Children with speech and language difficulties and reading comprehension in EFL

master's thesis

• Author: Valentina Karagić
• Mentor: Marija Andraka (mentor)
• Committee member: Alenka Mikulec (član povjerenstva)
• Committee member: Ivana Cindrić (član povjerenstva)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Teacher Education; (Chair of English Language Teacher Education); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2018-07-10, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: HUMANISTIC SCIENCES; Interdisciplinary Humanistic Studies; Teaching Methods in the Humanistic Sciences

Abstract

A teacher who at least once had a pupil with speech and/or language disorder such as: dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia etc. in his/her class is aware of the fact that it is a demanding, responsible and very difficult job, especially when teaching foreign language. It is very important that such teachers are aware of their pupil's situation and diagnosis. A teacher has to educate him/herself about the disorder in order to help his/her learner in the right way. Parents are there to help teachers and that is why good communication between them is of great importance. Such disorders are sometimes genetic, so some parents also struggle with them. However, the causes can vary from unknown to, for example, prematurity or a certain trauma. It is very important to notice the symptoms on time and go to logopedic therapies in order to determine if the child can attend regular school or a special school for children with speech and/or language disorders. The biggest challenge both for the teachers and learners is reading comprehension. It can be difficult for pupils with a speech and language disorder to stay focused on a long text and to answer related comprehension questions afterwards. In this graduation thesis I wanted to investigate whether successful adjustments result in succesfully solving reading comprehension tasks. The research was conducted in the SUVAG Polyclinic Primary School in Zagreb and the participants were seventh graders. They wrote the test twice, the first time with no adjustments and the second time with graphical and content adjustments of the text and tasks. As expected, the results were much better after the adjustments had been made.

Abstract (croatian)

Osoba učiteljske struke koja se barem jednom u svojoj struci susrela s učenikom koji ima neku govorno-jezičnu teškoću kao što su disleksija, disgrafija, diskalkulija i slično, zna koliko je to izazovan, zahtjevan i odgovoran posao, pogotovo kada se radi o poučavanju stranog jezika. Ono što je od izuzetne važnosti je da učitelji moraju biti svjesni situacije svojih učenika i najprije se educirati o njihovoj teškoći kako bi im mogli na ispravan način pomoći. U tome im pomažu i roditelji takvih učenika te je vrlo važno imati dobru komunikaciju s njima. Ponekad teškoće mogu biti rezultat genetskih utjecaja te se s njima suočavaju i roditelji ili rodbina. Međutim, uzroci mogu varirati od nepoznatih do, na primjer, preranog rođenja ili određene traume. No izuzetno je važno na vrijeme uočiti simptome i odvesti dijete logopedu kako bi se napravila procjena težine teškoće i može li učenik pohađati redovnu školu ili školu s posebnim uvjetima obrazovanja za učenike s teškoćama. Jedan od najvećih izazova, kako za učenike, tako i za učitelje predstavlja čitanje s razumijevanjem. Vrlo je teško učeniku koji ima poteškoće u čitanju i/ili pisanju biti koncentriran na neki dugačak tekst o kojem kasnije još mora i odgovarati na pitanja. U radu sam željela dokazati kako uspješna prilagodba teksta i zadataka rezultiraju uspješnijim rješavanjem zadataka čitanja s razumijevanjem kod učenika s govorno-jezičnim teškoćama. Istraživanje sam provela tako da sam učenicima sedmoga razreda Osnovne škole Poliklinike SUVAG prvi puta dala pismenu vježbu čitanja s razumijevanjem bez ikakve prilagodbe. Rezultati su bili očekivano loši, a nakon analize sam napravila grafičku i sadržajnu prilagodbu istog teksta i istih zadataka te sam nakon otprilike dvadeset i osam dana učenicima dala pismenu vježbu drugi put. Rezultati su bili očekivano puno bolji te sam tako dokazala svoju pretpostavku.

• Keywords: speech and language difficulties; graphical adjustments; reading comprehension
• Keywords (croatian): govorno-jezične teškoće; grafičke prilagodbe teksta i zadataka; čitanje s razumijevanjem
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:147:546239
• Study programme: Title: Učiteljski studij; Study programme type: sveučilišni; Study level: integrirani preddiplomski i diplomski; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra primarnog obrazovanja (magistar/magistra primarnog obrazovanja)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2018-07-13 10:16:44