Barriers to second language acquisition for students with dyslexia: A practitioner focused study

Abstract

This study investigates the challenges to second language acquisition for students with dyslexia, from a practitioner perspective. It is a small-scale, qualitative study. Through a series of five interviews with stakeholders in education at second-level, it poses questions about best practice in supporting dyslexic students in the Modern Foreign Language (MFL) classroom. Through careful thematic analysis, the principal finding of the study was to identify a highly individualised approach to differentiation as the key to effective support. The study also identifies the main challenges in MFL teaching, including issues of time and teacher expertise, and recommends strategies that could be used to meet these challenges.