Attitude and knowledge of dyslexia among elementary school teachers in Turkey

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the teachers' attitude and knowledge about students with dyslexia and to see whether their attitudes differ according to their socio-demographic characteristics. The study group of this research, which was designed in the relational screening model, is made up of 300 classroom teachers. The participants filled out the Scale of Teachers' Attitudes towards Teaching Dyslexic Students and the Attitude and Knowledge Questionnaire on Dyslexia. The analyses showed that many teachers have insufficient knowledge of dyslexia, but they have a positive attitude towards teaching children with dyslexia and towards individuals with dyslexia, in general. Significant differences were found between the attitudes and experiences of teachers; it was found that teachers' knowledge of dyslexia increased with their experience. However, no significant differences were found between the attitudes of teachers according to their sex. In the light of the study results, it is recommended to update the teacher training curriculum and to design in-service programs to improve teachers' knowledge on conducting courses with universal design in inclusive education and training.