Abstract

The present study aimed to explore and delineate the lived experiences of parents and teachers regarding the emotional and behavioral challenges of children with specific learning disabilities, employing a qualitative design based on Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenological method. Participants comprised 14 parents (8 mothers and 6 fathers) and 10 certified teachers working in specialized learning disability centers within a major urban educational district during the academic year 2023–2024, selected via purposive criterion-based sampling up to theoretical saturation. Data were gathered through semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed in accordance with the seven procedural steps of Colaizzi’s framework. Methodological rigor and data trustworthiness were established using Lincoln and Guba’s evaluative criteria along with an inter-coder agreement index (Holsti’s coefficient = 0.94). The phenomenological synthesis yielded 18 formulated meanings, 5 sub-clusters, and 2 overarching core structures: “Individual Bio-psychological Dimensions” (sensory processing deficits, executive dysfunctions, and emotional dysregulation) and “Relational-Environmental Contexts” (interpersonal friction, challenging school environments, and academic task perceptions). Findings revealed that within the lifeworld of parents and teachers, children with learning disabilities continually experience intertwined layers of perceived helplessness, evaluative anxiety, emotional withdrawal, and systemic behavioral conflicts. These lived experiences emphasize the critical necessity for developing ecologically valid, culturally sensitive, and school-family collaborated interventions aimed at fostering emotional competence and behavioral self-regulation in these children.

Keyword:

Learning disorder, emotional problems, behavioral problems, lived experiences, phenomenological study, Claise method.