Empowering Exceptional Children

Empowering Exceptional Children

The Effectiveness of Metacognitive Therapy on Decision-Making Styles of Students with Specific Learning Disorder

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Assistant Professor, Department of Cognitive Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran.
2 Master of Educational Psychology, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran.
3 Master of Educational Psychology, Payame Noor University, Semnan, Iran.
10.22034/ceciranj.2025.463577.1879
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of metacognitive therapy on the decision making styles of children with specific learning disorder (SLD). The research method was quasi experimental, employing a pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of 30 elementary school students (17 boys and 13 girls) with SLD in Semnan, all of whom were selected as the research sample. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups of 15 (experimental and control) and completed the General Decision Making Style Questionnaire by Scott and Bruce (1995) in both the pretest and posttest stages. The experimental group received a therapeutic intervention comprising ten 60 minute sessions, held once per week. The control group received no intervention during the study period. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) with SPSS 26. Statistical analysis revealed that metacognitive therapy had a significant effect on rational and dependent decision making styles (P < 0.05). Based on these findings, metacognitive therapy can be considered, alongside other interventions, for students with SLD to help make the treatment process faster and more effective
Keywords

Subjects


American Psychiatric Association. (2022). American Psychiatric Association: Diagnosti c and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5-TR, Arlington.‌
Capobianco, L., Reeves, D., Morrison, A. P., & Wells, A. (2018). Group metacognitive therapy vs. mindfulness meditation therapy in a transdiagnostic patient sample: a randomised feasibility trial. Psychiatry research259, 554-561.‌
Cappelen, A., List, J., Samek, A., & Tungodden, B. (2020). The effect of early-childhood education on social preferences. Journal of Political Economy128(7), 2739-2758.‌
Hamedali, B., Malihialzuckerini, S., Khalatbari, J., & Seirafi, M. (2021). Comparison of the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation treatment and metacognitive therapy on perceived anxiety, depression and cognitive skills. International Journal of Hospital Research10(1).‌
Hoffman, A. (2003). Teaching decision making to students with learning disabilities by promoting self-determination (Vol. 647). Arlington, VA: ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education.‌
List, J. A., Petrie, R., & Samek, A. (2021). How experiments with children inform economics (No. w28825). National Bureau of Economic Research.
Mehraban-Eshtehardi, M., Babakhani, N., & Hassani-Abharian, P. (2023). A Comparative Inquiry on the Effect of Metacognitive Training and Decision-Making Strategies on Self-Management of Health Behavior among Overweight Middle-Aged People. International Journal of Behavioral Sciences17(3), 120-126.‌
Meltzer, L. (Ed.). (2018). Executive function in education: From theory to practice. Guilford Publications.
Miller, D. C., & Byrnes, J. P. (2001). Adolescents' decision making in social situations: A self-regulation perspective. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology22(3), 237-256.
Mitchell, J. T., McIntyre, E. M., English, J. S., Dennis, M. F., Beckham, J. C., & Kollins, S. H. (2017). A pilot trial of mindfulness meditation training for ADHD in adulthood: impact on core symptoms, executive functioning, and emotion dysregulation. Journal of attention disorders21(13), 1105-1120.‌
Mutumburanzou, P. (2018). Communication skills for children with severe learning difficulties. European Journal of Educational Sciences5(2), 75-83.‌
Normann, N., & Morina, N. (2018). The efficacy of metacognitive therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in psychology9, 412665.‌
Padeliadu, S., Botsas, G., & Sideridis, G. (2002). Metacognitive awareness and reading strategies: Average and reading disabled students. Selected Papers on Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, 14(0).
Schneider, W., & Lockl, K. (2002). 10 The development of metacognitive knowledge in children and adolescents. Applied Metacognition, 224.
Scott, S. G., & Bruce, R. A. (1995). Decision-making style: The development and assessment of a new measure. Educational and psychological measurement55(5), 818-831.
Swanson, H. L., Lussier, C. M., & Orosco, M. J. (2015). Cognitive strategies, working memory, and growth in word problem solving in children with math difficulties. Journal of learning disabilities, 48(4), 339-358.
Wells, A. (2000). Emotional disorders and metacognition: Innovative cognitive therapy. Chichester, UK: wiley
Wells A. (2009). Metacognitive Therapy for Anxiety and Depression. New York, NY; London: Guilford Press.
Wells, A. (2011). Metacognitive therapy for anxiety and depression. Guilford press.
Zakaria, N. A., & Malek, M. N. A. (2022). iTherapy: An Automated Web-Based Therapy Plan for Learning Disability Children. International Journal on Perceptive and Cognitive Computing, 8(1). 80-85.
 

  • Receive Date 18 June 2024
  • Revise Date 18 December 2025
  • Accept Date 26 February 2026