What do young people think about their labels of literacy difficulty? The relationship between label views, self-concept and attributional style in secondary school aged children

The thesis examines the role of affective factors in young people experiencing literacy difficulties.

The literature review explores the extent to which dyslexia is associated with differences in the social and emotional outcomes of children aged 5 to 16.

Findings indicated that these children experience lower self-concept and self-esteem in academic domains alongside reduced emotional wellbeing.

Additionally, children reported less adaptive attitudes to learning with reduced motivation and increased difficulties with peer relationships. Limitations, directions for future research and implications for educational psychology are discussed.

The empirical study employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design to explore secondary aged young people's views about their labels of literacy difficulty and to examine the relationships between label views, self-concept and attributional style.

51 young people aged 11-15 completed quantitative questionnaires measuring these variables and 6 of these young people participated in individual follow-up interviews.

Quantitative results indicated that participants experienced low levels of academic self-concept compared to their global self-worth yet reported positive attributional styles and label views.

Significant small to moderate correlations were found between these variables and were supported by the qualitative findings.

From the interviews, six themes were identified through thematic analysis highlighting the perceived benefits and limitations of labels.

While participants reported negative features related to their labels, such as concerns about appearing different and being bullied, labels were considered helpful in promoting understanding, gaining support and serving as an explanation of their difficulties to others.

Limitations of the study, possible directions for research and implications for EP practice are considered.