IDENTIFYING OBSTACLES IN ASSESSING CHILDREN WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES IN EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS: A SURVEY STUDY

Abstract

The study identifies obstacles in assessing children with learning disabilities in educational settings in a survey study. This research employs a comparative cross-sectional design to identify and analyze obstacles in assessing children with learning disabilities (LDs) in educational settings from the perspectives of parents and teachers in Pakistan. The study uses a structured questionnaire based on a Likert scale to gather quantitative data. Parents and teachers of children with learning disabilities in Pakistan were taken as the population of the study. The sample comprised of 41 teachers from various educational settings like public and private schools in Pakistan. A structured self-designed questionnaire was used for data collection from the respondents of the study. The factor wise analysis of the obstacles in identification of learning disabilities inferred that respondents face moderate level of barriers in identification of learning disabilities regarding the factor of Cultural and Societal attitude (M=3.34), Technological and Innovative approaches (M=3.29) and Access to Resources and Support (M=3.27). Whereby low level of barriers were reported regarding the factor of Awareness and Understanding of learning disability (M=3.13), Teacher Training and Professional Development (M=3.20). However very low level of barriers were faced by the respondents in identifying the learning disabled in the factor of Parental Involvement and Support (M=3.02), and Policy and Implementation (M=2.94). The researchers concluded that the challenges in assessing LDs in Pakistan are multifaceted, involving cultural attitudes, resource limitations, inadequate training, and insufficient parental involvement. 
Addressing these challenges requires concentrated efforts from educators, policymakers, and the community, supported by robust research and well-implemented policies. Future research should focus on expanding the scope of study, including underrepresented regions, and exploring innovative approaches to improve the assessment and support of children with LDs