Computer assisted instruction to promote comprehension strategies in students with learning disabilities

The purpose of this study was to investigate if comprehension strategy instruction, specifically story grammar (such as plot, character, setting, and theme), conducted through the use of a computer could improve the reading comprehension of students with learning disabilities. The population included nine students with learning disabilities in the ninth grade, who scored between the third and fifth grade equivalents on the Gates-MacGinitie reading comprehension test. Students were assigned to one of three groups for the single-subject, multiple-baseline design. These three groups met in the computer lab during their assigned reading class time. A highly qualified graduate student majoring in education provided instruction throughout the intervention with the researcher overseeing the intervention and assuring fidelity of the intervention across groups. After the initial screening phase where reading level was established, students participated in a baseline phase which included students working on a computer and viewing a vocabulary page, reading a short story, and answering multiple-choice questions. The intervention phase consisted of modules which include viewing vocabulary, reading a short story, instruction on story grammar, completing a story map, and answering multiple-choice questions. At the end of the intervention, the students took the second form of the Gates-MacGinitie and were given a short survey consisting of Likert-type questions and open-ended questions regarding the ease of use and their perceptions about learning the reading strategy. A week after the intervention during the maintenance phase, three students, one from each group, will be randomly selected to repeat the baseline phase for five additional sessions. Students made little progress in the area of reading comprehension by participating in the intervention. Students did not show growth on their daily comprehension quizzes after the introduction of the intervention. Four of the six students in the intervention groups made progress on the standardized test, though this was confounded by all of the students in the baseline group also making progress. Students perceived the exercises on the computer positively. The findings suggest that working with students on the computer has a lot of potential, but needs to incorporate much more extensive teacher instruction.