Background and Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of training academic self-confidence on cognitive flexibility and cognitive processing in students with reading difficulties.

Method: The research design was a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test with a control group. The statistical population included all third-grade male students with reading difficulties in Tabriz who were studying in the academic year 2024-2025. From among them, 30 people (15 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group) were selected as the sample size and randomly through purposive sampling. The cognitive flexibility questionnaire of Dennis and Vanderwaal (2010) and the cognitive processing test of Naglieri et al. (2014) were used to collect data. Data analysis was performed using the multivariate analysis of covariance statistical method with SPSS.21 software.

Findings: The results of the study showed that academic self-confidence training has an effect on cognitive flexibility and components of perception of controllability, perception of justification of behavior, and perception of different options in students with reading difficulties (P≥0.001). Also, academic self-confidence training has an effect on cognitive processing and components of planning, attention, simultaneous and sequential processing in students with reading difficulties (P≥0.001). In fact, academic self-confidence training increases cognitive flexibility and cognitive processing and their components in these children.

Conclusion: The academic self-confidence training model can be used in interventions for teaching students with reading difficulties, along with other existing interventions.