Anxiety as a mediator of locus of control in children with developmental dyslexia

Abstract

It is generalized that the sense of control is an important determinant of human behavior. The researches prove that school experiences (especially failures in learning) may increase the external locus of control. Anxiety can also determine the sense of control, but the results of world researches are not equal. The purpose of the article is to determine whether any form of therapeutic aid may influence the locus of control in children with dyslexia and whether anxiety is a factor mediating in relation between therapeutic experiences and the locus of control. Methods: There were 165 children with dyslexia, aged 12,06–15, assessed with the use of «I and my school» Questionnaire by Skrzypek-Siwinska, «The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory» by Spielberger, Sosnowski & Iwaniszczuk, «The Locus of Control Questionnaire» by Krasowicz & Kurzyp-Wojnarska. The authors considered children’s previous therapeutic experiences and on its basis the children were divided into three groups: 1) children in systematic therapy; 2) children with non-systematic therapeutic experiences; 3) children without therapeutic aid. The results of the study are presented, that the kind of therapeutic experience does not differentiate the examined groups in the aspect of the locus of control. Anxiety does not affect the locus of control in dyslexic children receiving systematic aid. In the case of children with non-systematic therapeutic experiences, school anxiety (as a state and as a trait) favours the external locus of control both in the situation of success and failure. In the case of children without therapy, the external locus of control (in the situation of success and failure) is determined by general fear activated in the particular moments.

Keywords

• dyslexia
• locus of control
• situation of success
• situation of failure
• children with dyslexia
• school fear
• anxiety
• children’s therapeutic experiences.