New Perspectives in Science Education

Students with dyslexia have been shown to suffer increased levels of anxiety and lower self-esteem related to the additional struggles higher education presents them with. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether these findings extend to online learning (OL). Specifically, the study aimed to assess the impact of online learning on dyslexic students' levels of anxiety and self-esteem in comparison to non-dyslexic controls. Students (N = 79; 27 dyslexic and 52 non-dyslexic) completed an online questionnaire. Questions pertained to dyslexia severity, attitudes towards online learning, as well as anxiety and self-esteem. Qualitative data was also collected through open-ended questions exploring student’s personal experiences of OL. The study found that dyslexic students demonstrated significantly higher anxiety scores compared to non-dyslexic students. However, although dyslexic students did generally exhibit lower self-esteem related to online learning in comparison to controls, this difference was not statistically significant. Severity of dyslexia was also found to predict higher levels of anxiety within the dyslexic student group. Qualitative data was used to expand on these findings. The findings of this study indicate that dyslexic students are identified as a vulnerable population for experiencing anxiety within HE. In turn, this should be considered within disability needs assessment with specific attention to the severity of dyslexia. Overall, these findings highlight the importance of adapting the current online learning system to improve levels of anxiety and self-esteem among students with dyslexia. The results finally highlight a dyslexic student’s perspective of HE, which need to be considered for a holistic and inclusive learning environment.