Learning Difficulties of Students With Dyslexia in Spanish and UK Schools

Abstract

At present, developmental dyslexia is classified as a specific language disorder recognised by inclusive educational laws in Spain and the United Kingdom. Phonological correspondence is very different in Spanish and in English, and the difficulties they entail for native speakers are also different. The predominance of English worldwide has led to the establishment of bilingual Spanish–English educational programs in Spain in ESL or bilingual Spanish–English learning environments. Students with dyslexia face greater challenges than their classmates. A comparative study of British and Spanish students with dyslexia that uses a quantitative methodology, and a pre‐experimental ex post facto design was carried out to detect the specific linguistic problems they faced in learning their respective languages, with the objective of using the results to help foreign language teachers in Spain. The sample consisted of 29 Spanish students and 19 British. The findings show that native students from United Kingdom have specific difficulties in phonological processing and grapheme‐phoneme correspondence. Native Spanish students enrolled in foreign language programmes seem to have similar difficulties. To ensure the effectiveness of present‐day inclusive education laws in Spain, the knowledge acquired regarding the specific language‐related literacy problems of students with dyslexia must be incorporated to the current foreign language programmes.