Primary and secondary perceived control: A comparison of adolescent students with and without learning difficulties

Nola Firth, Everarda Cunningham, and Jason Skues

Abstract

In this study we compared the results of both a primary and a secondary perceived control measure completed by 93 regional and metropolitan students from Years 7-9 who were assessed as having learning disabilities and 102 students from the general student population. The Mastery Scale (Pearlin, Menaghan, Lieberman, & Mullan, 1981) was used to measure primary perceived control and The Children’s Internal Coping Self-efficacy Scale (Cunningham, 2002) was used to measure secondary perceived control. The students who had learning disabilities scored lower on both measures. These findings are discussed in relation to a need for interventions that give students who have learning disabilities strategies that address both primary and secondary aspects of perceived control.