The Effect of Acceptance and Commitment Training on Academic Resiliency in Students with Specific Learning Disability

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of acceptance and commitment training program on the level of academic resilience in students with specific learning disabilities. In terms of methodology, this study was a pre-test/post-test quasi-experiment. The research population consisted of female students with specific learning disabilities who were studying in the sixth grade during the academic year of 2019-2020 in Tabriz. The sample consisted of 34 students with special learning disabilities who were first selected using cluster sampling and then purposefully included in the experimental and the control group. The data were collected using the Academic Resilience Inventory and Raven’s intelligence test. Data analysis was performed using multivariate analysis of covariance. 21-SPSS software were used for data analysis. According to the results of the data analysis, the effect of acceptance and commitment-based training seemed to increase the amount of academic resilience in students with specific learning disabilities. The effectiveness of the training appeared to be significant in relation to future orientation, problem-centeredness, and optimism at the level of p <0.05, but not significant as it relates to communication skills. The findings of the present research will hopefully pave the way for further research addressing psychological challenges of students with specific learning disabilities.

Keywords

• specific learning disability
• academic resiliency
• acceptance and commitment