Pre-service EFL Teachers’ Knowledge and Beliefs about Developmental Dyslexia: Implications for EFL Teacher Training

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the misconceptions, knowledge, and knowledge gaps of 176 Turkish pre-service English as a foreign language teachers about dyslexia which is a prevalent developmental disorder. The data were collected at eight different universities in Turkiye and analysed by SPSS 25.0 via descriptive statistics and the Kruskal Wallis Test, considering the participants’ scores on the Knowledge and Beliefs about Developmental Dyslexia scale. In addition to studying the knowledge base about dyslexia, the effect of the variables grade and gender was analysed. The results showed that most of the participants had flawed information about dyslexia, and lack of information was common. On the other hand, gender and grade did not have any significant effects. These findings indicate a need for wider awareness and formal education about dyslexia for pre-service English as foreign language teachers to create more inclusive classrooms.

Keywords

• Developmental dyslexia
• English language teaching
• Teacher beliefs
• Inclusive education

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