The Effects of Reality Therapy Classroom Meetings on Self‐Concept and Locus of Control among Learning Disabled Children

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Reality Therapy‐based classroom meetings on the self‐concept and perception of locus of control orientation of learning disabled children. Sixty (60) learning disabled (LD) children from four classrooms were randomly assigned to experimental and control conditions. Experimental group teachers were trained by a certified Reality Therapist in the concepts of Reality Therapy and how to conduct the classroom meetings. Meetings were held twice weekly for 11 consecutive weeks, each session lasting approximately 30‐45 minutes. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) yielded no significant differences on the pre‐test self‐concept and locus of control measures. MANOVA on post‐test measures revealed significant differences between the experimental and control groups. Post Hoc univariate F and discriminant analysis indicated several measures of self‐concept to be valid discriminators. The locus of control measure, on the other hand, did not prove to be a valid discriminator. The intervention studied appears to be beneficial in improving some areas of self‐concept among the LD population.