Unveiling the silent struggle: Exploring the influence of dyslexia on elementary students’ mathematics learning in Nepal

Abstract

Dyslexia is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties in accurate and fluent reading, spelling, and writing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of students with suspected dyslexia and its impact on math performance among elementary-level students in Nepal. A mixed-method approach was employed, involving a sample of 1,661 students in grade V and grade VI. The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, students with suspected dyslexia were identified using the dyslexia checklist for teachers, dyslexia checklist for parents, and dyslexia self-assessment questionnaire. In the second phase, observation and semi-structured interviews were conducted to verify the suspected students with dyslexia. The study revealed that the incidence of students with suspected dyslexia among elementary school students was 8.97%. Among the students with suspected dyslexia, the occurrence rate was slightly higher in males (10.42%) compared to females (7.90%). Additionally, the researchers assessed the impact of dyslexia by comparing the math test scores between students with suspected dyslexia and those without dyslexia. The results demonstrated significantly lower performance among students with dyslexia compared to their non-dyslexic peers.