EXAMINING THE LEVEL OF AWARENESS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS REGARDING DYSLEXIA: A QUANTITATIVE SURVEY STUDY IN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Dyslexia is a common specific learning disorder that severely affects the reading and writing progress of students. The significant role of teachers in this activity is the urgent necessity of early diagnosis and the development of evidence-based instructional strategies to improve the educational achievements of dyslexic learners; the teachers play a crucial role in this process. The current questionnaire survey was conducted to establish the degree of awareness among teachers of primary schools across the divisions of Punjab in Pakistan, on the subject of dyslexia. A stratified random sample of 2,500 teachers in government primary schools was sampled using a multistage disproportionate random sampling technique. A research-based questionnaire was used to collect the data by evaluating the awareness of the teachers based on three dimensions: (a) awareness of the symptoms of dyslexia; (b) awareness of the instructional strategies designed to suit students with dyslexia; and (c) awareness of the social-emotional complexes related to dyslexia. The descriptive and inferential statistical analyses demonstrated a low degree of awareness among teachers in general and a significant gap in early identification and the use of evidence-based instructional practices in particular. The knowledge regarding the social-emotional implications of dyslexia was also low. These results demonstrate a significant lack of teacher readiness and emphasize the need to conduct focused professional development programs and intervention at the policy level to promote the inclusive education of dyslexic students. The study thus adds some empirical evidence to the current debate about teacher preparedness and student learning disability education in Pakistan.