A case study of small group pull-out SEN specialist-led writing intervention for KS3 pupils with dyslexia in a local Hong Kong Secondary School

Abstract

This case study focuses on a small group pull-out writing intervention for Key Stage 3 pupils with dyslexia from a local Hong Kong secondary school and aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the current pull-out writing intervention for KS3 dyslexic pupils in meeting their unique needs and to determine if a revision of the approach is necessary. Data including observations, interviews, questionnaires were triangulated, with analysis revealing that while the intervention aimed to improve pupils' confidence and motivation in learning and help them become more autonomous, there was no formalized reading intervention, and the lack of a reading program negatively impacted pupils' ability to follow written instructions for written tasks. The study also found that there was no agreed-upon approach or methodology for helping with reading and writing consistently used throughout the intervention and transferred to the broader classroom. The study concludes that collaboration and coordination between the English and SEN departments is needed to streamline a consistent approach to support pupils with dyslexia. The study recommends incorporating typing practice in all interventions, extending writing interventions to have a more lasting effect, establishing a reading program or intervention for the whole class, and using the five writing strategies recommended by Slavin et al. (2019) to equip secondary school pupils with healthy writing routines beyond their school years.