Date of Award

2000

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

The present study is an attempt to examine long term effects of learning disability instruction and resource room placement on reading achievement. The study also examines the level of cognitive functioning (IQ) of students identified as having reading disability who had been placed in resource rooms over periods of three and six years. Using initial evaluation data on students' reading achievement and level of cognitive functioning (IQ test scores) as a base, the effects of instructional and placement for periods of three and six years were studied on the basis of changes in these variables. Two groups of elementary grade children were used as subjects of investigation. The first group included 237 children who had been diagnosed as having reading disability and had been re-evaluated after receiving learning disability instruction for three years; the second group consisted of 170 children with the same diagnosis but had been re-evaluated after having received learning disability instruction for six years. Reading achievement and IQ test scores obtained before placement and post test scores obtained after 3 and 6 years were used to answer the research questions. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures, with repeated measures were used to analyze the data. Results of the study indicate that (a) LD resource room instruction does not improve word recognition or reading comprehension, (b) students experience a significant decline in spelling scores after receiving LD instruction for 3 and 6 years, (c) current teaching methods do not appear to have any significant effect on improving reading achievement, (d) there is an absence of well-defined instructional strategies that address reading deficits, (e) significant gender differences appear to exist in reading achievement between boys and girls who receive LD resource room instruction.

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