Date of Award
1994
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
Abstract
This ex post facto investigation examined the efficacy of specialEducation services rendered over a three year period, in promoting progress in word recognition and reading comprehension skills of students with reading disabilities. The relationship between students' reading progress and the following factors was also examined: (a) type of reading disability, (b) remedial instructional strategy, and (c) amount of time spent in the resource room. These goals were accomplished by examining the progress in reading achievement made by 410 students from elementary grades during a three year interval. Statistical analyses indicated that the reading achievement scores of these students did not improve over a period of three years. Analysis of variance of the data indicated no significant changes in students' reading scores that could be attributed to any of the following factors: (a) type of reading disability--Specific or General; (b) method of reading instruction--code-based or mixed (i.e., mixture of code-based and meaning-based); and (c) resource room instruction that replaced or supplemented regular classroom reading instruction. Pearson product-moment correlations indicated that progress in reading comprehension was negatively and significantly correlated with the amount of time these students spent in resource rooms. Data analyses also indicated that students did not make adequate progress in reading sufficient to overcome their disabilities over three years. Furthermore, their reading scores remained significantly lower than those of their same-aged peers by one standard deviation. The investigation's major finding is that the current specialEducation diagnostic and instructional practices are not effective in promoting the reading achievement of students with reading disabilities over a three year period. These findings indicate that school systems should examine their current specialEducation services and develop alternative remedialEducational strategies with the specific goal of promoting the reading achievement of students with reading disabilities.
Recommended Citation
Wleklinski, Martin H., "Effectiveness Of SpecialEducation Programs On The Reading Achievement Of Students With Learning Disabilities" (1994). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 799.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/799