Comparison of Family Emotional Atmosphere, Family Flexibility, Academic Achievement, Academic Procrastination, and Perception of Academic Self-Efficacy Between Students with Learning Disabilities and Regular Students

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to compare the family emotional atmosphere and flexibility, academic achievement, academic procrastination, and perception of academic self-efficacy between students with learning disabilities and regular students.  Methods and Materials: The statistical population included third- and fourth-grade students from Dhi Qar Province during the 2024 academic year, from which 250 students (125 students with learning disabilities and 125 regular students) were selected through multi-stage cluster random sampling. Data were collected using the Family Emotional Atmosphere Questionnaire (Hillburn, 1964), Family Flexibility Questionnaire (Shakeri, 2003), Academic Achievement Scale (Wells, 2010), Academic Procrastination Scale (Solomon & Rothblum, 1984), and Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (Jinks & Morgan, 1999), and were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).  Findings: The research findings indicated a significant difference (p < .01) between students with learning disabilities and regular students in terms of family emotional atmosphere, family flexibility, academic achievement, academic procrastination, and perception of academic self-efficacy. Specifically, students with learning disabilities reported lower levels of family emotional atmosphere, family flexibility, academic achievement, and academic self-efficacy, and higher levels of academic procrastination.  Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study showed that the family functioning of students with learning disabilities is in a less favorable state compared to the families of regular students. This situation can have negative and destructive effects on their children's self-efficacy beliefs, self-worth, and academic performance. Therefore, families and caregivers of children with learning disabilities can benefit from participating in advanced educational programs to gain a comprehensive understanding of the disorder.