Differentiation of academic self-concept in primary school students with mild learning difficulties: A factor mixture analysis approach

Abstract

This study analyzed the latent structure of academic ability self-concepts of primary school students with mild learning difficulties (MLD) cross-sectionally at three time points. We sought to explore (a) whether MLD students at the end of primary school already show a differentiated, domain-specific self-concept, (b) whether there are subgroups of students with different degrees of self-concept differentiation, and (c) whether belonging to any of these subgroups depends on attending inclusive vs. exclusive school settings. Factor analyses with a sample of >400 students from mainstream (inclusive) and special (exclusive) primary schools revealed clearly differentiated academic self-concepts for reading, writing, and math. There was no further differentiation at later time points. In factor mixture analyses, two latent classes emerged which showed equal factorial structures of their academic self-concepts but differed in the level of mean self-concept factor scores. Students from inclusive schools were more likely to belong into the class with lower mean academic self-concept scores. Overall, our findings provide useful insights into the structure and level of academic self-concepts of primary school students with MLD which, in turn, may contribute to the debate on more inclusive schooling of these students.