Capacity to support young low-progress readers at school: Experiences of speech-language pathologists

Abstract

There is a complex interplay between expectations for speech-language pathologists based in primary schools to work with low-progress readers and various factors that may preclude this from actually occurring. This qualitative study investigated experiences and perspectives of nine Australian speech-language pathologists based in primary schools about their capacity to work with low-progress readers. Building on previous quantitative research, this study supported a relatively even split of those who do and do not work with such children. Moreover, thematic analysis revealed that speech-language pathologists face many more barriers than facilitators when attempting to become a member of written language support teams within schools. Facilitators included having a personal interest in reading difficulty as well as working in an environment supportive of speech-language pathology input for low-progress readers. Barriers to working with or participating in teams to support low-progress readers involved factors such as time constraints, resistance from educational colleagues, and a theoretical divide about reading difficulty between educators and speech-language pathologists. Suggested strategies to enhance school-based speech-language pathologists’ capacity to operate as key supports for struggling readers are discussed. These include approaches such as aiming to create a more transparent role definition, professional advocacy, and increasing interdisciplinary collaborations at schools.

Keywords::

• Reading
• speech-language pathology
• intervention

Acknowledgements

The author gratefully acknowledges Speech Pathology Australia for financial assistance to support this research by means of the Nadia Verrall Memorial Research grant. The author also acknowledges the Victorian Department of Education for granting approval for this research and colleagues at La Trobe University for providing valuable feedback on drafts of this manuscript. Importantly, gratitude is owed to the regional managers who supported recruitment of participants into the study and the participants themselves, who donated their time, wisdom, and expertise. Finally, the author wishes to acknowledge helpful comments from anonymous reviewers and advice from Margaret Olzcak regarding the structure of the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood.

Declaration of interest: The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.