EFL Pre-service Teachers' Understanding about Dyslexia

Initial teacher preparation plays a crucial role in identifying and supporting students with special educational needs, such as dyslexia, a disorder that affects English language learning. The purpose of this study was to examine the level of knowledge and difficulties of 124 pre-service English teachers at a public university in Ecuador about dyslexia. Data were collected in three different courses from 6th to 8th level from a public university and analyzed using SPSS 27.0 through descriptive statistics, Chi test, and Kruskall Wallis test, taking into account the participant’s scores from the Knowledge and Beliefs about Developmental Dyslexia Scale (KBDDS). A Spanish-adapted version by Betancor (2022) of the original version by Soriano-Ferrer and Echegaray-Bengoa (2014). The results showed that the participants still did not have enough knowledge about dyslexia. Also, a thorough analysis of gender and level variables was conducted and showed that there was no significant effect. These results suggest the need to promote courses and include the topic of dyslexia for future English teachers in their classes to prepare them to provide more inclusive teaching