Class Percentage of Students With Reading Difficulties on Content Knowledge and Comprehension. (March 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Vaughn, Sharon; Fall, Anna-Mária; Roberts, Greg; Wanzek, Jeanne; Swanson, Elizabeth; Martinez, Leticia R.
• Is Part Of: Journal of learning disabilities. Volume 52:Number 2(2019)
• Page Start: 120
• Page End: 134
• Publication Date: 2019-03
• Subjects: middle school -- age -- comprehension -- reading -- content knowledge acquisition; Learning disabilities -- Periodicals; 371.905
• DOI: 10.1177/0022219418775117
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-2194

Abstract

We examined the efficacy of a content acquisition and reading comprehension intervention implemented in eighth-grade social studies classrooms. Using a within-teacher randomized control design, 18 eighth-grade teachers' social studies classes were randomly assigned to a treatment or comparison condition. Teachers taught all their classes (treatment and comparison) using the same content; however, in the treatment classes, teachers used instructional practices that included comprehension canopy, essential words, knowledge acquisition, and team-based learning. Students with reading comprehension difficulties in the treatment classes ( n = 359) outperformed students with reading comprehension difficulties in the comparison classes ( n = 331) on measures of content knowledge acquisition and content reading comprehension but not general reading comprehension. In addition, the proportion of students with reading comprehension difficulties in classes moderated outcomes for content knowledge acquisition and content reading comprehension.