A psychological aspect (internalizing problems) of literacy issues

Hello,

Much discussion in the Reading and Writing group focuses on improving our literacy instruction through addressing curricular, assessment, and instructional practices. Let's expand those parameters a bit and consider a psychological factor that some learners confront i.e., internalizing problems. We know in general that the challenges learners with learning disabilities (LD) confront in childhood and adolescence continue into adulthood.

In fact, psychological factors such as anxiety, depression, and emotional well-being are even more prevalent for adult learners with learning disabilities (LD) in post-secondary settings and adults with LD in general than the non-LD population. So, the point might be made that recognizing and addressing these pyschological factors are important to our instructional planning and, more importantly, our learners' successful outcomes. Another point to state that may be obvious is that learners who internalize problems also have diminished capacity for information processing, metacognition, and working memory. So likely, their stress levels also increase as they work on literacy tasks for which they have a history of limited success.

So, what to do? Recommendations from a research article in the Journal of Learning Disabilities include improving executive functioning such as helping the learner develop the organization strategies that help them become more efficient with their time usage and effort. Being more efficient, better organized can reduce one's stress level because we have a coping mechanism.

Along a different track, if we are sensitive to learners' tendency to internalize their problems, targeted instructor feedback can help learners understand their challenges and indicate the progress that their (the learners') efforts are having for improvement. I think that we should focus on helping learners' develop a greater sense of their own capacity at problem solving, decision-making and improvement. Stress management strategies would be an important component.

Another avenue or approach is to help the learner compartmentalize his challenges so that s/he can identify the dimensions of life in which s/he is (relatively) successful (e.g., social relationships, family connections, employment, community involvement, hobbies, and other academic achievement areas). This self-awareness can help with the compartmentalizing of their areas of difficulty. We probably all understand some sense of our strengths and weaknesses and how they influence our choices and day to day activities. Helping our learners develop that understanding could be an important component of more successful learning, persistence, and achievement.

• Your thoughts? 
• How useful is this concept of "internalizing problems" for characterizing your learners?
• Do you see it manifested often?
• How do you address it successfully? 

Knowing that some (or more of you) love research, the research article that was the basis for my post is: 
Klassen, R.M, Tze, V.M.C., and Hannok, W. (2011). Internalizing problems of adults with learning disabilities: a meta-analysis. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 46 (4) 317-327.

Also, I'm just curious if you "like" this approach to developing Discussion topics.

Kind regards,
Daryl
Reading and writing group coordinator