A Longitudinal Exploration of the Academic and Psychosocial Outcomes of Students with Emotional/Behavioural Difficulties: The Importance of Student Perceptions of Themselves, Their Peer Relationships, and Their Classrooms

• Main Authors: Jessica Whitley, Edward P. Rawana, Keith Brownlee, Jennine Rawana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Brock University 2010-01-01
• Series: Brock Education: a Journal of Educational Research and Practice
• Online Access: http://brock.scholarsportal.info/journals/brocked/home/article/view/137

<div>Students with emotional/behavioural difficulties (E/BD) continue to experience poor academic and psychosocial outcomes. Developing a better understanding of the ways in which indicators of these outcomes develop while students are still in early grades can assist in planning effective programming and alter negative trajectories. Accordingly, the present study sought to explore the perceptions of students with and without E/BD regarding their self-concept, classroom climate, and academic achievement over the course of one school year. The participants consisted of 68 elementary-aged students attending two schools in Northwestern Ontario. A repeated measures ANOVA was conducted and a number of significant differences were found both between groups and over time. Specifically, students in the E/BD group experienced poorer functioning compared to students without E/BD at most time points. Patterns of change in psychosocial and academic variables were largely similar across groups. Discussions of these findings, as well as implications for practice and for future research are presented. <br /><br />Keywords: Emotional/behavioural difficulties; self-concept; academic achievement<br /></div>