Dyslexia and Foreign Language Learning

Abstract: This essay looks at the language based disorder dyslexia and how it affects students’ ability to learn a foreign language. It will look closer at the strategies and tools foreign language teachers use to tackle the problems a dyslexic student may have when learning a new language. This research draws upon the interviews of foreign language teachers as well as the existing research on dyslexia and language acquisition. The main research questions of this essay are: How do foreign language teachers describe the disorder dyslexia both from a theoretical perspective as well as from a practical perspective? What difficulties do foreign language teachers have when teaching dyslexicstudent? What strategies do foreign language teachers use when teaching a student with dyslexia? By using the qualitative research approach, interviews, it was found that while foreign language teachers are aware of dyslexia they need to be given more education about language based disorders so that they are more equipped to help their students. This research will highlight the importance of giving foreign language teachers the needed tools and strategies to better support dyslexic students as they learn a new language.