‘The Pebble in my shoe’ : dyslexic students and their views of examinations

Abstract

This study narrates the views of six students with a profile of dyslexia regarding examinations. Following current trends in educational research, the study tried to give voice to the students themselves. In-depth interviews were carried out to find out what the students thought about examinations, the challenges they faced and how they thought examinations could be made Jairer.' Results reported in this chapter suggest that dyslexic students experience real challenges when sitting for examinations due to their dyslexic profile; the time constraints of examinations and the stress and anxiety caused by their perceived inability to achieve at par with their peers. The students believed that these challenges hindered their performance in examinations. At the same time they hoped for a 'fairer' examinations system based on their involvement in the decision-making process that took into consideration their individual needs and we/I-being.