Investigation of Self-Esteem and Motor Competence of Middle School Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

The aim of this study was to examine the self-esteem and motor competence of middle school students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) in comparison with their typically developing peers (TD). A total of 181 participants aged between 10-14 years with SLD (n=90) and typically developing (n=91) were included in the study. The Piers Harris self-esteem scale was used to assess self-esteem and BOT-2 motor competence test was used to measure motor skills. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 22 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Independent Samples t-test and One-Way ANOVA was used to compare the between-group means of more than two groups. Pearson Correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between variables. Dunn's multiple comparison test with Bonferroni correction was used to explain the differences between the groups. Significance value was evaluated as p < 0.05. Results indicated gross motor skills and self-esteem scores of children with SLD were lower than those of TD children (p < 0.05). In addition, a statistically moderate relationship was found between participants' motor competencies and self-esteem levels. The results of this study provide initial evidence of the association between children's self-esteem and motor competence.