Fractured academic identities: dyslexia, secondary education, self-esteem and school experiences

“…theoretical framework or epistemological approach, it is flexible enough to allow the researcher to seek patterns within data items (from just one interview or within the entire data set) (Braun and Clarke 2006) and it allows the researcher to develop themes and a thematic code (Boyatzis 1998).”

“Such difficulties are not helped by the welldocumented attainment ‘dip’ that takes place after transition to secondary school (West, Sweeting, and Young 2010; Bloyce and Frederickson 2012).”

“(Jack, 47) This feeling participants had, that there was something ‘wrong’ with them, is supported by McNulty (2003), who found that those feelings can result in low self-esteem and in some cases can feel traumatic.”

“Children are expected to reach specific ‘developmental goals’ (Burden 2005, 1) that for those with learning difficulties are harder to achieve (Lackaye and Margalit 2006).”

“According to symbolic interactionism, other people’s positive or negative reaction to an individual’s performance can significantly impact on the emotions an individual experiences, which in turn affects identity formation (Turner 2013).”

“…research consistently indicates that dyslexia can lead to varying feelings of inferiority (Arkowitz 2000; Hellendoorn and Ruijssenaars 2000; Alexander-Passe 2006; Ingesson 2007; Singer 2008; Eissa 2010) and many learners with dyslexia feel ‘stupid’ (Humphrey 2002b; Zambo 2004; Ingesson…”

“Arguably, teaching deliveries unsuitable for dyslexia could also contribute to the learning difficulties (Humphrey and Mullins 2002), further ‘spoiling’ the identity development of dyslexic learners.”

“This type of learned helplessness can happen with people who have dyslexia (Thomson 2003), especially when their sense of ‘failure’ is very strong (Burden 2008).”

“Indeed, according to reflected appraisals, when a person who is considered undesirable offers an appraisal, it can push one’s self-views towards the opposite direction (Sinclair, Huntsinger, and Skorinko 2005).”

“Teachers may also have negative expectations of students because of their dyslexia label and the stigmatisation it can lead to (Riddick 2000).”

“The constant struggle to succeed (Lucey and Reay 2002) experienced by children in the modern UK educational system can magnify educational difficulties and fears of educational ‘failure’.”

“Such relationships are well-documented in existing research (Hellendoorn and Ruijssenaars 2000; Dale and Taylor 2001; Glazzard 2010; Nalavany, Williams Carawan, and Rennick 2011).”

“…indicates that dyslexia can lead to varying feelings of inferiority (Arkowitz 2000; Hellendoorn and Ruijssenaars 2000; Alexander-Passe 2006; Ingesson 2007; Singer 2008; Eissa 2010) and many learners with dyslexia feel ‘stupid’ (Humphrey 2002b; Zambo 2004; Ingesson 2007; Singer 2008; Eissa…”

“Poor academic performance can indeed lead a person to believe that they are not intelligent (Kloomok and Cosden 1994).”

“Glazzard (2010) concurs with the positive effects a diagnosis can have on self-esteem, with the diagnosis having a much more positive effect on self-image than other factors, such as teachers or peers.”

“Humphrey (2002a, 30) suggests self-development is a ‘social learning activity’ and children with ‘special’ educational needs may have problems in this area.”

“It is also important to sustain learner’s motivation (Demetriou, Goalen, and Rudduck 2000) and therefore comments about dyslexic children’s writing or reading need to be made in a way that does not discourage them.”

“Moreover, the issue of inclusion in schools needs to be further investigated (Galton, Gray, and Ruddock 1999; Lindsay 2007).”

“Similarly, if English was phonologically transparent, dyslexic learners in England would face significantly fewer difficulties (Riddick 2001).”

“Negative relationships do not only involve dyslexic learners, but also occur in the general school population (Gorard and See 2011).”

“Arguably, teaching deliveries unsuitable for dyslexia could also contribute to the learning difficulties (Humphrey and Mullins 2002), further ‘spoiling’ the identity development of dyslexic learners.”

“Nevertheless, this notion does not come unchallenged; other research supports the idea that dyslexic learners believe that effort leads to academic success (Burden and Burdett 2005).”

“This is related to the culture of schooling, where excellence is the desirable outcome (Lucey and Reay 2002; Rogers 2007; DfE 2016) and pupils who do not achieve those expectations are only tolerated (Rogers 2007).”

“In the United Kingdom, ability grouping (streaming/setting) is very common (Hallam and Parsons 2013), especially in secondary schools where streaming is commonplace.”

“According to Singer (2008), teachers must be careful how they treat those with dyslexia in front of their peers and raise dyslexia awareness within their peer group.”

“Such difficulties are not helped by the welldocumented attainment ‘dip’ that takes place after transition to secondary school (West, Sweeting, and Young 2010; Bloyce and Frederickson 2012).”

“Teachers are important others in the lives of children who attend school (Humphrey 2003; Glazzard 2010) and positive or negative comments from them can influence the way learners with dyslexia perceive themselves (Glazzard 2010) and the subjects those teachers teach.”

“According to Maras and Aveling (2006), having Special Educational Needs (SEN) increases the impact of certain stressors.”

“Discrimination and social barriers are still present in Western societies (Russell 2003; Rogers 2010; Richards et al. 2012).”

“Such relationships are well-documented in existing research (Hellendoorn and Ruijssenaars 2000; Dale and Taylor 2001; Glazzard 2010; Nalavany, Williams Carawan, and Rennick 2011).”

“This type of learned helplessness can happen with people who have dyslexia (Thomson 2003), especially when their sense of ‘failure’ is very strong (Burden 2008).”

“Discrimination and social barriers are still present in Western societies (Russell 2003; Rogers 2010; Richards et al. 2012).”

“…can help learners understand why they experience difficulties (Ingesson 2007; Glazzard 2010) and although they could internalise their label (Singh and Ghai 2009) it still helped them understand why they experienced another perceived stigmatising characteristic, that of academic ‘failure’.”

“Self-esteem can be affected by dyslexia (Rowan 2010), although dyslexia did not affect this aspect of identity in all participants.”

“This further highlights the importance of a meaningful education for all children (Lithari and Rogers 2016), one that celebrates all kinds of achievement.”

“Moreover, the issue of inclusion in schools needs to be further investigated (Galton, Gray, and Ruddock 1999; Lindsay 2007).”

“Crucially, research consistently indicates that dyslexia can lead to varying feelings of inferiority (Arkowitz 2000; Hellendoorn and Ruijssenaars 2000; Alexander-Passe 2006; Ingesson 2007; Singer 2008; Eissa 2010) and many learners with dyslexia feel ‘stupid’ (Humphrey 2002b; Zambo 2004; Ingesson…”

“Second, neurodivergent students often come to university with a negative schema of education following their experiences at school (Lithari, 2019; Mesa and Hamilton, 2022a,b).”

“Other studies have shown that people with dyslexia can have low self-esteem (Karami et al., 2019; Lithari, 2019; Rosalina & Nasrullah, 2020).”

“Finally, the environmental level continuously influences and modifies the other three levels and comprises conditions such as the educational level of parents and other socio-economic factors [31,32], or school practices and learning environment [33].”

“The influence that dyslexia can have on a child’s academic performance was shown to be significant, often leading to low self-esteem [1], [2], [3].”

“In this sense, and depending on the educational experiences of pupils with dyslexia regarding their learning pathways, what Lithari [34] (page.”

“It had been expected that children who were identified as having dyslexia at school, and who received appropriate support, would have a more positive outcome in terms of their psychological wellbeing (Lithari, 2019; Riddick, 2000; Wiener & Tardif, 2004).”

“While many studies delineated the negative consequences of dyslexia on self-perception (Doikou-Avlidou, 2015; Glazzard, 2010; Leit~ao et al., 2017; Lithari, 2018), interviews also revealed the positive impact of diagnosis on a person’s academic outlook.”

“Dyslexic learners experience stigma related to their academic attainment and literacy due to the reflection of cultural norms in school practices and their fractured academic attainment is highly apparent during schooling (Lithari, 2019).”

“All these negative experiences may negatively contribute to their self-concept and academic identity [26].”

“This research intends to build holistic rather than ‘fractured academic identity’ (Lithari 2018, 14), in recognising the significance of existing community and peer cultures, and the value of these associations in ‘the aesthetic dimension in everyday life’ (Errāzuriz 2019, 17 ).”

“The result of the dynamics between support and identity development lead to a fractured academic identity (Lithari 2018), which begins as a result of dyslexia but is established by the lack of meaningful support.”

“Needless to say, teachers are among the most influential figures in the lives of all children, including children with dyslexia, and negative comments from them can reinforce feelings of inferiority and stigmatisation (Dale & Taylor, 2001, as cited in Lithari, 2018).”

“It can have serious negative impacts on a person’s self-esteem and academic aspirations [2].”

“Pemaknaan internal ini juga menjadi penting dalam menghadapi penilaian sosial dalam hal akademik yang seringkali dialami oleh remaja, dan anak-anak, dengan gangguan disleksia sebelum diagnosis gangguannya diketahui (Lithari, 2019).”

“Do mesmo modo, a literatura atual tem apontado a relação entre a autoestima e o baixo desempenho escolar em crianças disléxicas no contexto escolar (Donato et al., 2021; Laschok & Lim, 2021; Lithari, 2018; Patti et al., 2020).”

“…non-verbal signs of social messages, etc. Adolescents with SpLD often suffer from emotional distress and problems with poor learning performance (Lithari, 2019; Long et al., 2007; Mikuš Kos, 2017), loss of self-confidence and lowered self-esteem, sensitivity to criticism and alienation from…”

“Western scholars have interviewed dyslexic young people to capture their experiences (Lithari, 2019; Morgan, 2019; Nevill & Forsey, 2023; Zambo, 2004), however, we have only identified one similar study in Hong Kong (Educational Bureau, 2009).”

“Furthermore, the transition from high school to university presents a significant change, especially challenging for students with SLD or disabilities (Lithari, 2019; Koutsouris et al., 2021; Parson et al., 2023).”

“Learners with dyslexia in unsupportive environments often occupy identity diffusion or foreclosure, shaped by external judgements rather than self-directed exploration (Lithari, 2019, 2021).”

“Consequently, the difficulty with academic identity (Lithari 2018, 2021) has its roots here, with the issue of support.”

“However, Lithari (2019) indicated that the impact of school support on self-concept remains less than home support due to the inflated school requirements.”