The relationship between language teachers' attitudes and the state-trait anxiety of adolescents with dyslexia

The aim of the present Study was to investigate the role anxiety plays in the lives of adolescents with dyslexia by including a school perspective with special emphasis on the role of the teacher. The state-trait anxiety of 68 adolescents with dyslexia and their language teachers' attitudes towards them were compared with an equal number of matched controls. State-trait anxiety was measured by the Greek adaptation (Psychountaki, 1995) of Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (Spielberger, Edwards, Lushene et al, 1973). The Teacher's Questionnaire, designed specifically for the needs of this study, was used for the measurement of the language teachers' attitudes. Interviews were conducted with the adolescents with dyslexia who exhibited the highest and lowest state (reading) anxiety. They reported significantly higher reading anxiety and lower trait anxiety in comparison with the control group. The language teachers of the adolescents with dyslexia expressed more positive attitudes than the controls. Reading anxiety was related to trait anxiety, especially when the language teachers expressed low irritability, which was one of the teachers' attitudes measured. In the interviews, the high-anxiety adolescents reported behaviours associated with learned helplessness, use of emotion-focused defence mechanisms and high, ambiguous and conflicting expectations expressed by their language teachers with regard to academic achievement. The application of anxiety-reducing methods together with the specialised educational interventions may contribute to the psychological well being of adolescents with dyslexia.