most situations, a learning disability is not readily

observable. Because there are no outward signs of a disability

such as a white cane or wheelchair, students with learning

disabilities are often overlooked or misunderstood. Some

instructors and administrators suspect that students who claim

to have learning disabilities are faking it, are playing the

system, or lack the intelligence needed to succeed in college.

Understanding the implications of learning disabilities,

preparing to teach students with diverse characteristics, and

learning to accommodate students with learning disabilities

are essential for faculty and staff to provide academic and

career opportunities for these students that are equivalent to

those provided to their non-disabled peers.

The concept of learning disabilities remained hidden for

centuries. Initial work in this area was done by Franz Joseph

Gall , a Viennese physician. In 1802 he has worked on brain

injuries of adults and the development of language disorder

due to injuries.The term ‘Learning Disability’ was given by

Samuel Kirk in 1963.

Neeraja and Anuradha 2014; Learning disabilities are

professionally diagnosed difficulties with reading, writing,

speaking, listening, Spelling, reasoning or doing math. People

with learning Disabilities have trouble taking in information

through their Senses and processing that information

accurately to the brain-Usually they will receive scrambling

information like a distorted radio signal or fuzzy television

picture. Student who can think logically and clearly may not

be able to write out a simple paragraph. An articulate,

informed student might be unable to read a set of

instructions. These problems can make it difficult for a

student to learn as quickly as someone who isn't affected by

learning disabilities. Generally if a child's cognitive

ability is much higher than his or her academic performance,

the student is often diagnosed with a learning disability.

Learning Disabilities Association of America 1979; Learning

disabilities are neurologically-based processing problems.

These processing problems can interfere with learning basic

skills such as reading, writing and/or math.  They can also

interfere with higher level skills such as organization, time

planning, abstract reasoning, long or short term memory and

attention.  It is important to realize that learning

disabilities can affect an individual’s life beyond academics

and can impact relationships with family, friends and in the

workplace.

Learning disabilities should not be confused with learning

problems which are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or

motor handicaps; of mental retardation; of emotional

disturbance; or of environmental, cultural or economic

disadvantages. A learning disability cannot be cured or fixed;

it is a lifelong challenge. However, with appropriate support

and intervention, people with learning disabilities can

achieve success in school, at work, in relationships, and in

the community.

In Federal law, under the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act (IDEA), the term is “specific learning

disability,” one of 13 categories of disability under that

law.“Learning Disabilities” is an “umbrella” term describing a

number of other, more specific learning disabilities, such as

dyslexia and dysgraphia. Find the signs and symptoms of each,

plus strategies to help below.

DEFINITION OF LEARNING DISABILITYAccording to Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

(IDEA), (2004), “Specific learning disability means a disorder

in one or more of the basic psychological process involved in

understanding or in using languages, spoken or written, which

may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think

speak, read, write, spell or to do mathematical calculations.

The term does not include children who have learning problems

which are primarily due to visual, learning or motor handicaps

of mental retardation of emotional disturbance or

environmental, cultural or economic disadvantages”.

According to U.S. Office of Education (Federal Definition in

the IDEA Statute), (1977), the term "learning disability"

means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological

processes involved in understanding or in using language,

spoken or written, which may manifest itself in an imperfect

ability to listen, speak, read, write, spell, or to do

mathematical calculations. The term includes such conditions

as perceptual handicaps, brain injury, minimal brain

dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia. The term

does not include children who have learning disabilities which

are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor

handicaps, or mental retardation, or emotional disturbance, or

of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage

According to Love Harold D, (1975), Regardless of the lack of

agreement about definition, the child with learning

disabilities is probably best describe as one who manifests an

educational discrepancy between his mental capacity for

learning and his actual level of functioning.

According to S.A. Kirk, (1971), The term learning disability

is not meant to be used for children with minor or temporary

difficulties in learning but with a severe discrepancy between

ability and achievement in educational performance and such

severe discrepancy described as learning disabilities with

significant learning problems that cannot be explain by mental

retardation, sensory impairment, emotional disturbance or lack

of opportunity to learn.

According to the Association for Children with Learning

Disabilities USA, (1967), A child with learning disabilities

is one with adequate mental ability, sensory processes and

emotional stability who had a limited number of specific

deficits in perceptual, integrative or expressive processes

which severely impair learning efficiency. This includes

children who have central nervous system dysfunctions which is

expressed primarily in impaired efficiency ( Telford and

Sawrey, 1977).

According to the Individual with Disabilities Act (United

States) …a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological

processes involved in understanding or in using spoken or

written language , which may manifest itself in an imperfect

ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do

mathematical calculations. Learning disabilities include such

conditions as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal

brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.

Symptoms of Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities are often referred to as "hidden

handicaps" as they are difficult to identify. The kinds and

severity of problems vary from individual to individual. Each

individual with a learning disability shows a unique

combination of problems. Individuals with learning

disabilities may do well in some areas, but very poorly in

others. They may learn what is seen, but not what is heard;

they may remember by writing, but not by reciting orally; or

vice versa. Below are listed some signs that may indicate

learning disabilities:

inconsistent school performance

difficulty remembering today what was learned yesterday,but may know it tomorrow

short attention span (restless, easily distracted)

letter and number reversals (sees "b" for "d" or "p", "6"for "9", "pots" for "stop" or "post")

poor reading (below age and grade level)

frequent confusion about directions and time (right-left,up-down, yesterday-tomorrow)

personal disorganization (difficulty in following simpledirections/schedules; has trouble organizing, planning,and making best use of time; frequent loss ormisplacement of homework, schoolbooks, or other items)

impulsive and/or inappropriate behavior (poor judgment insocial situations, talks and acts before thinking)

failure on written tests but high scores on oral exams(or vice versa)

speech problems (immature language development, troubleexpressing ideas, poor word recall)

difficulty understanding and following instructionsunless they are broken down to one or two tasks at a time

seems immature and has difficulty making friends

trouble remembering what someone just told him or her

poor coordination (in gross motor activities such aswalking or sports and/or in fine motor activities such astying a shoelace, holding a pencil, or handwriting -inconsistent, slow, messy, or illegible)

difficulty interpreting body language, facial expression,or tone of voice

difficulty with development of sound/symbolcorrespondence

Some of these problems can be found in all children atcertain stages of development. When a child has a clusterof symptoms which do not disappear as she/he gets older,you might suspect learning disabilities.

Types of Learning Disability

Common Types of Learning Disabilities

Dyslexia Difficulty reading

Problems reading, writing, spelling, speaking

Dyscalculia Difficulty with math

Problems doing math problems, understanding time, using money

Dysgraphia  Difficulty with writing

Problems with handwriting, spelling, organizingideas

Dyspraxia (Sensory Integration Disorder)

Difficulty with fine motor skills

Problems with hand–eye coordination, balance, manual dexterity

Dysphasia/Aphasia

Difficulty with language

Problems understanding spokenlanguage, poor reading comprehension

Auditory Processing Disorder

Difficulty hearing differences between sounds

Problems with reading, comprehension, language

Common Types of Learning Disabilities

Visual Processing Disorder

Difficulty interpreting visual information

Problems with reading, math, maps,charts, symbols, pictures

Learning Disabilities and Functional Limitations

Generally speaking, students may be diagnosed with learning

disabilities if they are of average or above-average

intelligence and there is a significant discrepancy between

their academic achievement and their intellectual ability. The

diagnosis of a learning disability is often made by a

psychologist trained in administering and interpreting psycho-

educational assessments. Psychologists use the results of

their assessments to understand how individuals receive,

process, integrate, retain, and communicate information. Since

these functions cannot always be directly observed, it is

often difficult to diagnose specific learning disabilities,

determine their impact, and recommend appropriate

accommodations.

There are many types of learning disabilities; they often

impact student abilities in one or more of the following

categories:

Spoken language—listening and speaking.

Written language—reading, writing, and spelling.

Arithmetic—calculation and mathematical concepts.

Reasoning—organization and integration of ideas and

thoughts.

Learning disabilities may also be present along with other

disabilities such as mobility and sensory impairments, brain

injuries, Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention-Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD), and psychiatric

disabilities.

Described below are some of the functional limitations that

may require accommodations. A student with a learning

disability may have one or more of these limitations.

Auditory perception and processing—the student may have

difficulty in processing information communicated

through lectures or class discussions. He or she may

have difficulty in distinguishing subtle differences in

sound or knowing which sounds to attend to.

Visual perception and processing—the student may have

difficulty in distinguishing subtle differences in shape

(e.g., the letters b and d), deciding what images to

focus on when multiple images are present, skip words or

repeat sections when reading, or misjudge depth or

distance. He or she may have difficulty in processing

information communicated via overhead projection,

through video, in graphs and charts, by email, or within

web-based distance learning courses.

Information processing speed—the student may process

auditory and visual information more slowly than the

average person. He or she may be a slow reader because

of the need for additional time to decode and comprehend

written material.

Abstract reasoning—the student may have difficulty

understanding the context of subjects such as philosophy

and logic, which require high level reasoning skills.

Memory (long-term, short-term)—the student may have

difficulty with the storing or recalling of information

during short or long time periods.

Spoken and written language—the student may have

difficulty with spelling (e.g., mixing up letters) or

with speaking (e.g., reversing words or phrases).

Mathematical calculation—the student may have

difficulty in manipulating numbers, may sometimes invert

numbers, and may have difficulty converting problems

described in words to mathematical expressions.

Executive functioning (planning and time management)—

the student may have difficulty in breaking larger

projects into smaller sub-projects, creating and

following a timeline, and meeting deadlines.

INTRODUCTION OF ADJUSTMENT

You may have heard someone say that “somebody just doesn’t

adjust to situation” or “somebody facing problem in

adjustment”. Adjustment is a necessary characteristic to be

able to live peacefully in this world. Adjustment problem

starts right from the birth of and continues till death,

various situations arise at home. School, college, and

workplace where we need to give up a little of our demands and

accept what is present. Adjustment is the process of arriving

at a balanced state between the need of individual and their

satisfaction. Home and school play important role in the

adjustment of an individual.

WHAT IS ADJUSTMENT?

The dictionary meaning of the word “adjustment” is, to fit,

make suitable, adapt, arrange, modify, harmonize or make

correspondent. The term adjustment refers to the extent to

which an individual's personality functions effectively in the

world of people.It refers to the harmonious relationship

between the person and the environment.In other words, it is

the relationship that comes among the organisms, the

environment and the personality.A well adjusted personality is

well prepared to play the roles which are expected of the

status assigned to him with in given environment. His needs

will be satisfied in accordance with the social needs. For

example: wearing of cloth according to the season.  As we

can’t change the season so we have to modify our cloths.

Psychologists have interpreted adjustment from two important

points of view:-

•Adjustment as an achievement   •Adjustment as a

continuous process.

Adjustment as an achievement: Adjustment can be interpreted as

both process and the outcome of the process in the form of

some achievements. When a poor child study in the corner of a

play ground because in home he has not proper place to study

he is said to be in

the process of adjustment. As a result of that adjustment he

achieves good grads in examination. Thus adjustment meant as

an achievement means how the effectiveness with which an

individual can function in changed circumstances.

 Adjustment a Continuous process: The process of adjustment is

continuous. It starts at one’s birth and goes on without stop

till one’s death. A person as well as his environment are

constantly changing as also are his needs in accordance with

the demands of the changing external environment.

Consequently, the process or terms of an individual’s

adjustment can be expected to change from situation to

situation and according to Arkoff  (1968), there is nothing

like satisfactory or complete adjustment which can be achieved

once and for all time. It is something that is constantly

achieved and re-achieved by us (Mangal,2006).

Adjustment MechanismAn adjustment mechanism is a device used by the individual to

achieve satisfaction of the need indirectly. This helps

reducing tensions and assists him in maintaining self-respect.

With limits adjustment mechanisms are desirable and very

helpful in dealing with frustration. Carried to extreme, they

lead to behavior disorders. Following are adjustment

mechanisms:

a)         Compensation. Compensation is a concept where the

individual attempts to cover up his weakness in one area by

exhibiting his strength in another. A student deficient in

physical activities may compensate himself in showing good

results in the academic field and vice versa.

b)         Identification. Identification is a concept when an

individual attempts to identify himself with some successful

person. To hide his own failures, a student may identify

himself with his father and talk about his success.

c)         Rationalization. Rationalization means shifting of

responsibility for our failures to factors outside it i.e.

many students attribute their failure to the stiff question

paper.

d)         Projection. This is a tendency to ‘push out’ upon

another person one’s own unrealized, frustrated ambitions, or

attribute to another one’s own faults. For example, school

learners are often the victims of their parents’ projection of

their former hopes for higher education and higher social

status.

e)         Day-Dreaming. The imaginative fulfillment of needs

is called day-dreaming. Day-Dreaming provides mental relief to

an individual if it is done with limits. It becomes very

detrimental when it is carried to excess (Aggarwal,1995).

DEFINITION OF ADJUSTMENT

According to Encyclopedia Of Mental Disorder (2013),

“An adjustment disorder is a type of mental disorder resultingfrom maladaptive, or unhealthy, responses to stressful or

psychologically distressing life events. This low level

of adaptation then leads to the development of emotional orbehavioral symptoms.”

According to Coleman, James C.(1963), “Adjustment is the

outcome of the individual’s attempts to deal with the stress

and meet his needs: also his efforts to maintain harmonious

relationships with the environment.”

According to the Shaffer, L.S. (1961), “Adjustment is the

process by which living organism maintain a balance between

his needs and the circumstances that influence the

satisfactions of these needs.”

According to the Carter V Good (1959), “adjustment is the

process of finding and adopting modes of behavior suitable

to the environment or the change in the environment.”

ADJUSTMENT PROBLEM IN LEARNING DISABLED STUDENTS Adjustment disorder is an unusually strong or long-lasting

reaction to an upsetting event. The triggering event might

be a divorce, a death in the family, moving to a new home,

starting a different school, a break up, or a big life

disappointment. A child with the disorder will have a hard

time coping with his emotions and may become depressed or

anxious, exhibit hostility, pick fights, or refuse to go to

school, among many possible responses. The disorder is a

reaction to an event of great importance to the child—

whether or not that event appears significant to others. It

can occur in young children, adolescents, and even adults.

Adjustment disorder is a change or regression in behavior or

emotions in response to a specific environmental change in

a child’s life. A child struggling with this disorder will

respond to the stress of change in a way that is excessive

when compared to what considered normal for that child.

This disorder may also appear in children who are going

through a change in placement. For example, a child who

moves to a new foster home or is adopted into a new home—

even the most wonderful, loving home ever imagined—may

experience an adjustment disorder. Adjustment Disorder can

manifest itself as anxiety, depression, or it may be

indicated by behavior that is uncharacteristic for

specific a child.

Change is scary for everyone, but for people with learning

disabilities and other neurological disabilities, change

may be particularly difficult. Children with learning

disabilities may prefer procedures to stay the same and have

a hard time moving from one activity to another. Usually

this difficulty becomes less of an issue as the child

matures. Children with learning disability may have problem

in adjustment e.g. they may have problems with Academics,

social, home and emotional aspects. They might feel angry,

sad, lonely, frustrated, or hopeless as a result of focusing

on their difficulties. Special needs students are deprived

of a suitable education when they are taught at a mismatched

level with students how are significantly above their level.

These problems they may over come through attending special

education classes and parental attention. There is a need

for special education for children with learning disability.

Learning Disability with Behaviour and Adjustment Problems :

A child with L.D appears to exhibit emotional problems due

to adjustment difficulties resulting from academic failure.

Deficits in social skills found to exist at significantly

high rates among children with learning disabilities. In

general, social skill deficits include difficulties

interacting with people in an appropriate fashion. For

example, lack of knowledge of how to greet people, how to

make friends, and how to engage in playground games or a

failure to use knowledge of such skills in these situations.

Social and emotional difficulties : Social and emotional

skills are an area where you can have a huge impact as a

parent. For all children, but especially those with learning

disabilities, social and emotional skills are the most

consistent indicators of success, outweighing everything

else, including academic factors. Academic challenges may

lead to low self esteem, withdrawal and behavior problems,

but you can counter these things by creating a strong

support system for your child and helping them learn to

express themselves, deal with frustration and work through

challenges. Your focus on their growth as a person, and not

just on academic achievements will help them learn good

emotional habits and the right tools for lifelong.

Individuals who have learning disabilities may be less

observant in their social environment, may misinterpret

the social behavior of others at times, and may not learn

as easily from experiences or social “cues” as their

friends. Some children may exhibit an immaturity and

social ineptness due to their learning disability. While

seeking acceptance, their eagerness may cause them to try

too hard in inappropriate ways.

AREA OF ADJUSTMEN

According to A.K.P. Sinha there are three types of

adjustment area , following areas are given below:

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

There are many studies conducted in this area which indicates

mix results regarding the adjustment levels in learning

disabled students, a summary of some of the significant

studies is as follow:

Crocker and Major(1989) negative beliefs and thoughts give rise

to the decrease of self-esteem. One’s self-esteem is deeply

influenced by his/her adjustment; therefore, low self-esteem

can result in low academic, emotional and social adjustment.

Weiner et al.(1990) also asserted that peer rejection of children

with LD is high in studies of children in contained special

education classes. In various researches, it was found that as

Compared to children without LD, the relationships of children

with LD involve less contact with friends (Wenz-Gross &

Siperstein, 1997; Wiener & Schneider, 2002), less intimacy and

validation (Vaughn & Elbaum, 1999; WenzGross & Siperstein,

1997; Wiener & Schneider, 2002), and more conflict (Wiener &

Schneider, 2002).

Juvonen and george(1992) conducted a study in which they found no

difference in the social adjustment of children with learning

disabilities (LDs) and children without LDs. However, they

also asserted that girls with LDs received the highest number

of negative nominations and were the least preferred. In the

same study, it was demonstrated that in case of group

comparisons of socially adjusted and non adjusted children,

with and without LDs, teachers perceived the socially adjusted

children with LDs to be less socially and academically

competent than adjusted children with LDs.

Polloway e al.(1994) in his research has shown that teachers’

evaluation of students’ academic performance is influenced by

the students’ behavior in the classroom.

Research by Lavoie (1994) clearly demonstrated that individuals

with learning disabilities tend to be less accepted by peers,

interact awkwardly and inappropriately in social situations

and are socially imperceptive. In the same study he opined

that School-aged children and adolescents need to be accepted

and supported by their peers. Their social incompetence often

prevents them from establishing and maintaining such

relationships.

Sumiet al.( 1994 ) opined that the behavior of children at school

is a crucial element in their overall social adjustment. The

consequences of their behavior at school can be powerful.

Students inappropriate behavior at school can distract both

the students themselves and those around them from their

learning tasks.

Bagwell et al. (1998) also showed that investigating peer status in

children with LD is important because children who are

rejected by peers are at risk for a variety of disorders in

childhood and adulthood. One of the most consistent findings

in the literature on children and adolescents with LD is that

they are less likely to be socially accepted and more likely

to be socially neglected and rejected by peers than typically

functioning children (see Kavale & Forness, 1995; Swanson &

Malone, 1992; Wiener, 1987, for reviews of this literature).

Bryan (1976) found that children with LD maintained their low

peer acceptance over a period of two years even though

teachers and classmates had changed.

Kuhne and Wiener (2000) in their research found that the peer

status of children with LD declines over the course of a

school year; that is, many children with LD who have average

social status at the beginning of the school year are seen as

neglected or rejected by the end of the school year.

Weiner and Schneider (2002) reported that children with LD also

report more problems with relationship repair (i.e., the

ability to resolve conflict with friends) than children

without LD.

Dunn et al. (2004) also asserted that one of the most important

factors contributing to school dropout is learning

disabilities. However, they exhibit problems in reading,

writing, perceiving mathematic and completing homework

assignment. As a result, they experience feelings of

inferiority and by degrees, are filled with hatred toward

lesson and school (Ahadi and Kakavand, 2010).

Sideridis (2006) stated that learning disabilities encompasses a

very extensive range of academic problems and their full

perception requires regards for behavioral, emotional and

social realms of child’s life.

Sideridis (2007) opined that LD students demonstrate feelings

of competence and the experience of failures in consecutive

school years gives rise to feelings of distress and a sense of

alienation from school and adults. The research literature

indicates that students with learning disabilities are faced

with more emotional and affective problems as compared to

normal students.

Neeraja and Anuradha( 2014) A child with L.D appears to

exhibit emotional problems due to adjustment difficulties

resulting from academic failure. Deficits in social skills

found to exist at significantly high rates among children with

learning disabilities. In general, social skill deficits include

difficulties interacting with people in an appropriate fashion For example, lack

of knowledge of how to greet people, how to make friends, and how to engage

in playground games or a failure to use knowledge of such skills in these

situations. Learning disabilities can be extremely frustrating

for children. Children with learning disabilities may have

trouble expressing their feelings, calming themselves down,

and reading nonverbal cues from others. This can lead to

difficulty in the classroom and with their peers Many areas of

life are affected, including the role of the person with learning

disabilities in their family, relationships with friends, non-

academic functioning such as sports or dancing, self-esteem

and self-confidence to handle daily situations. Learning

disabilities, and their accompanying academic challenges, can

lead to low academic achievement and behavior problems. Social

and emotional skills are an area where you can have a huge

impact as a parent. For all children, but especially those

with learning disabilities, social and emotional skills are

the most consistent indicators of success, outweighing

everything else, including academic factors. Academic

challenges may lead to low selfesteem, withdrawal and behavior

problems, but you can counter these things by creating a

strong support system for your child and helping them learn to

express themselves, deal with frustration and work through

challenges.

Students with undetected learning disabilities might

demonstrate undesirable behaviour for a variety of reasons.

They might feel angry, sad, lonely, frustrated, or hopeless as

a result of focusing on their difficulties.

A student might also exhibit inappropriate behaviour in order

to avoid the frustrating task itself. At other times behaviour

might result from poor self-esteem, connected to the student's

focus on what he/she can't do; or a student might quit trying,

believing that no matter how hard they try they will never

attain success. Other behavior might be the result of an

emotional disturbance. Internalizing problems while children

with reading disabilities had only normal adjustment patterns.

Similarly, a recent study has shown that emotional and

behavioral adjustment profile varies among children with

different types of LD: namely, single and multiple LD. This

study revealed that adolescents in the multiple reading and

math disabilities category and math disability only category

showed significantly more impairment on depression and

immature behavior measures than adolescents with reading

disability only or adolescents with typical achievement. The

other study has provided evidence for higher levels of

emotional problems, as well as behavioral difficulties and

attention problems, among children with dyslexia cases.

Overall, these results point to the fact that the

heterogeneity of LD does matter and should be taken into

account when analyzing adjustment difficulties.

Tamannaeifar1 and Nezhad1(2014) Learning disabilities

encompasses a very extensive range of academic problems and

their full perception requires regards for behavioral,

emotional and social realms of child’s life (Sideridis, 2006).

The main assumption is that learning disabilities in students

give rise to social, emotional and academic Social adjustment

entails one’s adaptation to social environment which might be

achieved through self-change or alteration of environment

(Mousavi Lotfi et al, 2009). Social adjustment regarding the

students suffering from learning disability is stated in terms

of establishing a relationship, problem-solving, decision-

making and behavior control (Mcintyre, 2003, cited in

Doroudiyan, 2011). Hence, these children confront

interactional problems with their parents, teachers, peers or

strangers (Khankhani Zadeh and Bagheri, 2012). Emotional

adjustment is defined as having overall mental health,

satisfaction with personal life, coordination between

feelings, activities and thoughts. Put differently, emotional

adjustment calls for mechanisms whereby, the individual

experiences affective stability. Emotional and social

abilities and competence are amongst the influencing factors

of academic adjustment (Mousavi Lotfi et al, 2009). The

results of various studies support the strong relationship

between academic achievement, social and emotional growth

(Bakker et al, 2007). Students with learning disabilities

experience consecutive and successive academic failures and

are thus more vulnerable to behavioral and socioemotional

problems.

The research literature indicates that students with learning

disabilities are faced with more emotional and affective

problems. A higher number of studies related to these students

reveal that students with learning disabilities also exhibit

socialization, emotional and behavioral problems (Sideridis,

2007).

A high percentage of students who suffer from emotional

problems also exhibit learning disabilities, interpersonal

skills problems (Wiener, 2004), mood and depressive disorders

(Sideridis, 2007) and social information processing

difficulties (Bauminger & Kimhi-Kind, 2008). Moreover, many

problems in social interaction and skills (Soleimani et al,

2011), a high level of loneliness and social isolation (Estell

et al, 2008), and maladjustment are observed among these

individuals (Al-Yagon, & Mikulincer, 2004; Wiener, 2004;

Freilich and Shechtman, 2010 and Zahed et al, 2012).

Heath & Ross (2000) and Sideridis (2006) state that students

with learning disabilities report more emotional problems such

as anxiety and depression.

According to researchers, negative beliefs and thoughts give

rise to the decrease of self-esteem. One’s self-esteem is

deeply influenced by his/her adjustment; therefore, low self-

esteem can result in low academic, emotional and social

adjustment (Crocker and Major, 1989). They concluded that

individuals with positive perspective of themselves have

higher adjustment and overall mental health. In this regard,

Plata et al (2005) demonstrated that students with learning

disability show indifference towards their peers, particularly

in terms of academic activities. Furthermore, Abolghasemi et

al (2011) contended that students with learning abilities and

students with low academic achievement have lower social

competence as compared to the students who have moderate to

high degrees of academic achievement.

Eva (2003) investigated the school adjustment of slow learners

studying in normal schools, and found out that these students

have serious problems in educational adjustment. Moreover,

their rate of absence and dropout is significantly higher than

their normal classmates and peers. Students with learning

disabilities can’t typically achieve their academic goals

through normal education. They betray outright contempt for

education and leave school (Grant & Grant, 2010; Cited in

Narimani, Rajabi, Afrouz and Samadi, 2011). The necessity for

the conduction of the present research is clear with regard to

the above-mentioned text and the studies carried out on

adjustment and its aspects and also the importance and role of

adjustment skills in the educational performance and the

process of emotional and social growth among the students with

learning disabilities.

The research purpose is to draw a comparison between social,

affective, educational adjustment and academic achievement

between the students suffering from learning disabilities.

GAPS IN RESEARCH

Most of the studies have been conducted outside India and very

few literature is available regarding education and social

adjustment in India. Also, on visits to school regarding

teaching practice, lot of teachers gave inputs regarding

adjustment problem among learning disabled students in

schools. Hence an effort to explore this problem through this

research study.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

TO STUDY THE POTENTIAL DIFFICULTIES IN THE ADJUSTMENT OF

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITY IN GOVERNMENTS SCHOOLS OF

CHANDIGARH

OBJECTIVES OF THE PRESENT STUDY

1. To study the level of educational adjustment among

learning disabled students.

2. To study the level of social adjustment among learning

disabled students.

3. To study the inter correlations between social and

educational adjustment among learning disabled students.

HYPOTHESES

1. There will be no significant problems of educational

adjustment among learning disabled students.

2. There will be no significant problems of social

adjustment among learning disabled students.

3. There will be no co-relation between educational and

social adjustment among learning disabled students.

METHODOLOGY

Design:

The total number of Government schools in the union

territory of Chandigarh are 107 comprising of Nursery

schools, Primary schools, Middle schools, Model middle

schools, High schools, Model high schools, Senior

secondary schools and Model senior secondary schools.

These schools are divided into twenty clusters, each

cluster comprising of 4-5 schools. Out of the twenty

clusters, one cluster would be randomly picked for

conducting the study. The population of the present study

is the Government schools of Chandigarh where the

Education Department has identified 1038 learning

disabled students. The city of Chandigarh is an important

educational centre of north India having many schools,

colleges and institutions of higher education.

Sample:

Table showing the number of Learning Disabled students

school wise and class wise for cluster number 4. This

cluster was selected randomly for this study purpose.

CLUSTER NUMBER 4

SCHOOL CLASS 6 CLASS 7 CLASS 8 TOTAL

GMSSS 18 0 0 0 0

GMSSS 19 5 2 2 9

GHS 19 4 1 3 8

GMSSS 21 4 8 1 13

TOTAL 13 11 6 30

Out of the total number of 1038 Learning disabled

students identified by the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan Society,

Education Department , Chandigarh in cluster number 4 ,

thirty students will be randomly picked for the study

using a table of random numbers.

Tests and tools

The following standardized test will be used for

the present study:

1. Adjustment Inventory for School Students (Hindi Version)

by A.K.P. Sinha and R.P. Singh.

Statistical analysis

The following descriptive as well as inferential statistics

will be computed for the data obtained after administration of

the tests. Mean, Median, Mode and Standard Deviations will be

computed for the adjustment scores obtained. Further

Correlations will be calculated between the educational

adjustment and the social adjustment scores.

DELIMITATIONS

The study will be delimited to only the Government schools of

Chandigarh. It will be further delimited to only certain

clusters of schools.

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