Linguistic profiles of students diagnosed with SpLD : an investigation of Maltese and English essay writing in national examinations

Abstract

This research analyses a sample of 1,861 English and Maltese essays written by students during two national examination sessions 2015 and 2016 in Malta at the end of secondary school. Different qualities of writing produced by Access Arrangements (AA) students with SpLd/dyslexia and those without AAs (the Rest) were analysed and compared through mixed method research within the framework of the explanatory sequential design. The results from the quantitative analysis highlighted areas of interest that were subsequently analysed qualitatively. The aims of the study are to understand the impact of SpLD/dyslexia on writing and how texts from students with SpLd/dyslexia differ or otherwise, from the writing produced by students without AAs. The results show how the scores achieved by students who have SpLD/dyslexia in literacy assessments administered at pre-examination stage, correlate with the marks and grades achieved in their language examinations. Results in this study are consistent with the literature, showing how overall, the performance of students with SpLD/dyslexia in writing is poorer in quality, reflecting poorer marks and grades in the essays. Nevertheless, the analysis of writing belonging to the two groups reveals overlapping qualities that often point to poor bilingual development or poor proficiency in the second language. The results have various implications for education policy, including bilingual teaching and learning, assessment and the diagnosis of SpLD/dyslexia.