Understanding Resilience in Learning Difficulties: Unheard Voices of Secondary School Students
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Understanding Resilience in Learning Difficulties: Unheard Voices of Secondary School Students Sigru´n Harðardo´ttir • Sigru´n Ju´lı´usdo´ttir Halldo´r S. Guðmundsson
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Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015
Abstract This article presents part of the results from the research project of learning disabilities (LD) and success in school. The study investigates the interplay between psychosocial wellbeing and study progress and what works to support and empower students at-risk of school failure and dropout. It entails a group of 270 students in Iceland, all born in 1989, 1990 and 1991. At the beginning of their studies they completed the Youth Self Report. Four and a half years later contact was made with the students participating in the research, to attain information regarding their study progress. The results show that large number of students, or 72 %, who began their learning on an academic study track, had completed their studies at upper secondary school, but only 16 % of students who were atrisk of school failure and began their learning on general study track. Ten students with specific LD who began their learning on general track study, and had performed well in their studies and finished upper secondary education, were selected to take part in qualitative interviews. This article presents that part of the research. The school experience was explored from their perspectives regarding what they considered helpful versus obstructing in their learning situation. Three main themes were identified: (a) struggles regarding problem defining, (b) labelling and stigma, (c) support from a caring person in developing selfworth and resilience. This article offers guidelines to help parents and schools to better support students with LD.
S. Harðardo´ttir (&) S. Ju´lı´usdo´ttir H. S. Guðmundsson Department of Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Iceland, Oddi v/Sturlugo¨tu, IS-101, Reykjavı´k, Iceland e-mail: [email protected]
Keywords Learning disabilities Risk and resilience YSR Support from parents and teachers School social work
Introduction Dropping out of school may have permanent consequences on an individual’s quality of life and standard of living, which increases the risk of encountering social difficulties and reliance on welfare systems (Ju´lı´usdo´ttir 2001; McIntosh et al. 2008; Rumberger 2011). Poor academic school performance and low educational achievement is one of the strongest predictors of school drop-out (Jo´nasson and Blo¨ndal 2002; Rumberger 2011). There has been an extremely high dropout rate in upper secondary education in Iceland compared with other OECD countries (OECD 2012). Numerous policies have been implemented to combat these conditions. Most notable in the law for upper secondary schools, (1996) where a general study track was implemented to meet the needs of students who had poor results in grammar school. As might be expected, the number of students with learning disabilities (LD) attending upper secondary school has increased as a result of the
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