Attribution theory and achievement: An analysis of the effect of effort, accommodation intrusiveness, and faculty-student interactions on the provision of accommodations for college students with learning disabilities (LD)

Post-secondary students with learning disabilities (LD) are growing in increasing numbers on today's college campuses. Presently, they are the largest population of students with disabilities in higher education. Given the potentially negative impact their disability can have on their academic success, it is often helpful for these students to receive accommodations in the classroom. Along with disability support services, faculty members play a significant role in the provision of these accommodations. In spite of disability law requirements, many additional factors go into the decisions of faculty regarding whether or not to agree to provide student requested accommodations. However, little is currently known about what these variables are or their impact on one's decisions to provide help. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the role that faculty attributions of LD student effort, the degree of accommodation intrusiveness, and the quality of faculty-LD student interactions play in the willingness of faculty to provide accommodations for students with LD. Knowing which factors contribute to faculty decisions in these contexts, college students with LD and their professors can begin to understand how to work together more effectively in order to help ensure the most successful academic outcomes possible for college students with LD.