Knowledge of Dyslexia among Teacher Trainees in Malaysia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33736/jcshd.4685.2022Keywords:
dyslexia, misconceptions, knowledge, primary school, teachersAbstract
Teacher trainees are a critical group of professionals responsible for identifying students with dyslexia in schools. This study aimed to examine the common understanding and misconceptions concerning dyslexia among Malaysian primary school teacher trainees. The study was conducted using a set of questionnaires known as the Knowledge and Belief about Developmental Dyslexia Scale (KBDDS) developed by Soriano et al. (2015) to investigate teachers' general knowledge, symptoms and diagnosis, and treatment of dyslexia. The questionnaire consists of 36 questions that require a true or false answer. Ninety-nine teacher trainees participated in the study. The results showed that there was a moderate proportion of teacher trainees who were not familiar with dyslexia in terms of general information (34%, n = 39), symptoms and diagnosis (23%, n = 23), and treatments (32%, n = 32). Based on the results, we can conclude that there were teacher trainees who were unfamiliar with dyslexia regarding the general information, symptoms and diagnosis, and treatments. Teacher trainees need to master every aspect of dyslexia because it will help them to enhance their skills in teaching students with dyslexia. This study's implication for improving pre-service teacher training programs for preparing teacher trainees to master the issues related to learning disabilities, special education, and especially dyslexia are discussed.
References
bdullah, S., & Benjamin, I. S. (2019). Teachers' perceptions on the explicit teaching of reading comprehension to learners with dyslexia: The importance of teacher training in ensuring quality delivery and instruction. Asia Pacific Journal of Developmental Differences, 6(2), 304-331. doi: 10.3850/S2345734119000291
https://doi.org/10.3850/S2345734119000291
Apandi, N. A., & Nor, F. M. (2019, June). Teachers' perspectives towards equipping pupils with phonological awareness to improve English Proficiency. LSP International Journal, 6(1), 55-66. https://doi.org/10.11113/lspi.v6n1.84
https://doi.org/10.11113/lspi.v6n1.84
Bae, H. S., Yin, L., & Joshi , R. M. (2019). Knowledge about basic language constructs among teachers of English as a foreign language in China and South Korea. Annals of Dyslexia. Annals of Dyslexia, 69(1), 136-152. doi:10.1007/s11881-018-00169-z
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-018-00169-z
Borleffs, E., Maassen, B. A., Lyytinen, H., & Zwarts, F. (2019). Cracking the code: The impact of orthographic transparency and morphological-syllabic complexity on reading and developmental dyslexia. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 2543. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02534
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02534
Brunswick, N., Martin, G., & Marzano, L. (2010). Visuospatial superiority in developmental dyslexia: Myth or reality? Learning and Individual Differences, 20(5), 421-426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2010.04.007
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2010.04.007
Chamberlain, R., Brunswick, N., Siev, J., & McManus, I. C. (2018). Meta-analytic findings reveal lower means but higher variances in visuospatial ability in dyslexia. British Journal of Psychology, 109, 897-916. doi:10.1111/bjop.12321
https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12321
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. Sage Publications.
Daley, P. (2020). Experiences of Primary Education Teachers Identifying and Providing Interventions for Students with Dyslexia. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1-108. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/openview/a45e863205e9633125d07323b40c62e1/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=51922&diss=y
Dodur, H. M. S., & Kumaş, O. A. (2020). Knowledge and beliefs of classroom teachers about dyslexia: the case of teachers in Turkey. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 36(4), 593-609. doi:10.1080/08856257.2020.1779980
https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2020.1779980
Grigorenko, E. L., Fuchs, L. S., Willcutt, E. G., Compton, D. L., Wagner, R. K., & Fletcher, J. M. (2020). Understanding, educating, and supporting children with specific learning disabilities: 50 years of science and practice. American Psychological Association, 75(1), 37-51. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000452
https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000452
Henderson, L. M., Tsogka, N., & Snowling, M. J. (2013). Questioning the benefits that coloured overlays can have for reading in students with and without dyslexia. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 13(1), 57-65. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-3802.2012.01237.x
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-3802.2012.01237.x
IDA Dickman, G. E. (2002). Definition of Dyslexia. Retrieved from https://dyslexiaida.org/definition-of-dyslexia/
Johnston, V. (2019). Dyslexia: What reading teachers need to know. The Reading Teacher, 73 (3), 339-346. doi:10.1002/trtr.1830
https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1830
Knight, C. (2017). What is dyslexia? An exploration of the relationship between teachers understandings of dyslexia and their training experiences. Dyslexia, 24, 207-209. doi: 10.1002/dys.1593
https://doi.org/10.1002/dys.1593
Law, J. M., Vos, A. D., Vanderauwera, J., Wouters, J., Ghesquière, P., & Vandermosten, M. (2018). Grapheme-phoneme learning in an unknown orthography: A study in typical reading and dyslexic children. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1393. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01393
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01393
Lee, J. A., Lee, S., Mat Yusoff, N., Ong, P. H., Nordin, Z. S., & Winskel, H. (2020). An early reading assessment battery for multilingual learners in Malaysia. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1700, 1-16. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01700
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01700
Malaysian Ministry of Education. (2013). Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025. Putrajaya: MOE.
Ministry of Education. (2019a). Data Pendidikan Khas 2019. Retrieved from https://www.moe.gov.my/en/muat-turun/pendidikankhas/buku-data-pendidikan-khas/3156-buku-data-pendidikan-khas-tahun-2019/file
Ministry of Education. (2019b). Bilangan Graduan Bagi Program Ijazah Sarjana Muda Perguruan. Retrieved from https://www.data.gov.my/data/ms_MY/dataset/?tags=IPG
Ministry of Education. (2020). Data Pendidikan Khas 2020. Retrieved from https://www.moe.gov.my/en/muat-turun/pendidikankhas/buku-data-pendidikan-khas/3993-buku-data-pendidikan-khas-tahun-2020/file
Nadelson, L. S., Beavers, A., Eppes, B., Rogers, A., Sergeant, K., Turner, S., & Winkle, A. V. (2019). A comparison of teachers perceptions, misconceptions, and teaching of students with dyslexia. World Journal of Educational Research, 6(4), 442-462. doi: 10.22158/wjer.v6n4p442
https://doi.org/10.22158/wjer.v6n4p442
Nijakowska, J. (2019). Foreign language teachers' preparedness to cater for special educational needs of learners with dyslexia: a conceptual framework. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 34(2), 189-203. doi:10.1080/08856257.2019.1581401
https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2019.1581401
Parry, T. (2015). Assessment of developmental learning and behavioural problems in children and young people. The Medical Journal of Australia, 1(183), 43-48.
https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb06892.x
Ramli, S., Idris, I., Omar, K., Harun, D., Surat, S., Mohamad Yusop, Y., & Nor Zainudin, Z. (2019). Preschool teachers' knowledge on dyslexia: A Malaysian experience. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences, 15, 134-139.
Sjöblom, A., Eaton, E., & Stagg, S. D. (2016). The effects of letter spacing and coloured overlays on reading speed and accuracy in adult dyslexia. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 86(4). doi:10.1111/bjep.12127
https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12127
Soriano-Ferrer, M., Echegaray-Bengoa, J., & Joshi, R. M. (2015). Knowledge and beliefs about developmental dyslexia in pre-service and in-service Spanish-speaking teachers. Springer. doi:10.1007/s11881-015-0111-1
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-015-0111-1
Shaywitz , B. A., & Shaywitz, S. E. (2020). The American experience: towards a 21st century definition of dyslexia. Oxford Review of Education, 46(4), 454-471. doi:10.1080/03054985.2020.1793545
https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2020.1793545
Washburn, E. K., Mulcahy, C. A., Musante, G., & Joshi, M. R. (2017). Novice teachers' knowledge of reading-related disabilities and dyslexia. Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 15(2), 169-191.
Williams, J. A., & Lynch , S. A. (2010). Dyslexia: What teachers need to know. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 46(2), 66-70. doi:10.1080/00228958.2010.10516696
https://doi.org/10.1080/00228958.2010.10516696
Yin, L., Joshi, R. M., & Yan, H. (2020). Knowledge about dyslexia among literacy teachers in China. Dyslexia, 26, 247-265.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright Transfer Statement for Journal
1) In signing this statement, the author(s) grant UNIMAS Publisher an exclusive license to publish their original research papers. The author(s) also grant UNIMAS Publisher permission to reproduce, recreate, translate, extract or summarize, and to distribute and display in any forms, formats, and media. The author(s) can reuse their papers in their future printed work without first requiring permission from UNIMAS Publisher, provided that the author(s) acknowledge and reference publication in the Journal.
2) For open access articles, the author(s) agree that their articles published under UNIMAS Publisher are distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-SA (Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, for non-commercial purposes, provided the original work of the author(s) is properly cited.
3) The author(s) is/are responsible to ensure his or her or their submitted work is original and does not infringe any existing copyright, trademark, patent, statutory right, or propriety right of others. Corresponding author(s) has (have) obtained permission from all co-authors prior to submission to the journal. Upon submission of the manuscript, the author(s) agree that no similar work has been or will be submitted or published elsewhere in any language. If submitted manuscript includes materials from others, the authors have obtained the permission from the copyright owners.
4) In signing this statement, the author(s) declare(s) that the researches in which they have conducted are in compliance with the current laws of the respective country and UNIMAS Journal Publication Ethics Policy. Any experimentation or research involving human or the use of animal samples must obtain approval from Human or Animal Ethics Committee in their respective institutions. The author(s) agree and understand that UNIMAS Publisher is not responsible for any compensational claims or failure caused by the author(s) in fulfilling the above-mentioned requirements. The author(s) must accept the responsibility for releasing their materials upon request by Chief Editor or UNIMAS Publisher.
5) The author(s) should have participated sufficiently in the work and ensured the appropriateness of the content of the article. The author(s) should also agree that he or she has no commercial attachments (e.g. patent or license arrangement, equity interest, consultancies, etc.) that might pose any conflict of interest with the submitted manuscript. The author(s) also agree to make any relevant materials and data available upon request by the editor or UNIMAS Publisher.