Teachers’ Attitudes toward Teaching Dyslexic Students / Učiteljski stavovi o poučavanju učenika s disleksijom

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this paper is to examine teachers’ attitudes toward teaching dyslexic students and to determine whether there are statistically significant differences in their attitudes regarding gender, workplace, initial education, and continual professional development. The study involved 233 elementary school teachers. The Scale of Teachers’ Attitudes toward Teaching Dyslexic Students was used with a three-factor structure: (1) individualized teaching methods; (2) adaptation of teaching materials and evaluation procedures; and (3) support of classroom atmosphere and cooperation. The teachers had positive attitudes toward teaching dyslexic students in all three dimensions. The class teachers and those trained during their initial and continuing professional development and informal education to teach students with learning difficulties had positive attitudes that were statistically more significant. In conclusion, the obtained differences in the teachers’ attitudes toward teaching dyslexic students with regard to their professional qualifications during initial and continual professional development indicate the need for systematic teacher education, particularly considering the ways of adapting teaching materials and evaluation procedures so that dyslexic students would receive education appropriate to their abilities and strengths at all levels of education. Key words: attitudes; dyslexia; inclusive education; individualized teaching; teachers. --- Sažetak Cilj je ovoga rada istražiti stavove ucitelja o poucavanju ucenika s disleksijom te utvrditi postoje li statisticki znacajne razlike u stavovima s obzirom na spol, radno mjesto, inicijalno obrazovanje i trajni profesionalni razvoj. U istraživanju su sudjelovala 233 osnovnoskolska ucitelja. Koristila se Skala stavova ucitelja prema poucavanju ucenika s disleksijom trofaktorske strukture: (1) individualizirani postupci poucavanja; (2) prilagodba nastavnih materijala i postupaka vrednovanja i (3) podrska razrednim ozracjem i suradnjom. Ucitelji imaju pozitivne stavove prema poucavanju ucenika s disleksijom u svim trima dimenzijama. Pritom statisticki znacajno pozitivnije stavove imaju ucitelji razredne nastave i oni koji su se usavrsavali za rad s ucenicima s teskocama tijekom inicijalnoga i trajnoga profesionalnog razvoja, kao i samostalnim ucenjem.  Zakljucno, dobivene razlike u stavovima ucitelja prema poucavanju ucenika s disleksijom s obzirom na njihovu strucnu osposobljenost tijekom inicijalnoga i trajnoga profesionalnog razvoja ukazuju na nužnost sustavnije edukacije ucitelja, osobito o nacinima prilagodbe nastavnih materijala i postupaka vrednovanja, kako bi na svim razinama obrazovanja ucenici s disleksijom dobili obrazovanje primjereno svojim sposobnostima i jakim stranama. Kljucne rijeci: disleksija; individualizirano poucavanje; inkluzivno obrazovanje; stavovi; ucitelji.