Alarmerande eller förväntat?
En studie av hur ett screeningtest kan tolkas ur ett andraspråksperspektiv
AbstractThe purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extent LS ? a standard screening test for dyslexia ?is also relevant for the purpose of finding second language students with dyslexia. Starting with an overview of recent studies in the field, I have analyzed texts from parts of the chosen material. After a brief presentation of the test, I have presented it from a second language point of view. Furthermore, I have analyzed the way in which the test measures phonological awareness, lexical accessibility and correctness in language. The influence of orthography when interpreting test results has been analyzed, as have reading comprehension from genre theory and cultural context. The results show that the test alone is not sufficient to provide the information needed to assess whether or not a second language student needs a further dyslexia examination. With students having Swedish as their first language, a further examination is made only when the student is low scoring, but my results show that this examination is needed for every student doing the test in another language than their first language. Furthermore, it is evident that the test is at a consciously high level in terms of language whilst earlier studies have shown that a lower level is better from a second language point of view. Hence, the result in most cases gives us no guidance. What is found positive about the test is that it shows whether or not the student is achieving in accordance with age or expectations.