Dyslexia Learning Research Articles

Design-Based Approach For Developing A Teaching Aid For Dyslexic Children

This article presents a design-based approach for developing a specialized teaching aid for dyslexic children, with a focus on enhancing their reading skills and engagement. Dyslexia, a common learning disorder that affects reading abilities, requires tailored interventions to effectively support dyslexic learners. By integrating design thinking principles and the Orton-Gillingham approach, this study outlines a comprehensive design process for creating an innovative teaching aid. The approach emphasizes user-centeredness, iterative prototyping, and multisensory experiences as key elements to address the diverse learning needs of dyslexic children. The study employed a qualitative research method, conducting interviews with dyslexia teachers and observing dyslexic children in a classroom setting to gather data. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview data. The development of this teaching aid holds promise for improving reading proficiency and fostering greater engagement in learning among dyslexic children. The findings of this study contribute to the field of education by offering insights into the design and development of effective teaching aids for dyslexic children.

Pedagogical Practices for Dyslexic Learners in Moroccan EFL Classroom

Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that affects not only students’ first-language literacy skills but also foreign language learning. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition as well as poor spelling and decoding abilities. It does not indicate a lack of intelligence or idleness, but rather it is a typical condition that influences the manner the brain processes written and spoken language. In order to ensure that dyslexic students successfully acquire the necessary levels of foreign language proficiency, they need additional support. A total of forty-seven teachers took part anonymously in an online study. A questionnaire was used to provide a descriptive account of the training requirements of EFL teachers who face the challenge of teaching dyslexic students within the mainstream classroom in the six largest universities in Morocco. The findings indicated that foreign language teachers often lack adequate understanding of the nature of dyslexia and the challenges it poses in foreign language learning, and they are unfamiliar with the relevant teaching techniques and methods to support dyslexic students’ language learning processes. However, they expressed their interest in some courses that would help them expand their knowledge and skills and be able to teach dyslexic students more effectively and inclusively.

인지치료학습상담사의 난독학습자 교수경험에 대한 자문화기술지

The aim of this article is to describe a cognitive therapy learning counselor’s experience teaching English to elementary school dyslexic learners through autoethnography. The research results are presented as follows. Firstly, as a researcher, I discovered similar identities as a cognitive therapy learning counselor and a qualitative researcher in the process of teaching English to elementary school dyslexic learners. Secondly, as a researcher, I held off evaluating dyslexia as a learning disability while teaching two elementary school dyslexic learners.. Thirdly, as a cognitive therapy learning counselor, I set out to find early intervention methods using the attitude and methods of a qualitative researcher to teach English to elementary school dyslexic learners. Fourthly, as a cognitive therapy learning counselor and qualitative researcher, I developed practical knowledge and teaching expertise while stimulating learners’ learning motivation. This study will exemplify teaching and learning methods considering the characteristics of dyslexic learners by illuminating the teaching experience of a cognitive therapy learning counselor, and will contribute as empirical data to help elementary dyslexic learners learn English.

Perspectives of Teachers on the Teaching of Learners with Dyslexia at Intermediate Phase in Mainstream Primary Schools

The inclusion of learners with dyslexia in mainstream primary schools requires the provision of a least-restrictive teaching and learning environment which celebrates the uniqueness of all individuals. In view of this, the purpose of this study was to explore the perspectives of teachers in teaching dyslexic learners at the intermediate phase in mainstream primary schools. A qualitative research approach was utilised in the study. This offered participants an opportunity to freely reveal their opinions on the phenomenon under investigation. The population for this study comprised teachers who taught classes with both dyslexic and non-dyslexic learners at the intermediate phase. Purposive sampling was used to select twenty-four teachers with a minimum of three years of teaching experience from the eight schools under study. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from the research participants. Data were analysed thematically. The study established that dyslexic learners face diverse reading, writing and arithmetic challenges and these affect their overall academic performance. The study recommends that teachers should consider the preferred learning styles of individuals with dyslexia in their planning and delivery of academic content.

The Impact of Dyslexia on the Effectiveness of Online Learning: A Systematic Literature Review

Dyslexia can have an impact on online learning outcomes. However, few studies have examined the association between dyslexia and online learning effectiveness. This systematic review focused on the effects of dyslexia on online learning effectiveness to conduct research in three major categories: analysis of impact, analysis of dyslexia on online learning, and analysis of interventions. A screening of two bibliographic databases identified 37 articles that met the inclusion criteria. The study determined that dyslexic learners are uncomforted with online learning and suffer from frustrated self-confidence and decreased academic performance in the learning process. It even affects the learners' evaluation of themselves and causes a decrease in self-efficacy. Among these, research on influencing factors can be divided into two dimensions: internal and external factors. Dyslexic learners are influenced by both the type of dyslexia and their psychological characteristics, as well as by teachers, teaching strategies, online educational environments, and educational media. These influences provide intervention strategies, such as developing customized online learning systems for dyslexic learners and exploring interventions in telerehabilitation medicine. However, no intervention strategies involve adjustments to the internal psychology of dyslexic learners and external support systems. Therefore, more research is needed to explore the differential impact of dyslexia on online learning and to understand the factors that produce this impact to provide a theoretical basis and direction for the generation of instructional strategies for dyslexics and the adaptation of online learning for dyslexics.

Modeling behavior modification practice and enhancement of reading abilities: evidence among learners with Dyslexia in Kenya

The study investigated modeling behavior modification practice and enhancement of reading abilities among learners with Dyslexia in Kenya. The mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was used. The sample size comprised 229 learners and 54 English teachers and 4 guidance and counseling teachers selected from 4 public primary schools. To obtain a sample for the study purposive, saturated and random sampling methods were used in selection of schools, teachers and learner participants respectively. A pilot study was conducted on 24 learners and 6 teachers selected from two public primary schools within Changamwe Sub-County to ascertain validity and reliability of the instruments. The research tools used included the Bangor Dyslexia Test, Hardin Simmons dyslexia screening test and English reading test. The Cronbach’s alpha for of 0.807 for modeling reinforcement revealed that the instruments had adequate reliability for the study. The data was generated using mixed methods approach where both quantitative and qualitative methods were used for analysis. The findings indicated that, after the level of modeling behaviour practices were included, the model as a whole explained 25.2% (R Square = 0.252) of the variability in reading abilities among the primary school learners. The study recommended that teachers should use these behavior modification practices to improve dyslexic learners reading ability.

Reading Difficulties Faced by Dyslexic Learners of English: an Exploratory Study at Govt. Special Education Center, Ahmad Pur Sial Jhang

This research focuses on discerning the reading barriers faced by dyslexic English learners at Ahmad Pur Sial, Special Education Center in Jhang, employing a qualitative methodology. The study selects students in the first and second grades of the Govt. Special Education Centre in A.P. Sial, Jhang. Data collection methods include on-site observation and semi-structured interviews conducted with two female teachers and the principal. The outcomes of the research unveil diverse reading challenges facing dyslexic learners, encompassing phonological dyslexia, visual dyslexia, dysphonic dyslexia, rapid naming deficit, and double deficit. The study underscores significant implications for the effective pedagogy of special children within educational institutions.

Task Stratification and Differentiation Strategies for Partially Sighted and Dyslexic Learners in Textbooks of Russian as a Foreign Language: An Italian Case Study of Non-Inclusive Learning/Teaching

This paper aims to analyze six of the most popular textbooks for Russian as a foreign language (RFL) for adolescent and adult learners used in Italy, namely Reportazh, Russkiy klass, Molodets, Davayte, Poyekhali, and Ura, to see whether and how task stratification and differentiation strategies are put in place for partially sighted (PS) and dyslexic (D) learners. Through a comparative content analysis, it is shown that there is a total lack of educational design aimed at the inclusion of PS and D learners in the Italian context. This may be due to the greater presence in such textbooks of traditional RFL views, which generally do not prioritize inclusion, as well as to carelessness toward the contributions of Italian-based glottodidactics, which, in contrast, is very attentive to inclusion issues, even for languages other than Russian. Finally, some suggestions are given, accompanied by practical examples, for enhancing the inclusivity of these textbooks.

EEG Interchannel Causality to Identify Source/Sink Phase Connectivity Patterns in Developmental Dyslexia.

While the brain connectivity network can inform the understanding and diagnosis of developmental dyslexia, its cause-effect relationships have not yet enough been examined. Employing electroencephalography signals and band-limited white noise stimulus at 4.8 Hz (prosodic-syllabic frequency), we measure the phase Granger causalities among channels to identify differences between dyslexic learners and controls, thereby proposing a method to calculate directional connectivity. As causal relationships run in both directions, we explore three scenarios, namely channels' activity as sources, as sinks, and in total. Our proposed method can be used for both classification and exploratory analysis. In all scenarios, we find confirmation of the established right-lateralized Theta sampling network anomaly, in line with the assumption of the temporal sampling framework of oscillatory differences in the Theta and Gamma bands. Further, we show that this anomaly primarily occurs in the causal relationships of channels acting as sinks, where it is significantly more pronounced than when only total activity is observed. In the sink scenario, our classifier obtains 0.84 and 0.88 accuracy and 0.87 and 0.93 AUC for the Theta and Gamma bands, respectively.

Impaired and Spared Auditory Category Learning in Developmental Dyslexia

Categorization has a deep impact on behavior, but whether category learning is served by a single system or multiple systems remains debated. Here, we designed two well-equated nonspeech auditory category learning challenges to draw on putative procedural (information-integration) versus declarative (rule-based) learning systems among adult Hebrew-speaking control participants and individuals with dyslexia, a language disorder that has been linked to a selective disruption in the procedural memory system and in which phonological deficits are ubiquitous. We observed impaired information-integration category learning and spared rule-based category learning in the dyslexia group compared with the neurotypical group. Quantitative model-based analyses revealed reduced use of, and slower shifting to, optimal procedural-based strategies in dyslexia with hypothesis-testing strategy use on par with control participants. The dissociation is consistent with multiple category learning systems and points to the possibility that procedural learning inefficiencies across categories defined by complex, multidimensional exemplars may result in difficulty in phonetic category acquisition in dyslexia.

Emotional Consequences and Coping Techniques of Higher Education Dyslexic Learners in Pakistan: Multiple Case Analysis

The main purpose of the current study was to explore higher education dyslexic learners' (HEDLs) awareness, experiences, emotional consequences, and coping strategies for dyslexia. It was a qualitative study with a case study method. Eight dyslexic students (Male=4, Female=4) were selected through the snowball sampling (purposive sampling) technique. The participants were from higher education institutions in Punjab. A semi-structured interview guide was developed through literature and expert opinion for the collection of data. The participants were interviewed face-to-face. All the interviews were transcribed. For the data analysis, a multiple-case analysis model explaining similar and alternating themes was used. According to the findings, the participants were aware of dyslexia. They faced academic challenges, as well as family relationship problems. They had a negative effect of emotional consequences which affected their academic and personal lives. All the participants used positive and negative coping strategies to deal with their learning disabilities. Teachers should be trained and educated about teaching dyslexia students like normal students.

Learners’ perceptions of interest, difficulty and attention in a digital task bank for dyslexic learners of English and German and their inclusive classes

Learners’ perceptions of interest, difficulty and attention in a digital task bank for dyslexic learners of English and German and their inclusive classes

Understanding Problems Encountered by Dyslexic Learners in Mathematics: A Qualitative Inquiry

Dyslexic learners often experience difficulties in mathematics, which can hurt their academic achievement and future success. This study aimed to understand the problems encountered by dyslexic learners in mathematics. The study involved five dyslexic learners in grades V and VI from public schools in the Kathmandu Valley. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The analysis revealed five themes: difficulty applying mathematical concepts, the impact of dyslexia on mathematics achievement, challenges related to language, comprehension, and memory, math anxiety and self-esteem, and individual differences and support systems. The results of this study highlight the need for targeted support and interventions that address the specific needs of dyslexic learners in mathematics education to improve their overall academic performance. It is recommended that a multi-faceted approach be implemented to support dyslexic learners in mathematics education, which should support the learners to overcome their challenges and achieve success in mathematics.

Influence of Coaching Behaviour Modification Practices on Reinforcement of Reading Abilities Among Dyslexic Learners In Kenya

Influence of Coaching Behaviour Modification Practices on Reinforcement of Reading Abilities Among Dyslexic Learners In Kenya

Special education in science teaching

During the past years, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been studies in a large number of fields. The term ICTs refers to all kinds of technologies that let users to have access, use and manipulate information (Drigas & Ioannidou, 2013a). ICT can bridge the gap between groups of people with special (educational) needs. The growing number of researches that connects ICTs and assistive technologies (Drigas & Ioannidou, 2013), shows us that the use of them in the life of children and adults with special education needs is huge. In this part of the research we will report some of the most indicative uses of ICTs in the education of people with different learning needs (autism, visually impaired, hearing impaired/loss, sensory and physical impaired and dyslexic learners). Using ICTs and assistive technologies, involves more than overcoming environmental barriers, it is also a means of communication and expression of the personal and social characteristics of the learner. ICTs in special education (and education generally) can be used in every domain to improve it.

Inclusive practices for dyslexic language learners: an intervention study in the Greek EFL setting

Although research has shown that 1 out of 10 learners might have a learning difficulty such as dyslexia, there is still a dearth of evidence on the teaching approaches that can support dyslexic learners in language settings. The present study explores the impact of inclusive practices (dyslexia‐friendly), on dyslexic and non‐dyslexic pupils in classes where English is taught as a Foreign Language (EFL). The context is Greek primary education. Data from interviews, observations and focus groups were collected pre‐ and post‐intervention to explore potential changes in all EFL pupils' motivation and performance and establish the nature of these. Although positive changes were shown in the motivation of both groups (dyslexic and non‐dyslexic pupils) fewer gains were shown in their performance. Findings suggest that evidence‐based interventions can enrich the field of inclusion for language learners with dyslexia and pose the need for inclusive developments in the context of language pedagogy.

Examining Collaborative Support Provided by Departments of Basic Education and Health towards Mainstream Schools with Dyslexic Learners

This study sought to examine the support provided by the Department of Basic Education (DoBE) and the Department of Health (DoH) towards dyslexic learners in Rustenburg public schools. The study was qualitative in nature, and three officials were purposively selected from each department. The interviews were used to get data from the participants. The findings revealed that both the DoBE and the DoH were not providing the necessary support to schools with dyslexic learners. The results further revealed that the existing alliance between the two departments was not effective with regard to addressing the learning problems of dyslexic learners. Therefore, the study recommends that there is a strong need for the two departments to collaborate by sending language practitioners and psychologists to schools to assist teachers and parents in identifying and supporting learners with dyslexia.

Toward a Model of Statistical Learning and Reading: Evidence From a Meta-Analysis

A compelling demonstration of implicit learning is the human ability to unconsciously detect and internalize statistical patterns of complex environmental input. This ability, called statistical learning, has been investigated in people with dyslexia using various tasks in different orthographies. However, conclusions regarding impaired or intact statistical learning in dyslexia remain mixed. This study conducted a systematic literature search of published and unpublished studies that compared statistical learning between people with and without dyslexia using different learning paradigms in different orthographies. We identified 49 papers consisting of 59 empirical studies, representing the data from 1,259 participants with dyslexia and 1,459 typically developing controls. The results showed that, on average, individuals with dyslexia performed worse in statistical learning than age-matched controls, regardless of the learning paradigm or orthography (average weighted effect size d = 0.47, 95% confidence interval [0.36, 0.59], p < .001). Meta-regression analyses further revealed that the heterogeneity of effect sizes between studies was significantly explained by one reader characteristic (i.e., verbal IQ) but no task characteristics (i.e., task paradigm, task modality, and stimulus type). These findings suggest domain-general statistical learning weakness in dyslexia across languages, and support the need for a new theoretical model of statistical learning and reading, that is, the SLR model, which elucidates how reader and task characteristics are regulated by a multicomponent memory system when establishing statistically optimal representations for deep learning and reading.

Insider accounts of dyslexia from research mathematicians

Within educational research, dyslexia and other disabilities are typically conceptualized as deficits. The theory of neurodiversity encourages researchers to conceptualize cognitive differences as natural forms of human diversity with unique sets of challenges and strengths. Using neurodiversity as our theoretical framework, we analyze the experiences of five research mathematicians with dyslexia as told through personal narratives to find common strengths and challenges for dyslexic thinkers at the highest level of mathematics. We report on 4 themes: (1) highly visual and intuitive ways of mathematical thinking, (2) issues with language and translation between forms, (3) issues with memorization of mathematical facts and procedures, and (4) resilience as a strength of dyslexia that matters in mathematics. We use our participants’ insights to explore how neurodiversity, a theory of cognitive disability developed by and for neurodiverse people, could expand opportunities for research. We call for mathematics educators to consider the strengths and challenges of dyslexic learners, as well as valuing expertise from insider perspectives.

The Emergence of L1 and L2 Dyslexia: Omnibus Case of Four Koreans with L2 English Dyslexic Signs

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between L1 and L2 dyslexia and discuss how to judge L2 English dyslexia without information on L1 development. The language developmental process of the Subject Learner (SL) was compared with three Korean cases of a Dyslexic Learner, a Giving-up Learner, and a Fast Learner. The study of DL is a 23-year-longitudinal case regarding reading disorders. GL has been self-monitoring her dyslexic signs for 15 years. The differences between L1 and L2 development of FL were checked by his mother. The individual language acquisition of participants and social background were reviewed and reinterpreted. The emergence of L1 and L2 dyslexia may depend on learners’ capacity and different language systems. The language itself and a specific talent that is operated by one’s spatial working memory may correlate to the people who have reading disabilities. Scientific study is necessary to connect the language differences and the function of the neural network for children suffering from dyslexia.