Comparison of the Peer Status of Mexican-American Students with Learning Disabilities and Non-Disabled Low-Achieving Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of achievement on the peer status of Mexican-American male and female pupils with LD in academic and play contexts in classrooms where all students displayed low achievement. Participants were fourth- and fifth-grade pupils in a metropolitan school district in the Southwest. The sample was obtained from 13 compensatory regular education classrooms across six schools. Mexican-American pupils with LD received significantly lower sociometric scores than their low-achieving nondisabled Mexican-American peers even when the entire class was composed of low-achieving students.