volume 7 issue 4 article 8
Medical Students’ Attitudes towards and Beliefs about Dyslexia: A Single-Centre Survey Study
Laura R. Hennessy1 & Sebastian C. K. Shaw2 & John L. Anderson3
1Weston General Hospital, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Trust, Weston-Super-Mare, UK
2Department of Medical Education, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, East Sussex, UK
3Department of Medical Education, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, East Sussex, UK
Abstract: Dyslexia impacts upon reading and writing, but not upon intelligence. Little research has explored dyslexia in medicine. An online questionnaire was emailed to all medical students within a single medical school, inviting them to participate. Results were analysed using descriptive statistics. Statistical significance was calculated for any differences between gender, age group, or year-group cohorts. 123 individuals responded. Most reported a good understanding of dyslexia, and feelings that their peers with it should be supported. However, a minority reported feelings of jealously, and dissatisfaction – feeling that students with dyslexia should not be supported, as this gives them an unfair advantage. In some, this seemed to stem from a belief that dyslexia were not real, or that their peers were “faking it”.
“I think it is a poor excuse for students to be favoured advantageously and receive tremendous benefits. It is certainly not a medical problem.”
Keywords: Dyslexia, Medical students, Medical school, Medical education, Mixed methods, Survey, Cross-sectional
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International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies
ISSN 2520-0968 (Online), ISSN 2409-1294 (Print), December 2020, Vol.7, No.4
