Teachers’ Knowledge and Perception about Dyslexia: Developing and Validating a Scale

Abstract

Teachers have an important role in the achievement progress of students with dyslexia. Therefore, measuring teachers’ knowledge and perception of dyslexia is important. Given that an instrument that measures both teachers’ knowledge and perception of dyslexia is not available, this study aims to develop a scale to measure primary school teachers’ knowledge and perception of dyslexia. Two hundred and one primary school teachers participated in the study, and exploratory factor analysis was conducted to identify the dimensions of the scale and to select scale items. Configural, metric and scalar invariance across gender groups was supported. This study also examines whether teachers’ knowledge and perception of dyslexia differ with regard to their backgrounds. The results showed that there was no significant relationship between primary school teachers’ teaching experience and their knowledge of dyslexia. Also, their knowledge of dyslexia did not differ with regard to other variables of the study. On the other hand, there was a positive, but weak relationship between teaching experience and teachers’ negative perceptions of dyslexia. Primary school teachers who took a course about dyslexia in college had lower negative perceptions of dyslexia than teachers who did not do so. Teachers’ perceptions did not differ with regard to taking an in-service seminar, reading a book or an article or teaching a student with dyslexia. The current study is expected to contribute to dyslexia research in terms of providing a scale to measure teachers’ knowledge and perception of dyslexia.Teachers have an important role in the achievement progress of students with dyslexia. Therefore, measuring teachers’ knowledge and perception of dyslexia is important. Given that an instrument that measures both teachers’ knowledge and perception of dyslexia is not available, this study aims to develop a scale to measure primary school teachers’ knowledge and perception of dyslexia. Two hundred and one primary school teachers participated in the study, and exploratory factor analysis was conducted to identify the dimensions of the scale and to select scale items. Configural, metric and scalar invariance across gender groups was supported. This study also examines whether teachers’ knowledge and perception of dyslexia differ with regard to their backgrounds. The results showed that there was no significant relationship between primary school teachers’ teaching experience and their knowledge of dyslexia. Also, their knowledge of dyslexia did not differ with regard to other variables of the study. On the other hand, there was a positive, but weak relationship between teaching experience and teachers’ negative perceptions of dyslexia. Primary school teachers who took a course about dyslexia in college had lower negative perceptions of dyslexia than teachers who did not do so. Teachers’ perceptions did not differ with regard to taking an in-service seminar, reading a book or an article or teaching a student with dyslexia. The current study is expected to contribute to dyslexia research in terms of providing a scale to measure teachers’ knowledge and perception of dyslexia.