Reading- and spelling-related self-concept, emotions and coping strategies in students with and without dyslexia

Dyslexia can negatively affect attitudes such as self-concept, emotions and coping. Prior research has mainly focused on global academic self-concept and negative emotions, with limited focus on specific reading- and spelling-related self-concept, positive emotions and coping strategies. We examined the reading- and spelling-related attitudes of primary school students with (n = 90) and without (n = 1411) formally diagnosed dyslexia. Students were randomly assigned to fill out the Reading Attitudes Scales (n = 753) or the Spelling Attitudes Scales (n = 748), with which reading-/spelling-related self-concept, negative and positive emotions and (mal-)adaptive coping strategies were assessed. Findings showed that the attitudes of students with dyslexia towards reading and spelling differed from their peers without dyslexia. Students with dyslexia reported lower reading and spelling self-concept and less enjoyment of reading and spelling. For other attitudes, the patterns of findings diverged. For reading, students with dyslexia reported more anxiety and shame and more maladaptive coping than students without dyslexia. For spelling, students with dyslexia reported more worrying and rumination and support seeking. These findings call for more research into reading- and spelling-related attitudes and for integration of this information into diagnosis and intervention.