Underscoring optmism and resilience dynamism in reducing academic underachievement of students with learning disabilities in Ibadan, Nigeria

This study examined the significance of optimism and resilience on academic achievement of students with learning disabilities (LDs) in Ibadan, Nigeria.  Students with learning disabilities face challenges in reading, writing and attention span in classroom learning leading to poor academic performance and low self-esteem.  The study adopted descriptive survey research design. 100 students with learning disabilities were sampled using purposive sampling technique; the instruments used were Influence of Optimism on Academic Achievement of Students with Learning Disabilities Questionnaire and the Influence of Resilience on Academic Achievement of Students with Learning Disabilities. Both instruments demonstrated adequate reliability, with Cronbach's Alpha coefficients of 0.78 for Optimism measure and 0.80 for Resilience measure. Descriptive statistics (Mean, frequency count, standard deviation, and percentages) were used to answer the research questions, and t-test statistics was used for testing two hypotheses at a significance level of 0.05. The results demonstrated a strong, positive perception among students regarding the influence of both optimism and resilience on their academic success, each registering a Weighted Average of 3.0 (75% Positive Influence). Also, there was a significant gender differences in the roles of optimism measure (t=0.30;df=98;p=0.03) and resilience measure (t=0.37;df=98;p=0.02) in academic achievement of the participants. The study concluded that optimism and resilience are powerful psychosocial dimensions that serve as critical buffers against academic achievement of students with learning disabilities, but vulnerabilities remain, particularly regarding the ability to "contain" academic failure. Therefore, the study strongly recommended a shift toward a holistic, integrated, and gender-sensitive psychosocial support model of both optimism and resilience.