Pannon Egyetem

 

 

With a strong focus on teaching in order to meet learners’ individual needs, growing class sizes, resulting in a broader range of mixed abilities, as well as an added increase in the integration of learners with specific educational needs, an ongoing question is how much training do English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers receive, in order to meet these ever-evolving challenges? This paper explores EFL teachers’ awareness of the manifestations of three primary specific educational needs (SEN) areas: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and dyslexia. EFL teachers from 11 countries completed a questionnaire prepared on Google Forms based on teachers’ awareness of these manifestations, their training, and whether they are aware of the reporting and referral protocol within their educational institutes. The data was analysed through Google, and the results reveal some paradoxical outcomes; however, the main revelations point to a greater focus on this area within teacher education programmes in order to ensure teachers have a basic level of preparation before they enter the classroom.