Attitudes and intentions of Greek teachers towards teaching pupils with dyslexia: An application of the theory of planned behaviour.

Abstract

The present study aims to examine Greek public primary school teachers' attitudes and intention towards teaching pupils with dyslexia using a model of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Toward that aim, 304 teachers aged between 22 and 59years old, with an average overall work experience of 16.6years completed a TPB questionnaire which assessed their attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control, their intention, as well as other exogenous factors. The validity and the reliability of the questionnaire were found to be adequate. Overall, the participating teachers report a wide range of educational interventions for pupils with dyslexia emphasizing the psychological aspects of support. They also face a number of barriers, but in general they express neutral to positive attitudes to dyslexia. Results show that attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control significantly predicted the teachers' intention towards teaching dyslexic pupils, thus confirming the applicability of the selected TPB model. Recommendations for teachers' training and limitations of the study are discussed.