International Journal of School and Cognitive Psychology
Open Access

Abstract

Learning Disabilities and Disruptive Behavior: Research of Observing Students in Primary School

Victoria Zakopoulou, Dimitrios Sarris, Periklis Tagkas, Evangelos Tsampalas and Maria Vergou

Learning disabilities are characterized by students’ weaknesses in reading, spelling, comprehension, written and spoken words, and social behavior. Commonly, learning disabilities are associated with problems in executive and extensive behavior, such as the anti-social and delinquent behavior. The purpose of this research is to investigate whether students of all grades of elementary school with learning disabilities belong to the category of “problem” children, children with offending behaviors, in and out of class. 21 students of all grades with learning difficulties were observed in the second half of the school year 2016-2017. Researchers separately observed target students in and out of class. Each observation lasted for 40 min. Each student was observed for a total of 4 teaching hours. The research highlighted an important relationship between learning disabilities and social behavior, stressing that the target learners were those who did not participate in the learning process, created class fuss, received comments from teachers, participated in all the problematic situations during of the breaks, often visited the Director’s office to impose the appropriate sanctions-penalties (within the framework of the regulations).