The Future of Education

This study aimed to elicit the views of young people with dyslexia  on their time attending  a special reading  school in Ireland.  Although the majority of children with dyslexia attend mainstream schools, there are also four reading schools which children attend for two years before returning to a mainstream setting.  The purpose of the research was to listen to children’s voices with a view to using this voice to impact practice in schools. While “student voice” has gained momentum in qualitative research, there is still a dearth of studies regarding children’s perspectives in the Irish context.

Focus group were used to obtain data and some of the topics explored included the young people’s understanding of dyslexia, the extent to which they felt included in the school, socio-emotional factors and what the young people deemed to be effective learning strategies. An interpretivist approach was adopted and Braun and Clarke’s model was used to analyse the data.

Five clear themes emerged as a result and these included the themes of (a) Difference, (b) Inclusive Pedagogy, (c) Socio-emotional issues, (d) A Sense of Space and (e) The Role of Staff. While it was clear that the children were satisfied with the special school, their corresponding levels of dissatisfaction with mainstream schools was also evident. This presents a significant challenge to mainstream teachers and teacher educators to reflect on current practices. It is argued that this reflection has the potential to inform action, ultimately benefitting all children, including those with dyslexia.