Understanding the Experiences of Learners with Dyslexia from the Lens of an Ecological Systems Theory and Force Field Analysis

Abstract

This paper provides insights into the centrality of Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Kurt Lewin’s force field analysis for understanding the learning experiences of learners with dyslexia in mainstream school settings. Drawing on ecological epistemology, Bronfenbrenner provides an understanding of how an intersection of an individual’s immediate environment and external factors in their wider setting affects their development. Likewise, in his force field theory, Lewin posits that psychological forces (or vectors) around individuals or groups can influence behaviour. These intersecting and mutually reinforcing epistemologies are particularly useful for investigating the experiences of learners with dyslexia in mainstream schools and how the experiences can be improved. The theories can enable researchers to consider how interactions in and outside the school affect individual learners’ experience. This paper thus argues that although a learner with dyslexia’s interactions with their environment can shape their learning experiences, the extent to which the experiences are shaped depends on forces that are exerted by the different layers of systems in their ecosystem, including the wider systems in which they have no direct contact. In turn, such forces influence decisions made by all parties involved in the learner’s life. This fact compels a need to recognize forces affecting the experiences of learners with dyslexia in mainstream schools when developing interventions.