Psychoeducational Strategies in School Context to Support Students With Specific Learning Disorders in a Sample of Children Aged 6 to 16

This chapter provides a literature review on the evidence-based practices for students with learning disabilities (LD). Selective studies include different effective teaching instructions, either for improving vocabulary knowledge or reading comprehension, and developing math problem-solving skills. Research-based practices could fill the gap between research and practice in special education within school context and could help LD students to achieve the same results as their peers. Reviewed studies were grouped in three main categories, namely (1) hetero-regulated language and reading instructions, (2) hetero-regulated math instructions, and (3) auto-regulated instructions/metacognitive strategies, about both language both reading skills. Twenty-six empirical contributions along the last two decades have been entered. With regard to reading, positive results were found on fluency vocabulary-based activities, explicit reading instruction, and contextual learning. With regard to math problems, cognitive and manual instructions were useful. Finally, the development of metacognitive strategies was found effective for any kind of LD. Limitations and psychoeducational implications of the findings will be illustrated, as well as some considerations for future research.

The Utilization of Technology Tools and Preparation of Preservice Teachers for Literacy Instruction in the Age of Virtual Learning

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced a sudden shift to virtual teaching and learning for teachers and students at all levels across the country. Surveys of K-12 teachers resulted in a compilation of technology tools utilized for reading instruction during virtual learning. Content analyses sought to connect technology tools to various components of the lesson cycle, and longer-term research to examine quality tools and pedagogical approaches to teaching reading in virtual settings is discussed. Implications for educator preparation programs and future curricular directions are examined.

A Systematic Quality Review of Technology-Aided Reading Interventions for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Technology has been widely used to teach reading skills to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the quality of research backing up this practice has not yet been fully investigated. The purpose of this review was to examine the quality of research on technology-aided reading interventions for students with ASD and summarize study characteristics of research studies with meeting the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) design standards. A total of 31 studies using group design ( n = 4) or single-case design ( n = 27) were systematically aggregated, and 16 studies (52%) met the WWC design standards. Study features related to participants, intervention, technology usage, and outcome variables were synthesized for these 16 studies. Results indicated that two types of technology (i.e., computer, iPad) were used to deliver reading instruction through software programs or support interventionist-directed reading instruction. Finally, implications for research and practice are discussed.

They Say You Can Do Phonemic Awareness Instruction “In the Dark”, But Should You? A Critical Evaluation of the Trend Toward Advanced Phonemic Awareness Training

A trend has emerged across schools in the United States in which phonemic awareness is viewed as much more than a component of beginning reading instruction. This perspective argues that “phonemic proficiency”, evidenced by mastery with advanced tasks such as phoneme elision or substitution, is an important target for assessment and instruction well beyond initial grades. Daily phonemic awareness instruction outside of print are hallmarks of the perspective, which has influenced state policies on reading instruction. This paper evaluated the empirical and theoretical basis for advanced phonemic awareness training. Although promoted as evidence-based, proficiency on so-called advanced phonemic tasks is not more strongly related to reading or more discriminative of difficulties than other phoneme-level skills, not necessary for skilled reading, and is more likely a product of learning to read and spell than a cause. Additionally, reading outcomes are stronger when phonemic awareness is taught with print, there is no evidence that advanced phonemic awareness training benefits reading instruction or intervention, and prominent theories of reading development do not align with the claims. We conclude with implications for policy-makers and educators, and discuss how experimental research could address open questions about phonemic awareness instruction.

The Combined Effects of Regular Classroom and Remedial Learning Programs on the Reading Achievement of First Grade Pupils

In 2003, two school-based programs for teaching reading in English were introduced in Québec: the Accelerated Development of Reading (ADOR) program for first graders and, for ADOR pupils with weak reading skills, the Intensive Intervention in Reading (IIR) support program. Explicit and direct instruction provides the framework for ADOR and IIR. Two quasi-experimental studies were conducted to measure the effects of the ADOR and IIR programs compared to regular reading instruction and remediation. In both studies, the combined effects of ADOR and IIR were measured on two separate cohorts of grade 1 pupils over a full school year. This study shows that the ADOR and IIR programs result in superior reading performance and the largest effects were on subtests measuring reading comprehension.

The Combined Effects of Regular Classroom and Remedial Learning Programs on the Reading Achievement of First Grade Pupils

In 2003, two school-based programs for teaching reading in English were introduced in Québec: the Accelerated Development of Reading (ADOR) program for first graders and, for ADOR pupils with weak reading skills, the Intensive Intervention in Reading (IIR) support program. Explicit and direct instruction provides the framework for ADOR and IIR. Two quasi-experimental studies were conducted to measure the effects of the ADOR and IIR programs compared to regular reading instruction and remediation. In both studies, the combined effects of ADOR and IIR were measured on two separate cohorts of grade 1 pupils over a full school year. This study shows that the ADOR and IIR programs result in superior reading performance and the largest effects were on subtests measuring reading comprehension.

Forming Critical Reading Skills in a Low-Intermediate Class of English

Critical reading skills constitute an important part of an independent critical reader and are often formed in advanced-level students. It is argued that low-level learners of English also need to get acquainted with the basics of critical reading in the first years of their tertiary education. The aim of this study is to define a range of critical reading elements the low intermediate EFL students can demonstrate within a three-month period of critical reading instruction. The experiment on establishing the students’ attitude to critical reading and defining their critical reading abilities while commenting on texts was conducted. The findings of the questionnaire showed the participants’ attitude to critical reading as the way to question and disagree with the author’s opinion rather than to analyze information. The participants considered themselves quite competent in critical reading but did not see the practical use of applying these skills. A three-month critical reading intervention was introduced and followed by writing final commentaries upon the given text. The survey after the intervention found that the students of the experimental group showed the ability to justify their judgments by supporting claims while commenting upon the given texts. They could also express disagreement with the opinion in the text more often than before the intervention. In the control group, the prevailing agreements with the author’s viewpoint in the commentaries rarely followed by justifications showed the students’ unwillingness to create new ideas and proved their passive roles in dealing with information. Thus, according to the experiment results, the range of critical reading strategies the low intermediate class demonstrated included expressing judgments and supporting claims, finding different points of view on the problem in the text, and expressing disagreement with the given opinion. The amount of irrelevant information the participants mentioned in their commentaries proved the necessity for further interventions in order to engender their critical literacy.

The Combined Effects of Regular Classroom and Remedial Learning Programs on the Reading Achievement of First Grade Pupils

In 2003, two school-based programs for teaching reading in English were introduced in Québec: the Accelerated Development of Reading (ADOR) program for first graders and, for ADOR pupils with weak reading skills, the Intensive Intervention in Reading (IIR) support program. Explicit and direct instruction provides the framework for ADOR and IIR. Two quasi-experimental studies were conducted to measure the effects of the ADOR and IIR programs compared to regular reading instruction and remediation. In both studies, the combined effects of ADOR and IIR were measured on two separate cohorts of grade 1 pupils over a full school year. This study shows that the ADOR and IIR programs result in superior reading performance and the largest effects were on subtests measuring reading comprehension.

Implementing a Culture of Thinking in Lao EFL Pre-Service Teacher Education: A Case of Reading

<p>This study has two phases. Phase 1 aimed at: (1) investigating pre-service teachers’ prior experiences of reading and learning to read in English, (2a) exploring the current state of reading instruction, and (2b) finding out the extent to which a culture of thinking (CoT) was practiced when teaching reading in the Lao EFL pre-service teacher education context. A CoT is defined as “a place where a group’s collective as well as individual thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted as the regular, day-to-day experience of all group members” (Ritchhart, Church, & Morrison, 2011, p. 219). In other words, a CoT is a place where a group of teachers, students, or people come together to conduct learning that benefits all group members and every member of the group is encouraged to interact, share ideas, and think about what is learned. To achieve Phase 1’s aims, an exploratory study was employed and a qualitative method was utilized to collect and analyze the data. Phase 1’s findings revealed that the Lao EFL pre-service teachers’ prior experiences of reading and learning to read were mostly a matter of learning discrete language features as opposed to meaning construction. The results also found that teachers paid considerable attention to discrete language items in the course of reading instruction rather than language proficiency and critical reading development. The findings also revealed that the CoT practice was not in place for teaching reading in Lao EFL pre-service education although it was acknowledged and recognized in the education and curriculum policy. The results of Phase 1 were used as baseline data for Phase 2, a classroom-based intervention. Phase 2 aimed at determining the extent to which the CoT implementation improved reading comprehension development, fostered learning engagement, and shaped perceptions of learning reading in Lao EFL pre-service teacher education. In order to accomplish the objectives of this phase, a quasi-experimental design was adopted, meaning that two intact classes of intermediate EFL pre-service teachers were recruited to participate in this phase. One of the classes was assigned to an experimental group while the other class was a comparison group. In terms of the intervention, thinking routines (e.g., Chalk Talk, Claim-Support-Question, and Connect-Extend-Challenge) were integrated into the three stages of reading instruction (pre-reading, while-reading, and post-reading). The data were collected through a pre-test, immediate post-test, delayed-test, direct classroom observations, a pre-post perception survey, and focus group interviews. They were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative methods. An effect size analysis was also performed to supplement the t tests used in this phase. The findings revealed that the CoT implementation had a strong effect (d = 1.01) on reading comprehension development and there was a statistical significance between the two groups, t(59) = 3.894, p = .00 < .05. It also fostered interactive and meaningful learning engagement, and changed students’ perceptions towards learning reading. Drawing from the findings, it has been suggested that a CoT can be an option for EFL teachers to consider integrating into their classroom practices in order to foster deep and meaningful learning and shape students and teachers’ experiences of and attitudes toward learning and teaching English.</p>

Reading and Writing The Combined Effects of Regular Classroom and Remedial Learning Programs on the Reading Achievement of First Grade Pupils

In 2003, two school-based programs for teaching reading in English were introduced in Québec: the Accelerated Development of Reading (ADOR) program for first graders and, for ADOR pupils with weak reading skills, the Intensive Intervention in Reading (IIR) support program. Explicit and direct instruction provides the framework for ADOR and IIR. Two quasi-experimental studies were conducted to measure the effects of the ADOR and IIR programs compared to regular reading instruction and remediation. In both studies, the combined effects of ADOR and IIR were measured on two separate cohorts of grade 1 pupils over a full school year. This study shows that the ADOR and IIR programs result in superior reading performance and the largest effects were on subtests measuring reading comprehension.