I am currently undertaking the course Educational Psychology here at Elon. While I was reading a section of my course textbook, I came across a statement that has been stuck in my head all week: “Students with learning disabilities might become victims of learned helplessness when they come to believe that they cannot control or improve their own learning and therefore cannot succeed,” (Woolfolk). I decided to do further research on what the term “learned helplessness” meant. From what I gathered, using an article from Medical News Today, I learned helplessness can be defined as a “state that occurs after a person has experienced a stressful situation repeatedly.” When opportunities for change arise, they do not try since they believe it is impossible to control the situation. 

Nicki Arnold’s article,  “Learned Helplessness and Attribution for Success and Failure in LD Students,” shares two points that stand out. First, students with learning disabilities have lower global self-concepts than non-disabled peers.  This alone is seen as early as third grade and remains stable through high school. The second point that stood out was that those with learning disabilities are more likely to make external attributions for both success and failure. These students are more likely to attribute success to luck and uncontrollable factors.

I realized that I had once fallen victim to learned helplessness. I have struggled my entire academic life with the learning disability dyslexia. For as long as I can remember, I have always taken longer to process and retain information than my classmates and, early on, my grades strongly showed that I was not up to grade level. After continuously getting bad grades, regardless of the hours of hard work and dedication I put forth, I began to feel as if my success was impossible. I started to doubt everything about myself and hated attending school. 

After continuously getting bad grades, regardless of the hours of hard work and dedication I put forth, I began to feel as if my success was impossible.

It wasn’t until seventh grade when my mother had me start one-on-one tutoring with a dyslexia specialist that I began to understand school and how to succeed with dyslexia. Although high school was mainly spent with countless hours of studying and tears, I was able to prove to myself that I could get good grades and comprehend school regardless of my learning disability. With the tools I learned along the way, I graduated with honors. 

Reading about learned helplessness reminded me why I am who I am today and why I came to Elon. I decided that I wanted to use my experiences to help others. This is why I am studying to become an elementary school educator and am currently working at CEL on the “Affirming and Inclusive Engaged Learning for Neurodivergent Students” research seminar. 

I hope this post inspires readers to explore learned helplessness further. I would like to end with a few reflective prompts to help you further your thoughts on the topic:

• Reflect on a time when you or someone you know overcame a sense of learned helplessness. What factors or interventions contributed to this change?
• In what ways can the concept of learned helplessness be applied to your life?
• Have you ever experienced or witnessed learned helplessness in an educational setting, and if so, how was it addressed or overcome?

References

Arnold, Nicki. n.d. “Learned Helplessness and Attribution for Success and Failure in LD Students.” LD OnLine. https://www.ldonline.org/ld-topics/self-esteem-stress-management/learned-helplessness-and-attribution-success-and-failure-ld. 

Leonard, Jayne. 2023. “Learned Helplessness: Examples, Symptoms, and Treatment.” Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325355. 

Woolfolk, A., and Ellen L. Usher. 2022. Educational psychology, 15th Ed. Pearson. Retrieved from https://www.pearson.com.

About the Author

Kira Campagna is a CEL Student Scholar CEL Student Scholar collaborating with participants in the 2024-2026 research seminar on Affirming and Inclusive Engaged Learning for Neurodivergent Learners. She’s majoring in Elementary Education and minoring in Environmental Education. Learn more about the current student scholars.  

How to Cite This Post

Campagna, Kira. 2024. “Learning Disabilities, Meet Learned Helplessness.” Center for Engaged Learning (blog), Elon University. November 1, 2024. https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/learning-disabilities-meet-learned-helplessness/.