The experiences of pupils with dyslexia in primary school settings : listening to the memories of young adults

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the primary school experiences of seven young adults with dyslexia by listening to their memories of this phase of schooling. Moreover, we wanted to explore how these experiences affected their self-esteem and self-confidence. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis using individual semi-structured interviews was deemed the most appropriate methodology for the study. Seven main themes emerged: positive experiences, negative experiences, feelings and emotions, inclusion, child-teacher-parent relationships and recommendations. These experiences mainly evidenced lack of teacher awareness about dyslexia which lead to challenging experiences in this phase of schooling and hence, hindered their learning and affected their self-esteem. When teachers were aware of their learning profile, good and inclusive strategies were used and participants could learn successfully and felt better. These experiences were discussed with the literature and recommendations for further research, practice and policy-making were elicited.