Date
2-29-2024
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)
Chair
Richard Jensen
Keywords
dyslexia, neurodiversity, public education, knowledge, confidence
Disciplines
Education
Recommended Citation
Szymanski, Jaimee Rachelle, "The Predictive Relationship Between Teachers’ Knowledge of Dyslexia and Their Confidence in Supporting Students With Dyslexia" (2024). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 5207.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/5207
Abstract
The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to explore the relationship between teachers’ knowledge of dyslexia and their confidence in teaching those with dyslexia, as these factors impact teachers’ ability to provide proper interventions and accommodations for students with dyslexia. A lack of knowledge or overconfidence in a teacher’s abilities can negatively impact educational outcomes for these students. The population for this study consisted of 117 public-school teachers in rural Ohio within the Appalachian region. The Knowledge and Beliefs About Developmental Dyslexia Scale and the Teaching Students with Disabilities Efficacy Scale were utilized to collect data in a digital questionnaire format. A multiple linear regression analysis found a significant predictive relationship between three facets of dyslexia knowledge and confidence, and general knowledge of dyslexia was discovered to be the best predictor of teachers’ confidence in teaching those with dyslexia. The findings of this study suggested that teacher training should focus on the complex aspects of dyslexia to further increase teachers’ confidence and competencies. Future research should focus on replicating this study with other populations, investigating additional variables, and implementing different instrumentation to measure dyslexia knowledge as well as conducting qualitative research to gain a deeper understanding of teachers’ confidence in their abilities.
