Young people and their identities: the case of dyslexia and transition to secondary education

The present work investigates the gap in literature regarding the impact of secondary education experiences on the identity of dyslexic pupils. During the long-term context of the educational process, individuals face educational transitions as they move from childhood to adolescence. The transition related effects and educational experiences, in combination with dyslexic difficulties and experiences of support can have a severe impact on a learner’s identity. This study reveals how young dyslexic learners experience this process and its effect on their identity, along with the corresponding psychosocial impact. The research also investigates the strongly interactive relationship between the individual’s identity and his/her academic performance. This qualitative study is predominantly based on semi-structured interviews with twenty English adults and young individuals. A small-scale research approach is adopted aiming to explore those aspects of secondary education in great detail. The main issues discussed in this research are: transition to secondary education, parental and institutional support, their influences on identity construction and fractured academic identity. To present the findings of this research, identity theories based on Symbolic Interactionism are used in analysing the data. The conclusions are that parental help and support, both academically and emotionally, are critical and many participants said that this had the most significant impact for them. Additionally, it was found that because educational experiences severely affect identity construction, educational institutions need to address the difficulties of dyslexia in a much more pragmatic way and provide meaningful support for their students. Schools that ignored their students’ difficulties made them feel excluded and uncomfortable, and some described leaving school a relief.