Experience of ESL Teachers in Teaching Dyslexics in the Mainstream Classroom of UAE and India: A Comparative Case Study

Abstract

This paper explores the experiences of English as a second Language (henceforth ESL) teachers in teaching dyslexics within the mainstream classroom. Looking at the severity of Specific Learning Disorder, it is even more challenging for dyslexics to acquire the language within the mainstream classroom. The researcher aims to highlight how ESL primary school teachers in UAE and India respectively identify the needs of the students, implement a strategy and ways to accommodate them within the mainstream. In-depth interviews were conducted with the teachers for the data collection. The main findings are that ESL teachers plays an active role in early identification of dyslexic problem; however, ESL teachers in India require appropriate training and an improved 'preventive' model of intervention to identify and restore the reading accuracy and fluency of dyslexics.