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Friday stream 1-4 Session 16.10 - 17.25 Length 25 minutes
Wendy Carter
University of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam University W.Carter@shu.ac.uk
Abstract
There has been increasing awareness of the number of dyslexic students coming forward for screening, assessment and support. It is estimated that between 1.2% and 1.5% of students in Higher Education in the UK are dyslexic (Singleton, 1999). The screening and assessment procedures involved in identifying dyslexic students are extremely complex. In addition, within the dyslexic population as a whole, a number of underlying processing difficulties present themselves as various sub-types of dyslexia (Siegel, 1994; Rack,1996). Consequently, dyslexic students will present with a varied number of differences in learning style together with their own individual understanding of how dyslexia presents itself on a more personal level (i.e. how they identify with it, understand it and know it). Mcloughlin, Fitzgibbon and Young (1996) suggest that this knowledge can facilitate 're-framing' and allow the dyslexic individual to compensate. This poster offers a qualitative insight into the: personal, practical and pedagogical implications of dyslexia in Higher Education. The emergent 'themes' of four dyslexic students' transcripts will be presented in order to evaluate the students' interpretation of their own experience of studying at undergraduate level.
Rationale
Students in Higher Education are required to provide evidence of disability in order to obtain support and, as a consequence, the aforementioned complexities involved in assessing eligibility can be further exacerbated. Whilst the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) and the Disabled Students Allowance endeavour to ensure that such students are not disadvantaged by their particular learning style, students coming forward for assessment (and those with existing assessment reports) can find themselves facing a variety of additional requirements from their respective Local Education Authorities/Funding Bodies in order to secure support. This can have wide-ranging implications regarding the student's experience both within Higher Education and on a more personal level; in recognising, accepting and managing dyslexia. The study presented in this poster endeavoured to research the following aims:
a) Identify/explore the impact of dyslexia on the subjective experiences of students in HE
b) Identify the presence/absence of 'compensatory strategies' employed by dyslexic students
c) Evaluate the presence/absence of 'compensatory strategies' employed by dyslexic students
d) Examine the perceived appropriateness/inappropriateness of support offered to dyslexic students in HE
Issues and Concerns
Those students who have been identified dyslexic in earlier years, and indeed those who have come forward for assessment, have often found ways of compensating for their dyslexia; so much so that we may gain a very positive appraisal of the level of their skills when tested in the assessment environment. However, this takes an immense amount of effort and time on the part of the student and working at such a pace throughout the duration of their course can be very stressful. Eventually the fragility of such compensated skills can become apparent (Fawcett, 1995). Many researchers and practitioners have commented on the 'additional' stress which dyslexic students face (McLoughlin, Fitzgibbon and Young, 1993; Miles and Varma, 1995; Gilroy and Miles, 1996). Given the plethora of requirements placed on dyslexic students in order to manage their course, one can readily appreciate that research on the 'personal experience' of dyslexia in Higher Education is a valid one. This area of research, within the dyslexia field, has greatly benefited from 'in-depth' accounts of the experiences of dyslexic students (Riddick, Falmer and Sterling, 1997). Further investigation into the students' evaluation of support systems will hopefully provide an insight into the 'support' and 'self management' of dyslexic students in Higher Education.
Research Design
A qualitative methodology was used as this approach draws upon a method of social enquiry which captures and endeavours to 'explain' a particular phenomenon from the participants' point of view, permitting the development of a theoretical analysis, which aligns itself with participants' accounts.
The following diagram outlines the method of qualitative enquiry employed in the study. In using this approach I aim to offer an insight into the subjective experiences of those dyslexic students who have participated in the study. This is not to suggest generalisability of the 'themes' - which I offer as a framework within which to view data collected - but rather, to 'illuminate' the issues which were raised throughout the 'sessions' of four dyslexic individuals. I hope, in doing this, that I am able to offer an understanding of the issues concerned; not merely, a professional/practitioner analysis but rather a sharing of the experiences and feelings which were raised. A dissemination of the issues raised will, I hope, enhance my own understanding, together with that of those working with dyslexic students in Higher Education.
Participants
Research participants were two women and two men, with ages ranging from 18 to 54. All participants were studying for full-time undergraduate degree schemes at a British University. All participants had had a dyslexia assessment carried out by a chartered psychologist, leading on to an assessment of need carried out at their local Access Centre. One male and one female participant had had their dyslexia assessed recently (within the last six months); the remaining participants had had assessments carried out prior to arriving at University. All identifying details have been changed in order to protect confidentiality.
Procedure
Participants were offered one-to-one dyslexia-specific guidance/support sessions via Student Services. Informed consent was discussed in detail at the beginning of the sessions and participants were asked to complete a consent form after details of the nature of the study were presented. Participants were assured that they would retain their right to guidance support sessions should they decide not to take part in the study. All participants elected to take part in the study. Sessions took place in the psychology department of the University. A total of 14 hours of sessions were audiotaped and 10 hours of audiotape were transcribed.
Results
The emergent 'themes' are presented in the following tables. As stated earlier there is no definitive way to interpret the transcripts and the themes that are presented are offered as a way of viewing those issues, which arose in the transcripts.
Individual Participant 'Themes' Table 1
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Group 'Themes' Table 1
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Group 'Themes' Table 2
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Group 'Themes' Table 3
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Group 'Themes' Table 4
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Conclusions - Major Themes
Looking for a reason
For Clare the initial impetus for self-referring for a dyslexia assessment, was to prove to herself that she was not 'thick', in order to boost her self-esteem. Coming forward for the assessment, although enabling Clare to understand her former, and likewise, present struggles with the written word, caused her a considerable amount of confusion and, in addition, placed her in a difficult position with regard to her department. Therefore Clare's initial need to make sense of her past learning experiences is compounded by a need to make sense of her dyslexia and the perception that she now feels others (tutors) have of her abilities.
James' need to 'look for a reason', brings a different agenda to light. Initially James came forward for the assessment to identify 'why' he was struggling and putting in extensive hours of study on his course; over and above that of the other students. The inclusion of an IQ test had 'thrown' James into a total 'panic' and he had found it extremely difficult to dismiss the notion that he was 'stupid'. Therefore, for James, 'looking for a reason' meant moving away from the 'stupid' label and accepting dyslexia.
For Deborah, the theme 'looking for a reason' brings a very positive appraisal of her dyslexia assessment. She talks of dyslexia as being something which is intrinsic to her, 'part and parcel of her ', and of how it has helped her to justify 'why' she 'struggles' with writing. It is also interesting to note Deborah's overall acceptance of the label; however, she too talks of a period of denial following her initial assessment and the encouragement of her mother to 'accept' the label.
Richard's need to 'look for a reason'; enabled him to identify those areas of weakness that he found he struggled with when using language. Initially Richard talks of his 'diagnosis' as helping to understand how he processes information. But ironically Richard then sees this as creating a barrier between what is expected of him and how he feels his skills are in some way 'static'; feeling that he has not the time to develop and enhance his weaknesses.
Social comparison
Initially Clare talks about the difficulties she feels she faces over and above those of 'other' students and the need for her to have more time to complete work. Although she identifies with the dyslexic label and therefore the notion of belonging to that 'group', she talks about the difficulties that this brings, as she feels dyslexia is not well understood by her department; feeling strongly that the department are discouraging the recommendations put forward in her Assessment of Need Report, as they view this as being 'special treatment'.
For James the theme of 'social comparison' brings with it a complex set of values. James makes comparisons on a number of levels, firstly, he has much difficulty accepting the dyslexia label and this invariably causes him much concern when making such comparisons. He talks of a need to compare himself with 'other' dyslexic individuals and finds that he has doubts about 'belonging' to that group. Secondly, James comments on his need for more time and the support that comes with being dyslexic. James therefore has great difficulty identifying where he belongs and although he makes reference to the fact that he fares worse when being compared to his non-dyslexic peers, he talks at length of the frustration involved in accepting that he is dyslexic.
Deborah's perception of her 'difference' in processing style is something which she herself has found ways of managing, and that although she makes the link between the amount of work needed to finish assignments, rather than her assigning this to 'external' demands, she justifies it as being the 'way she works'.
Richard talks of the difference between his work and that of 'everyone else'; similar to Clare, Richard talks of his belief that 'everyone else' manages and does not 'struggle' when producing written work. Richard talks of his 'problems' in relation to other students on the course and how this affects his performance. He does however talk of 'normal' stress and questions his levels of stress in terms of being 'normal' or due to his dyslexia.
Low self esteem
For Clare, low self esteem is a major concern and indeed was something which she herself was hoping to improve as a result of having the dyslexia assessment. Clare talks of her experience at school and the effect that it had on her confidence. She talks of how her confidence is something which she feels unable to improve. Again, this seems to be exacerbated by the difficulties she faces with her department. Initially Clare talks of the need to have an explanation for her difficulties at school and she speaks in terms of being a 'thick kid', following this she talks about the realisation that she now views herself as 'being thick for a reason'; that reason being dyslexia. Clare's experience of dyslexia at University is compounded by a lack of understanding as to what dyslexia is, and she talks of the need both to understand it and to be able to explain her difficulties to her department.
James' profound low self-esteem and lack of confidence played a fundamental role in his ability to accept the outcome of his dyslexia assessment. The inclusion of the IQ test and the 'marginal' outcome of his assessment caused him much concern. He talked in terms of the extreme hard work that he had to do to 'stay on track'; this (for James) being an indication that he had no natural ability. James had very high standards for himself and talked of his disappointment of achieving a B, when his peers attained As; feeling that he had worked twice as hard to accomplish what he viewed as 'second best'. James talks about the support of his mother and the need to hear her words of encouragement; this being something James felt unable to do for himself; his negative appraisal of his ability to complete the course being central to this.
Deborah's low self-esteem appeared to be fixed in her experience of writing. Deborah talked of periods of depression and related these times to when she had large amounts of written work to do. She talked about a need to be in control and when in control felt extremely confident in her abilities, but any problems in: work, social settings, study, family and her confidence levels where considerably lowered. Deborah also talked of times when she wanted to leave her course and times when she felt like 'running off to art school'.
Need for appropriate support
For Clare, the theme 'need for appropriate support' is central to her progression on her course. Clare talks of 'feeling marginalised', and the negative appraisal that she believes her course tutors now have of her as a result of the dyslexia assessment and subsequent needs assessment recommendation report. Whilst Clare felt supported by her dyslexia support officer, she did not feel comfortable about intervention between herself and her department; feeling that this would put her in an even more delicate position. Clare also talked about the need for appropriate support and the need for her to have extra time to complete her work.
For Deborah, the need was for support that reflected the stage she felt she was at in 'identifying and understanding' her learning needs. She talks of the inappropriate nature of support that she has been given, in that it was not geared to the difficulties she felt she was experiencing, but rather more to the support tutors 'model' of what was needed. Deborah talks of her experience of inappropriate support as being both 'patronising' and ineffectual.
For Richard, the main concern was with time constraints, he felt 'dictated to ' on his course and spoke of the need to have time to employ the different study skills he had been shown; feeling he had made no progress in applying them. Richard expressed his need to access his course using more accessible vocabulary, and felt that he was behind as he was unable to process the information in the format it was delivered. In addition, he spoke of the difficulties of using a scribe in his exams and the demands that that placed on him, with regard to remembering and structuring the information.
Implications for Support
References:
Fawcett AJ (1995) 'Case studies and some recent research'. In T. Miles and V.Varma, (Eds.), Dyslexia and Stress, London, Whurr.
Gilroy DE & Miles TR (1996) Dyslexia at College. (2nd edition), London, Routledge.
McLoughlin D, Fitzgibbon G & Young V (1994) Adult Dyslexia: Assessment, Counselling and Training, London, Whurr.
Rack JP (1997) Issues in the assessment of adults with reading disabilities: what can we learn from experimental tasks? Journal of Research in Reading, 20, 1(Feb) 66-76.
Riddick B, Farmer M & Young V (1997) Students and Dyslexia: Growing up with a specific learning difficulty, London, Whurr.
Siegel L (1994) Subtypes of Learning Disabilities in Adolescents and Adults. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 27,2, 123-134.
Singleton C (1999) Dyslexia in Higher Education: policy, provision and practice. National Working Party on Dyslexia in Higher Education, Hull, The University of Hull.
Stein JF (1994) A visual deficit in dyslexia? In A. Fawcett and R Nicolson (Eds.) Dyslexia in Children. Hemel Hempstead, Harvester Wheatsheaf.
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