An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experiences of parents of children with dyslexia in Australia

Parents of children with dyslexia often feel powerless to help influence their child’s education, frequently having their concerns and input dismissed by schools. Within Australia there has been limited research into the experiences of parents. What literature there is would suggest that parents do not feel engaged by their child’s school, which is in contrast to Standard 7 of the Australian Professional Teaching Standards and many State and Federal parent engagement policies. \n \nThe recent debate surrounding the Year One Phonics Check (Y1PC) and its implementation beyond South Australia is focussed on the dichotomy of analytic or synthetic phonics, and has not yet drawn on parents’ perspectives to inform the implementation of a new standardised screener. Given the direct impact of the Y1PC on students with dyslexia, there needs to be stronger collaborative efforts between schools and families to help the students achieve academically and improve their mental health outcomes. \n \nThis paper examines the experiences of parents of children with dyslexia and their relationships with their child’s school. Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to explore the parents’ values and beliefs of their experiences. The IPA approach allowed for a rich and detailed exploration of the systems and contexts that influence parental experiences when their child has a diagnosis of dyslexia. Three participants were recruited to share their experiences of their children’s diagnoses of dyslexia and their interactions with their children’s schools. Semi-structured interviews were held via teleconference and transcriptions were analysed for descriptive, linguistic and conceptual elements. Parental experiences were explored through a relational developmental lens giving insight into how parent and student well-being is influenced by the relationship between schools and parents.