Social work students and dyslexia: outcomes from an empirical study and some implications for practice

Abstract

Dyslexia is likely one of the most misunderstood conditions impacting on educational outcomes at all levels, in and across all practice and intellectual domains. This paper discusses a project carried out by two qualified social workers, one an academic involved in teaching and assessing social work students, the other a doctoral student with a formal diagnosis of dyslexia and dyspraxia. The research involved nine social work students from three different universities who identified as having dyslexia. Semi-structured interviews were held in order to identify challenges experienced by participants as well as any strategies they used to ameliorate them. The data from the interviews were coded and analyzed, and the findings indicated a range and variety of experiences. Participants described feeling anxious and questioned their ability to study social work, both at university and on placement. Feelings of exhaustion were noted, which indicated the need to examine and potentially to rebalance educators’ expectations across academic and practical roles, and to provide support for students to meet workload requirements particularly when on placement. Findings from the interviews were shared with academic staff and practice educators. Additionally, a ”good practice” guide was produced to support educators in placement as well as in universities.