The coping strategies of english language teachers of students with dyslexia in secondary schools in ife central local, ile-ife, osun-state.

Description

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER PAGE

TITLE PAGE

APPROVAL PAGE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWELDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

CHAPTER ONE

1.0      INTRODUCTION

1.1      BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

1.2    STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

1.3   PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTION

1.5   SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

1.6    SCOPE OF THE STUDY

1.7   DEFINITION OF THE TERMS

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1   THE CONCEPT OF LANGUAGE

2.2   THE CONCEPT OF DYSLEXIA

CHAPTER THREE

3.1     RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.2     POPULATION

3.3      SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUES

3.4     RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION

3.5      METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS

3.5      DATA COLLECTION

3.6      VALIDITY OF THE INSTRUMENT

CHAPTER FOUR

4.1     DATA ANALYSIS

4.2    PRESENTATION OF RESULTS

4.3     DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

CHAPTER FIVE

5.1    SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.2    SUMMARY ON FINDINGS

5.3    CONCLUSION

5.4    RECOMMENDATIONS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1                   Background to the study

English language is used as the medium of instruction in the school and one of important or compulsory subject that must be learnt in school. In teaching and learning of English language it involve many aspects such as: reading, writing, speaking and listening. These domains of language acquisition need to be exercised across content areas daily. Reading and writing are pervasive across grades and curricula.

Virtually every subject requires some reading and/or writing in English. Therefore, it is not a surprise that dyslexia can affect learning in all subject areas especially in English language Underlying deficits in accessing written text, reading fluency, spelling, written expression, organizing, following written directions, sequencing, using working memory (needed for problem solving), and visual processing (especially critical for worksheets, textbooks, and tests) can affect learning in different subjects in different ways.

As a consequence of their reading difficulties, students with dyslexia are forced to compensate for their weaknesses by following their peers, verbally processing information, relying on rote memorization, and using hands-on/experiential learning contexts.

It should be noted that students with dyslexia may exhibit particular strengths with regard to each subject area. Many dyslexics are exceptionally gifted in one or more of the following areas: thinking “outside-the-box” in terms of problem-solving, creativity, hands-on learning, and sports. Many have strengths in their verbal skills, visual-spatial skills, social skills, memory, and music.

Students’ reactions to a diagnosis of dyslexia are as varied as their experiences of it. Many students have been diagnosed whilst at school, and have benefited from good support. These students often have a clear understanding of their areas of weakness, and have developed strategies to manage these. Nevertheless, fatigue and frustration are common, together with a lack of confidence in their own ability.

Students whose difficulties have not been identified until later in life may experience more negative emotions such as panic, stress, anxiety and low self-esteem. This may be particularly true for mature students, some of whom will have had very negative experiences of education earlier in life.

With all the dyslexic characteristics that has been mentioned above, it is obvious that performance of the child in all subject especially English language with these learning disabilities will always be poor. So it is very important that such student or child is identified earlier so that he will be helped by the teacher through necessary coping strategies.

• Statement of the Problem

In order to achieve the adequate objectives of this study, answers must be provided to these questions;

1. What is dyslexia?
2. Who are those students with dyslexia?
3. How does it possible to differentiate between students with dyslexia and those without?
4. What are the problems faced by English language teachers while teaching?
5. What are the problems faced by English language teachers while teaching students with dyslexia?
6. What are the strategies employed by English language teachers?
7. What are the strategies employed by English language teachers on students with dyslexia?
8. What are the coping strategies used by the English language teachers on students with dyslexia in Kajola Local Government?

Generally, in learning process there are necessary strategies or methods that a teacher will adopt to enhance effective learning and failing to adopt this will actually lead to deficiency in learning because not every students in the class are the same, they all have individual differences in which the teacher should look into and should be able to help every individual.

The ideal situation for a child with learning disabilities is that the government or school should take it as responsibility to provide adequate facilities to enhance their learning. Also the teacher should be ready to give all that it takes to assist the child with all the facilities that has been provided because dealing with student with this learning disabilities require more strength, energy, and sacrificing of time to get him or her along. Student with dyslexia really need more attention and if the teacher is able to identify them and use the appropriate coping strategies with them they will be able to catch up as time goes on.

However it is very sad that in most of our schools, all these things are not put in place due to “I don’t care attitude” that government has shown to educational system. And on the teacher’s part some of them are not ready to use the appropriate strategies may be due to its time consuming nature or may be as a result of lack of knowledge about the appropriate strategies to use. Deficiency in the use of coping strategies with student with dyslexia may be as a result of laziness on the part of the teacher.

This study therefore assessed the coping strategies that a teacher of English language can use to enhance effective teaching, how and when to implement this strategies in order for the students to perform better.

1.3                   Purpose of the Study

The main objective of the study is to assess or examine the coping strategies that the teachers of English language are using for student with deficiency in the secondary school.

Specific objective are to:

1. Find out the causes of dyslexia and its development effect on student.
2. Identify the challenges of student with dyslexia
3. Investigate the coping strategies which English language teacher can use when teaching student with dyslexia.

1.4                   Research Questions  

1. What are the causes and effects of dyslexia on students?
2. What are the challenges of students with dyslexia?

iii.          What are the coping strategies which an English teacher can use with student living with dyslexia?

1.5                   Significance of the Study

The outcome of the study will be very useful to teacher of English language. This study will tend to make teacher of English language conscious of individual differences in their class. Also it would help the teacher to identify among their student with this learning disabilities (dyslexia) and the coping strategies they can use to enhance effective learning. Finally this study could eventually give the teacher an insight on how to use those coping strategies effectively in the class while teaching them. It will also help the student with this learning disabilities to have good percept about themselves that even though they are poor academically they are still better in some skill. Even to give them hope that poor academic performance is just for a while once the teacher is able to identify them he be able to cater for them in all aspect they need help.

1.6                   Scope of the Study

This research work used the English language teacher in secondary schools in Kajola Local Government. This study focused on the English language teacher coping strategies of student with dyslexia. The teacher will be selected from any secondary school Kajola Local Government.

This study will help students with dyslexia to have better performance in their academics once they have been identified by their teachers. And the benefit of this study to the teacher is that, they will be able to identify students with dyslexia and use the right strategies to cope with them.

Also, this study will help the parents to know that their children are not poor academically and they will be able to render some help to them to perform well. And the government will be able to provide for all equipment and resources needed for dyslexia students in school and there will be reduction of failure.

1.7                   Operational Definition of the Terms

These are various terms used in the research carried out. They are as follows:

1. Assessing: It is an act of evaluating a certain program to determine its effectiveness, strengths and the weaknesses.
2. English Language: a medium of an instruction in classroom setting or school.
3. Teacher: It refers to someone that impact knowledge.
4. Coping strategies: This refers to special techniques at which an individual employ to manage a stressful event.
5. Student: It refers to someone who receive knowledge from a teacher.
6. Dyslexia: it means deficiency in reading or inability to read well.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

The literature will be reviewed under the following sub-heading in order to ensure clarity and coherency.

• The concept of language.
• The concept of dyslexia.
• Causes of dyslexia.
• Effect of dyslexia on student.
• Challenges facing student with dyslexia.
• Screening and identification of student with dyslexia.
• The misconception of teacher about dyslexic students
• The coping strategies of English language teacher of students with dyslexia.

The concept of language

Language is a human system of communication that uses arbitrary signals, such as voice sounds, gestures, and/or written symbols. The study of language is called linguistics .Linguists (that is, specialists in the study of language) have defined language in many different ways. Here, chronologically arranged, are a few of those definitions.

According to Edward (1921) Language is a purely human and non-instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of voluntarily produced symbols. Bloch and Trager (1942) defined language as a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which a social group cooperates.”

Language is behavior which utilizes body parts: the vocal apparatus and the auditory system for oral language; the brachial apparatus and the visual system for sign language. . . . Such body parts are controlled by none other than the brain for their functions. (Fred & Peng, 2005)…