An Exploration of the Views of Young People with Dyslexia Attending a Special Reading School in Ireland

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 groups 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 throughout the thesis that this reflection has the potential to inform action, ultimately
benefitting all children, including those with dyslexi