Determining the Effectiveness of Brain-Based Learning Training on the Love of Learning of Students with Special Learning Disabilities

Special learning disorder is one of the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorders that has severely affected the lives of many children worldwide. From an anthropological perspective, a particular problem related to learning disorder is the ability to learn and the need of students to acquire the ability to learn with the aim of learning, which is called the love of learning. Several researchers have also shown that the grade of enthusiasm for school and interest in the education of students with learning disabilities is lower than that of normal students. Since learning disorders often lead to changes in neurological and cognitive processes, one of the interventions based on the neurological principles of learning and education is brain–centered learning. So, the current research was conducted to determine the effectiveness of brain–based learning training in improving student's love of learning with special learning disabilities.

This research was quasi–experimental with a pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included 5800 male students with learning disabilities studying in the elementary schools of Rasht City, Iran, in the academic year 2022–2023. A total of 30 were recruited by the available sampling method after meeting the inclusion criteria and divided into two groups of 15 students: experimental and control. Also, according to the Wechsler IQ test, the children had normal intelligence. In addition, the two groups were homogenized in terms of gender (subjects in both groups were boys), IQ (with an IQ of 95–120), parents' education, and the socioeconomic status of the family, and not suffering from other psychological and behavioral or emotional disorders such as attention–deficit/hyperactivity disorder. The tools used in this research were the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–IV (Wechsler, 2003), the Colorado Learning Difficulties Questionnaire (CLDQ) (Willcutt et al., 2011), and the Love of Learning Questionnaire (McFarlane, 2003). The brain–based learning training package was implemented during 8 sessions of 60 minutes only for the experimental group. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS26 software at two levels of descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential (univariate covariance analysis). The significance level of statistical tests was considered to be 0.05.

The effect of training on the love of learning in the experimental group was significant after removing the pretest effect (p=0.002), and 29.5% of the changes in the love of learning in the posttest were explained by receiving training.

Based on the findings of brain–based learning training, the love of learning is improved in students with learning disability. Therefore, it is recommended to use brain–based learning in schools and specialized clinics for exceptional children.