a comparison of the effectiveness of emotional cognitive regulation strategies and self-regulated learning strategies on academic self-concept and cognitive flexibility in elementary school students with specific learning disabilities in reading

Purpose: this study aimed to compare the effectiveness of emotional cognitive regulation strategies and self-regulated learning strategies on improving academic self-concept and cognitive flexibility in elementary school students diagnosed with specific learning disabilities in reading. methods and materials: a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design was used, involving 60 students with specific reading disabilities from elementary schools in sari, iran. participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: emotional cognitive regulation training, self-regulated learning training, or a control group. each experimental group consisted of 20 students who underwent 8 sessions of their respective intervention. data were collected using two standardized questionnaires: the academic self-concept questionnaire (chen, 2004) and the cognitive flexibility inventory (dennis vander wal, 2010). statistical analysis was performed using multivariate analysis of covariance (mancova) and bonferroni post-hoc tests.findings: both emotional cognitive regulation and self-regulated learning strategies significantly improved academic self-concept and cognitive flexibility compared to the control group (p < .001). no significant differences were found between the two experimental groups in terms of academic self-concept (p = .102) or cognitive flexibility (p = .241). the bonferroni post-hoc test confirmed that both interventions were equally effective in enhancing the targeted outcomes. conclusion: the findings indicate that emotional cognitive regulation and self-regulated learning strategies are equally effective in improving academic self-concept and cognitive flexibility in students with specific learning disabilities in reading. both interventions offer valuable tools for educators to support these students’ academic and emotional development.