Hear my voice: Mainstream secondary students with learning difficulties speak out

Abstract

Students with learning difficulties are the largest group of students with special needs in secondary schools, yet there is a paucity of research in this area. The research outlined in this paper accumulated qualitative data related to the school experiences of six mainstream secondary students with learning difficulties from urban and regional areas in Queensland government and non‐government schools. Data collection was by semi‐structured interviews and analysis was computer‐assisted coupled with categorisation (Lankshear & Knobel, 2004). Students spoke about student/teacher relationships, classroom teaching, school community, student support and their aspirations on leaving school. Students’ voices generally revealed optimism about their future but also showed frustration and unhappiness at school. A number of recommendations are made to improve their experiences of school.