Teachers Perceptions of the Challenges Related to Provision of Services for Learners with Specific Learning Difficulties (Dyslexia) in Kuwaiti Government Primary Schools

The main purpose of this study is to investigate the importance of providing support and services for pupils with dyslexia in Kuwait, from the perspective of teachers from government run primary schools. Consequently, it addresses the central research question: ‘What are the challenges facing teachers regarding the implementation of early intervention for pupils with specific learning difficulties (SpLD) (dyslexia) in primary schools in Kuwait?’ Data were collected using a mixed-method approach. A total of 471 primary school Arabic language teachers therefore completed a 55-item questionnaire. In-depth interviews and focus groups were also conducted with 26 teachers and 9 supervisors. All the interview and focus group data were thematically analysed, while a software package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the questionnaire data. This took place in two phases: descriptive analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA), which also included principal components analysis (PCA), a data reduction method. One of the significant findings to emerge was that the teachers studied only had limited awareness of dyslexia and required specific training and further education to be able to address this SpLD. Moreover, they were for the most part insufficiently aware of early interventions that could benefit their pupils. During the interviews and focus groups, the teachers acknowledged that they used inappropriate diagnostic approaches; that the curriculum was not designed to meet the needs of pupils with dyslexia, and that policy-makers inadequately funded early intervention programmes. The overall conclusion was that the teachers were disempowered, lacked training and did not have sufficient knowledge of dyslexia, or of how to provide suitable early interventions. The study findings also show that dyslexia is conceptualised differently by teachers in Kuwait, as compared to their counterparts in the West. It concludes by discussing the potential implications of the findings for practice, with recommendations made for future research.