Page 289 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Contemporary European Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 289
learning difficulties and esl
The complexity of the phenomena is even more evident when the re-
lationship between learning difficulties and ESL is being established.
Nevertheless, it is evident that the prevalence of ESLers among students
with learning difficulties is much bigger than the prevalence among their
peers (Wagner, 1991). It is therefore necessary to understand the features of
the phenomena in detail in order to develop efficient interventions.
Thus, the aim of this article is to outline the terminology of learning
difficulties/disorders/disabilities and to explain the relationship with ESL
as well as possible implications and approaches for teachers and other edu-
cators working with students with learning difficulties.
Methodology
We conducted a review of the literature by searching in the ERIC
(EBSCOhost), SpringerLink, Wiley, Sage, Proquest, and Science Direct
search engines for information about learning difficulties, learning disa-
bilities and their relationship with ESL. We included three types of docu-
ments in the search: scientific papers, scientific monographs explaining the
theoretical background, along with EU documents and reports on the sub-
ject matter.
The research on learning difficulties and learning disabilities is a high-
ly targeted issue since, for example, the EBSCOhost Information Services
reports about 6,000 papers and books on learning difficulties and more
than 30,000 academic papers and books on learning disabilities. However,
relatively few papers examine the direct relationship between learning dif-
ficulties/disabilities and ESL. Therefore, several papers were considered
that explain the relationship between ESL and different factors related to
ESL. Only a few included learning difficulties as an explanatory factor for
ESL although several papers indicate that the proportion of students with
learning difficulties among ESLers is much greater than the proportion
among their peers.
Defining learning difficulties
In both the research and literature many different terms are used to de-
scribe special educational needs specifically related to learning. Since the
definitions and terminology vary widely, it is necessary to first introduce
the relationship between the definitions and terms in order to allow us to
subsequently indicate the relationship with ESL.
289
The complexity of the phenomena is even more evident when the re-
lationship between learning difficulties and ESL is being established.
Nevertheless, it is evident that the prevalence of ESLers among students
with learning difficulties is much bigger than the prevalence among their
peers (Wagner, 1991). It is therefore necessary to understand the features of
the phenomena in detail in order to develop efficient interventions.
Thus, the aim of this article is to outline the terminology of learning
difficulties/disorders/disabilities and to explain the relationship with ESL
as well as possible implications and approaches for teachers and other edu-
cators working with students with learning difficulties.
Methodology
We conducted a review of the literature by searching in the ERIC
(EBSCOhost), SpringerLink, Wiley, Sage, Proquest, and Science Direct
search engines for information about learning difficulties, learning disa-
bilities and their relationship with ESL. We included three types of docu-
ments in the search: scientific papers, scientific monographs explaining the
theoretical background, along with EU documents and reports on the sub-
ject matter.
The research on learning difficulties and learning disabilities is a high-
ly targeted issue since, for example, the EBSCOhost Information Services
reports about 6,000 papers and books on learning difficulties and more
than 30,000 academic papers and books on learning disabilities. However,
relatively few papers examine the direct relationship between learning dif-
ficulties/disabilities and ESL. Therefore, several papers were considered
that explain the relationship between ESL and different factors related to
ESL. Only a few included learning difficulties as an explanatory factor for
ESL although several papers indicate that the proportion of students with
learning difficulties among ESLers is much greater than the proportion
among their peers.
Defining learning difficulties
In both the research and literature many different terms are used to de-
scribe special educational needs specifically related to learning. Since the
definitions and terminology vary widely, it is necessary to first introduce
the relationship between the definitions and terms in order to allow us to
subsequently indicate the relationship with ESL.
289
