Browsing by Author "Nicholson T"

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    Dyslexia Seen Through the Eyes of Teachers: An Exploratory Survey
    (John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2023-04-01) Dymock S; Nicholson T
    Arguably, the classroom teacher is an important factor, if not the most important factor, in helping students with dyslexia to read and write well, yet there is little known about whether teachers perceive that they have the knowledge and confidence to teach these students. The present study was a national online survey of schools in Aotearoa New Zealand to explore this issue through the eyes of teachers. The sample consisted of 594 school leaders and teaching staff (elementary and secondary). The design of the study and analysis of data was descriptive, combining numbers with teacher comments. They provide initial data on dyslexia in schools. On the one hand, the data indicated that teachers and leaders were generally very positive about teaching students with dyslexia, for example, many rated their classrooms as “dyslexia friendly”. Teachers rated themselves as confident to help students with dyslexia and make a difference. On the other hand, the data indicated that teachers and leaders were not satisfied with the level of training and resources available to them. Some said they were working in the dark, and largely left to their own devices. Another less positive result was that many schools did not screen for dyslexia, or have a dyslexia policy, or share information with parents. Taken together, these findings at the teacher and school level have important practical implications. Teachers and school leaders want to help. We identify teacher training as a necessary mechanism for improving outcomes for students with dyslexia.
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    Measuring the effectiveness of writing center consultations on l2 writers’ essay writing skills
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2018-03-01) Tiruchittampalam S; Ross A; Whitehouse E; Nicholson T
    With the international growth of English-medium education, tertiary institutions are increasingly providing academic support services to L2 students, and thus, the number of writing centers working with L2 student writers has also increased. Writing center practices originated in L1 English educational contexts and their appropriateness for L2 English writers requires examination. This study investigated the effect of writing center consultations on the essay writing skills of L1 Arabic foundation level students at an English-medium university in the Gulf region. Analysis was based on quantitative measures of writing ability of two distinct groups of students: an experimental group who participated in tutoring sessions at the university’s writing center and a control group who did not. Findings indicated that students who participated in writing center consultations scored significantly higher in overall essay writing scores, as well as in two aspects of writing: task fulfilment (that is ideas) and text organization/coherence. These findings contribute to a limited bank of similar empirical studies on effectiveness of writing center sessions on students’ essay writing ability. They also support the case for the expansion of writing center work beyond the domains of predominantly L1 English academic communities.