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Essays, commentaries, reflections, narratives, thesis

These are thoughts, reflections, discussion, the background literature, the project study-blog and eventually the project write up will be located in this section. This is also a repository for useful or interesting links, blogs, scribblings from others in education or other doctoral or learning development research. Locus of Control Profiles from the pilot study are presented in this section as a background resources, as are a collection of short narratives from students with dyslexia talking about their dyslexia and its impact on their learning..
link to epistemology essayReflecting on paradigms, epistemology, ontology
link to thesis whispererThe Thesis Whisperer
Times Higher Ed logo'How not to write a PhD thesis'
link to medium webpagesWriting for research
P20 Motivation Lab
Self-efficacy community of scholars
link to personalitytest.org.uk Personality Project
outsider software logo Dyslexia as neurodiversity
brain h e logo BrainHE - resources supporting neurodiversity in HE
link to Universal Design for Learning textUniversal Design for Learning: theory & practice
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  • 'Going for help with studies takes up more of my time when i'm already struggaling with too much work and not enough time, and it rarely helps as i can't explain why i'm struggaling otherwisei would have just done it in the first place' (student #20, Dykes, 2008, p99);

  • 'Although there is a university recognition of dyslexia, there as still lectures that will not understand what this means to a dyslexic student within there lectures, for instance refusing to give out any written notes, and insisting we copy from an overhead, when their own writing is not clear when writing technical equations. When this was brought up was simply told that was the way it was. Personally I would never ask for lecture help again on this matter due to this reaction from the school. During school I never felt let down, and do not understand how a university that prides itself on dealing with disabilities as managed to allow this kind of behaviour within schools' (student #26 ibid, p92);

  • 'In the exam hall the lecturer said ..."Put your bloody pen down." I had to say "I'm sorry, I'm dyslexic." It made me feel like a total leper' (Mortimore, 2006, in Mortimore, 2013, p39);

  • 'Extra support is not given in the right way. How does extra time in exacms help? It doesn't reflect what would happen in the real world. More focused tuition concentrating on differenc skill areas (such as practical, visual and aural) would be of a lot more benefit, or changing the assessment techniques' (student #7 in Dykes, 2008, p82);

  • 'I'm not sure dyslexia is real, because I believe everyone if given the chance to prove it could be a bit dyslexic. So perhaps my problem is than am not as interlgnet as others, or that my lack of confidence from an early age decreased my mental capability' (student #9, ibid, p95);

  • 'Dyslexia is seen too much as a reading and writing disorder. The way art is assessed ... via research journals instead of a disertation discriminates greatly against my own learning challenges. A disertation I can tackle, a 'research journal' defeats me - I am just not hard wired in that way so no amount of janet-and-john explanations work, I just end up feeling stupid 'coz I just don't get it' (student #12, ibid, p96);

  • '... one thing I notice I still do quite often when I'm writing, say a word like 'because', as the second cilible is quite strong I will write 'cause' not because I can't spell it, just as the scound part of dominates the word. I hope I'm making sense. I also find occationaly I will be thinking one work and write a completely different work but that is related. For example I will be thinking 'force' but write 'power'. 'Power' never came into my head yet I find myself writing it. I'm obviously cross-wired somehow' (student #33, ibid, p102);

  • 'I found primary school the hardest place, firstly because I didn't know why I couldn't spell but also because of the way they treated me. I was separated all the time and made out to be different. I feel this wasn't the best way to deal with me.' (student #39, ibid, p104);

  • 'I certainly work harder than others to achieve similar grades ... I believe that people without dyslexia don't understand the difficults I have, they often think I can do things like them ... My dyslexia has taught me to be determined and to work to my strengths but I wish that I was not dyslexic.' (student #5, ibid, p107);

  • 'As a mature student it was a big shock to find out I was dyslexic and coming to terms with being a disabled student was hard ... Most people think the written word is the problem but thought process is sometimes different which I think most people have problems with understanding what dyslexia is.' (student #41, ibid, p129);
References:

Dykes, A., 2008, A small scale study of feelings about dyslexia in relation to the uptake of specific learning support amongst students with an identified dyslexic learning difference in an HE institution. M-level MSc Dissertation, University of Southampton.

Mortimore, T., 2013, Dyslexia in higher education: creating a fully inclusive institution. Journal of Special Educational Needs, 13(1), 38-47.