The views and experiences of children and young people with literacy difficulties

Abstract

Having basic literacy skills is considered to be fundamental to achieving success in school and positive outcomes across the lifespan. Literacy difficulties impact learners’ access to a full and diverse curriculum and children and young people (CYP) with these difficulties are working considerably below their peers. Thus, the mission to optimise support for these learners to improve their literacy skills is of great importance. The need to involve CYP in matters that affect them has been highlighted through government policy and research. Whilst there has been a drive to improve literacy rates through government strategies, the voices of the CYP at the focus of these developments do not feature. There is, therefore, a need to explore the educational experiences of this group and consult them about the support they feel they should be receiving.
In the first chapter of this thesis I introduce the research; I explain my personal interest in the research area, what I wanted to explore, my approach to the research, and what I learned through my research journey. In the second chapter I present my systematic literature review exploring the school experiences of CYP in mainstream school with literacy difficulties. A thematic synthesis of 12 studies identified five overarching themes: experiences of teaching approaches, accommodations, and support with learning; a degree of struggle; the need to belong; being made to feel different; and emotional experience. The findings suggest that, for these learners, what has been key to their experience is how much they feel understood, respected, and included within their school community and how this has impacted both their wellbeing and academic outcomes. However, many of the CYP involved in the reviewed studies were identified as having dyslexia and there appear to be some differences in educational experiences for those with and without this label. Furthermore, these participants were not explicitly asked about the support they feel they should be receiving in school. This highlights a need to further explore the experiences of CYP without a label and consult them for their views about what support should be available in school. In my third chapter, I present the findings of my empirical research where I explored the experiences of this group and asked them to construct their ideal and non-ideal schools. Thematic analysis of interviews and a focus group led to the development of nine overarching themes: making sense of and coping with academic ability; developing awareness; the need for increased school support; what enables learning; impact of the environment; impact of poor teaching; low self-concept; the right support leads to a successful future; and feeling happy and ready to learn. The findings show that, for these learners, the quality of teaching and access to support is key in determining their school experience and future outcomes, but that this group also values having access to a positive learning environment and supportive relationships so that they can experience wellbeing and feel ready to learn.

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