FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING PROCESSES OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DIFFICULTIES

Abstract

This research aims to examine how students with specific learning difficulties learn a foreign language in a middle school in a province in the Aegean region of Turkey. In this qualitative research, the case study design was employed. The participants were selected through the purposive sampling method. 1 Five students with specific learning difficulties who are currently attending a middle school, three foreign language (English) teachers, five Turkish language teachers, a psychological counselor and two special education teachers who are the experts within the field of special education were included in the study. The data were collected through observation, interviews, and document analysis techniques. The raw data from these sources were analyzed through descriptive and content analysis. According to the findings, the students' foreign language learning process consists of categories such as affective characteristics, process, sources of difficulties, peer influence, media usage, advantages and disadvantages, strategies, and recommendations. The research concludes that when the affective domain objectives of language education are initiated, plans are made according to students' interests and needs, content is simplified, and appropriate strategies are determined, the learning process can take place. It is recommended that teachers be trained in this field to make these adjustments.