Page 292 - Štremfel, Urška, and Maša Vidmar (eds.). 2018. Early School Leaving: Contemporary European Perspectives. Ljubljana: Pedagoški inštitut.
P. 292
ear ly school leaving: contempor ary european perspectives
In response to all these diverse interpretations, the OECD adopted
three cross-national categories for a group of students who are provided
with additional resources to help with their studies: students with disabili-
ties, difficulties and disadvantages (OECD, 2007). Students with disabilities
or impairments are viewed in medical terms as organic disorders attributa-
ble to organic pathologies (e.g. in relation to sensory, motor or neurological
defects). Students with difficulties are defined as students with behavioural
or emotional disorders, or specific difficulties with learning. Students with
disadvantages are defined as arising primarily from socio-economic, cul-
tural and/or linguistic factors (ibid.).
However, the conceptualisation and definition of learning difficulties
remains a big issue to be tackled in the future. Considering all the defini-
tions presented above for the purpose of this paper, the term ‘learning diffi-
culties’ will be used to signify the broadest understanding of students who
have any kind of difficulties related to learning regardless of their origin
and severity since analyses of the relationship between learning difficulties
and ESL most often do not include a precise definition of the terminology
to enable us to distinguish between different backgrounds of the phenom-
ena. Although there is no universal definition of students with learning
difficulties, authors (European Agency, 2016; Korhonen, Linnanmäki, &
Aunio, 2014; Kortering & Braziel, 1998; NESF, 2001) agree that this group of
students belongs to “vulnerable groups” that are at high risk of low achieve-
ment and ESL – as already indicated in the introduction.
Learning difficulties and ESL
As described, there is no single ‘cause’ of ESL. Instead, multiple risk factors
have been recognised that interact with each other and operate at various
levels of young people’s ecologies. Factors relate to individual characteris-
tics, family background, schools, education systems and wider social and
economic conditions (European Agency, 2016). Related to these factors,
ESL is largely characterised by a lack of academic success and low motiva-
tion for school work (Lan & Lanthier, 2003) which are also among the main
characteristics of students with learning difficulties (Filippatou & Kaldi,
2010). In fact, all students with special educational needs (SEN) are more
likely to have lower attainments in school, poorer relationships and emo-
tional and behavioural difficulties and to be at greater risk of ESL than their
peers (Hakkarainen, Holopainen, & Savolainen, 2016). It has been wide-
ly analysed and proven that, overall, young people with any kind of special
292
In response to all these diverse interpretations, the OECD adopted
three cross-national categories for a group of students who are provided
with additional resources to help with their studies: students with disabili-
ties, difficulties and disadvantages (OECD, 2007). Students with disabilities
or impairments are viewed in medical terms as organic disorders attributa-
ble to organic pathologies (e.g. in relation to sensory, motor or neurological
defects). Students with difficulties are defined as students with behavioural
or emotional disorders, or specific difficulties with learning. Students with
disadvantages are defined as arising primarily from socio-economic, cul-
tural and/or linguistic factors (ibid.).
However, the conceptualisation and definition of learning difficulties
remains a big issue to be tackled in the future. Considering all the defini-
tions presented above for the purpose of this paper, the term ‘learning diffi-
culties’ will be used to signify the broadest understanding of students who
have any kind of difficulties related to learning regardless of their origin
and severity since analyses of the relationship between learning difficulties
and ESL most often do not include a precise definition of the terminology
to enable us to distinguish between different backgrounds of the phenom-
ena. Although there is no universal definition of students with learning
difficulties, authors (European Agency, 2016; Korhonen, Linnanmäki, &
Aunio, 2014; Kortering & Braziel, 1998; NESF, 2001) agree that this group of
students belongs to “vulnerable groups” that are at high risk of low achieve-
ment and ESL – as already indicated in the introduction.
Learning difficulties and ESL
As described, there is no single ‘cause’ of ESL. Instead, multiple risk factors
have been recognised that interact with each other and operate at various
levels of young people’s ecologies. Factors relate to individual characteris-
tics, family background, schools, education systems and wider social and
economic conditions (European Agency, 2016). Related to these factors,
ESL is largely characterised by a lack of academic success and low motiva-
tion for school work (Lan & Lanthier, 2003) which are also among the main
characteristics of students with learning difficulties (Filippatou & Kaldi,
2010). In fact, all students with special educational needs (SEN) are more
likely to have lower attainments in school, poorer relationships and emo-
tional and behavioural difficulties and to be at greater risk of ESL than their
peers (Hakkarainen, Holopainen, & Savolainen, 2016). It has been wide-
ly analysed and proven that, overall, young people with any kind of special
292
