Implementing learning theory for supporting learners with learning challenges at private schools within a Middle Eastern context

Abstract

Historically, individuals with disabilities were often viewed as a source of shame or a burden within Arab societies. Such societal perceptions of disability have limited individuals' access to necessary support services and created challenges for teachers in providing learning support within schools. Services for people with disabilities emerged very slowly in a few Middle Eastern countries in the 1960s, and progress is still slow. When learners experience learning challenges, the responsibility currently still falls on individual teachers to develop effective and appropriate educational strategies to cater to students with varying needs in private schools. How teachers at these private schools respond to students with various academic needs within academically diverse classrooms continues to be one of the central challenges of teaching. In light of the challenges highlighted in the existing literature regarding learner support in the Middle Eastern context, this study focused on implementing learning support theories within the context of private schools in the Middle East. The researcher employed a combined autoethnographic methodological research process, incorporating interviews with other participants, to focus on her professional experience as a teacher at a private school in the Middle East. Autoethnography is a self-reflexive research genre that combines elements of autobiography and ethnography to enhance professional practice. In this case, the implementation of Vygotskian theory was used to support struggling learners at a private school. The aim was to understand constructs through the autobiographical “self”. As a methodological starting point, autoethnography can assist the researcher in writing from within practice relationships to encourage in-depth descriptions of personal experiences for professional growth, in this case, as a teacher-practitioner. For triangulation purposes, the researcher also drew on the professional experience of three other teacher colleagues in the same context. All four participants, including the researcher herself, are implementing Vygotskian theory in their classrooms, focusing on the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) to support learners who experience barriers to learning. The purpose and contribution of this study were to enhance the professional practice of the researcher as a teacher, specifically in supporting learners who experience barriers to learning at a private school within a Middle Eastern context.