INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PRIMARY YEARS TEACHERS´ PERCEPTIONS ON EDUCATING STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA

Global organizations, such as the United Nations, have increasingly focused on ensuring that students with special needs are receiving high quality education. With schools in over 158 countries worldwide, the International Baccalaureate (IB) system provides an ideal forum to investigate if students with dyslexia globally are receiving adequate instruction. Yet, there is a general lack of research investigating IB schools, specifically for students with learning differences such as dyslexia. Providing a curriculum framework for students ages three to 12, the Primary Years Program (PYP) forms the foundation of the IB system. This quantitative research study used online survey methods to assess IB PYP teacher perceptions of educating students with dyslexia with a global sample of IB PYP teachers. Through a combination of descriptive and regression analyses, this research describes overall IB PYP teacher understanding of dyslexia, as well as identifies potential educational barriers that affect students with dyslexia. As a result of this research, IB instructors and administrators may have a better understanding of potential areas for growth in order to ensure that students internationally with dyslexia receive high quality education