Special Educators’ Experience of Assessment and Intervention of Learners with Dyslexia in Astana

Abstract

This qualitative study explores how special educators in Astana conceptualise, assess, and intervene in cases of dyslexia within Kazakhstan's trilingual education system (Kazakh, Russian, and English). Grounded in an interpretivist–constructivist paradigm and employing a basic interpretive qualitative design, the study drew on semi-structured interviews with seven purposively selected practitioners working across mainstream schools, specialised centres, and Psychological Medical Pedagogical Commissions (PMPCs). Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis, generating five themes: dyslexia as a neurological condition; a landscape of institutional misconceptions; assessment practices; intervention approaches; and trilingualism as a compounding factor. Findings reveal that while specialist educators demonstrate neurologically grounded understandings of dyslexia, widespread misconceptions persist in broader educational settings, and the system lacks standardised identification protocols. Participants applied a language-of-thinking principle in multilingual assessment and employed multi-sensory, Davis Method–based interventions. A key theoretical contribution is the per-language correction principle: dyslexia correction in one language does not automatically transfer to another, demanding separate intervention pathways across all three languages. The study concludes that Kazakhstan's trilingual policy, as currently implemented, is structurally misaligned with the needs of dyslexic learners, and calls for pre-school screening, mandatory dyslexia content in teacher education.