Academic Learning Disabilities in Primary School for Children in Egypt and Kuwait, Considering Some Demographic Variables: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study

Abstract

The current study aimed to conduct a cross-cultural survey to detect the prevalence of academic learning disabilities in both Egypt and Kuwait considering several demographic variables, namely nationality, gender, and school type. The study sample comprised the third-grade elementary school students of both genders in Egypt (N=490) and in Kuwait (N=268). A scale assessing academic learning disabilities was utilized for application among students of all genders in Egypt and Kuwait. According to the current study, there is a statistically significant difference between genders among Egyptian students regarding academic learning disabilities in favour of females, and among Kuwaiti students in favour of males. Furthermore, differences were observed favouring government schools in Kuwait compared to private schools. Additionally, statistically significant differences were found indicating the interaction between gender and school type regarding the academic learning disabilities in favour of Kuwaiti male students in both governmental and private schools. Finally, statistically significant differences were noted indicating the interaction effect of nationality, gender, and school type on the scores of academic learning disabilities for both Egyptian and Kuwaiti samples in favour of the Egyptian female students in private schools, as well as Kuwaiti male students in governmental schools.