This document presents the background, literature review, and research plan for a study investigating whether institutional referencing styles create barriers for students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs), particularly dyslexia. The study will use a mixed methods approach, combining a student questionnaire on perceptions of referencing with a reading comprehension test comparing two different referencing styles. The goal is to examine student views of referencing, its impact on reading and comprehension, and whether it unfairly disadvantages SLD students. A small pilot has started to test the research process and tools.

1. Are institutional or subject
referencing style choices
creating a barrier for students
with a Specific Learning
Disability?
Fiona Watkins

2. Background
Increase in students declaring a disability (Advanced HE, 2018).
Students declaring a disability are increasingly more dissatisfied with their courses
(Office for Students, 2020).
Students with a disability are proportionally more likely to achieve lower grades
(Advanced HE, 2018).
Largest single group of students declaring disability in HE is those with Specific Learning
Disability (SpLD) (Advanced HE, 2018).
Students with SpLD report lower confidence with academic writing skills (Kinder &
Elander, 2012).

3. Literature
Students do not like, or are fearful of, referencing (Buckley, 2015; Gravett & Kinchin,
2020; Hutchings, 2014).
Research on students with dyslexia are based around the medical model (Engel, 2002)
rather than social model (Banbury, 2019) and therefore suggest coping strategies (Kirby
et al., 2008; Olofsson et al., 2012; Pino & Mortari, 2014).
Students with dyslexia read selectively (MacCullagh et al., 2016) and have problems
drawing inferences from complex text (Simmons & Singleton, 2000).
Students with dyslexia spending more time and energy on referencing (Sanders, 2010)
and reading (Hendricks & Quinn, 2000; Sanders, 2010; Serry et al., 2018) leaving less
time for critical engagement (Wengelin, 2007).

4. Research Project
Mixed methods approach combining two phases of research:
1) Questionnaire to collate student perceptions of referencing
2) Reading comprehension test comparing results for two different referencing styles.
Aims:
◦ To investigate student perceptions of referencing
◦ To investigate the impact of using a parenthetical referencing system in relation to
the effect on reading fluency and comprehension
◦ To investigate whether the use of parenthetical referencing systems unfairly
disadvantage specific groups of students i.e., those with dyslexia
Ethics approval through MA faculty and written approval from Departmental Chair of
Ethics Committee.

5. Reading Comprehension Test
Please note that this is entirely voluntary, the results will not be used in any research and will be securely
shredded after the conference.
Please do not include any information that may identify you on the answer sheet or mark the article in
any way.
Please read through the short article in front of you, then answer the questions on the second sheet.
Note that the article and references are entirely fictional!
Please note how long you took to read the article through initially, and how long to answer the questions
on the grid provided at the end of the answer sheet.
Please also note at the end of the answer sheet whether you wish to declare a SpLD.

6. Feedback
How did you get on?

7. Questionnaire Findings - Demographic
Breakdown of questionnaire respondents by stage of study

8. Questionnaire Findings - Feelings
Students were asked to describe their feelings towards referencing:
Time Confidence Associations
Different
Styles
Support
Available
Difficult /
Time consuming
Irritating Beneficial /
Important
Achievable
No Problems
Stress / Anxiety Dislike Fear

9. Questionnaire Findings - Confidence

10. Questionnaire Findings – Feedback &
Training
80% of respondents had received some feedback on at least one assignment,
66% of these had received comments relating to referencing.
◦ Themes: Positive feedback; Negative feedback; Constructive feedback; Vague
feedback; Not enough references; Mechanics of referencing and Feedback due to
different referencing styles.
61.5% of students had not received or undertaken training on referencing.

11. Reading Comprehension Test Pilot
Very small pilot to test the process and concept.
Two valid tests, one online and one face-to-face.
Timed two elements: initial reading and answering questions.
Asked for students’ perception of the task.

12. What Next & Questions
More research!
Please get in touch if you are interested or have any further questions
Email: Fiona.Watkins@northampton.ac.uk
Twitter: @Feemmac

13. References cont.
MacCullagh, L., Bosanquet, A. & Badcock, N. A. (2016) University students with dyslexia: a qualitative exploratory study of learning practices, challenges and
strategies. Dyslexia: An international Journal of Research and Practice. 23(1), pp. 3-23.
Office for Students (2020) NSS Characteristic analysis data. NSS 2020 Sector Analysis. Student Information and data [online]. Available from:
https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/student-information-and-data/national-student-survey-nss/sector-analysis/ [Accessed
28/11/2020].
Olofsson, A., Ahi, A. & Taube, K. (2012) Learning and study strategies in university students with dyslexia: implications for teaching. Procedia – Social and
Behavioural Sciences. 47, pp. 1184-1193.
Pino, M. & Mortari, L. (2014) The inclusion of students with dyslexia in higher education: a systematic review using narrative synthesis. Dyslexia. 20(4), pp.
346-369.
Sanders, J. (2010) Horray for Harvard? The fetish of footnotes revisited. Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning. 12, pp. 48-59.
Serry, T., Oates, J., Ennals, P., Venville, A., Williams, A., Fossey, E. & Steel, G. (2018) Managing reading and related literacy difficulties: University students'
perspectives. Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties. 23(1), 5-30.
Simmons, F. & Singleton, C. (2000) The reading comprehension abilities of dyslexia students in higher education. Dyslexia. 6(3), pp. 178-192.
Wengelin, A. (2007) The word-level focus in text production by adults with reading and writing difficulties. In: Rijlaarsdam, G., Torrance, M., van Waes, L. &
Galbraith, D. (eds) Writing and cognition: Research and applications. Oxford: Elsevier, pp.67-82.

14. References
Advanced HE (2018) Equality in higher education: students statistical report 2019. Advanced HE [online]. Available from: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/equality-
higher-education-statistical-report-2019 [Accessed 08/11/2020].
American Psychological Association (2013) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5. 5th ed. Arlington: American Psychiatric Association.
Banbury, S. (2019) Unconscious bias and the medical model: How the social model may hold the key to transformative thinking about disability discrimination. International
Journals of Discrimination and the Law. 19(1), pp. 26-47.
Buckley, C. (2015) Conceptualising plagiarism: using Lego to construct students' understanding of authorship and citation. Teaching in Higher Education. 20(3), pp. 352-358.
Engel, G. L. (2002) The need for a new medical model: a challenge for biomedicine. In: Marks, D. F. (ed.) The Health Psychology Reader. London: Sage Publications, pp. 51-65.
Gravett, K. & Kinchin, I. M. (2020) Referencing and empowerment: exploring barriers to agency in the higher education student experience. Teaching in Higher Education. 25(1),
pp. 84-97.
Hendricks, M. & Quinn, L. (2000) Teaching referencing as an introduction to epistemological empowerment. Teaching in Higher Education. 5(4), pp. 447-457.
Hutchings, C. (2014) Referencing and identity, voice and agency: adult learners’ transformations within literacy practice. Higher Education Research and Development. 33(2) pp.
312-324.
Kinder, J. & Elander, J. (2012) Dyslexia, authorial identity, and approaches to learning and writing: a mixed methods study. British Journal of Education Psychology. 82(2), pp. 289-
307.
Kirby, J. R., Silvestri, R., Allingham, B. H., Parrila, R. & Chantal, B. L. (2008) Learning strategies and study approaches of postsecondary students with dyslexia. Journal of Learning
Disabilities. 41(1), pp. 85-96.