Predicting performance on academic and non-academic tasks: A comparison of adolescents with and without learning disabilities

Previous research suggests that adolescents with learning disabilities (LD) are less accurate in predicting academic performance than normally achieving (NA) adolescents and display a tendency to overestimate their level of performance (e.g., Klassen, 2007). However, no studies have been conducted investigating whether this overestimation is specific to academic contexts or a phenomenon that extends across domains. Ninety-four adolescents (46 LD, 48 NA) predicted their performance on a spelling task and on a ball-throwing task. Results revealed group differences in performance calibration across domains with adolescents with LD showing an overestimation of ability on the spelling and ball-throwing tasks, and NA adolescents demonstrating more precise self-appraisals. Additionally, the accuracy of non-academic performance predictions remained stable with increasing difficulty in the NA group whereas the adolescents with LD demonstrated a decrease in accurate performance prediction as the difficulty level increased.

► Across domains, adolescents with LD showed an overestimation of ability. ► Increases in task difficulty resulted in greater performance miscalibration. ► Overly optimistic efficacy may reflect a lack of metacognitive awareness. ► Awareness of skill deficits and task demands may improve performance predictions and calibration.