Investigating Emotion Regulation Skills Training on Academic Adjustment in Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

Emotional regulation refers to the ability to access strategies that allow individuals to reduce the intensity of the emotion when needed. In other words, being hurt by others must not be responded to with harsh physical actions or other ineffective reactions. The current research aimed to study the effects of emotion regulation skills training on academic adjustment in students with specific learning disabilities.

This was a quasi–experimental study with a pretest–posttest and a control group design. The Adjustment Inventory for School Students (AISS) developed by Sinha and Singh (1998) was applied for data collection. Moreover, we used the training package of emotion regulation skills. The statistical population of the study included all students with specific learning disabilities in the fourth and fifth grades in Tabriz City, Iran. The sample consisted of 40 students (20 per experimental and control groups) who were selected through convenience sampling technique. The experimental group received the emotion regulation package training in eight 90–min sessions. Next, the posttest was performed. The coefficient of reliability of the Sinha and Singh compatibility scale was obtained as 0.95 by the split–half method and 0.93 by re–examination.

According to the statistical analysis, the mean and standard deviation of the academic adjustment of the experimental group changed from 13.1±3.14 before the intervention to 2.3±3.12 after intervention, and control group changed from 12.2±3.19 before the intervention to 13.1±3.22 after intervention, In addition, analysis of covariance showed that the intervention training program is effective (p<0.001).

According to the present study findings, the program of training emotion regulation skills is effective in increasing the academic adjustment of students with a specific learning disability; thus, teaching these skills is required for this population.