Two Approaches to Reading Instruction with Children with Disabilities: Does Program Design Make a Difference?

O', ; Connor, R. E.; Jenkins, J.; Cole, K.; Mills, P.

Abstract:

This study compared the effects of two instructional models, Reading Mastery and Addison Wesley’s Meet the Superkids and The Superkids’ Club, on the reading achievement of students with learning disabilities. Over four years, 81 six year old children, diagnosed with having a learning disability were randomly assigned to either Reading Mastery or Superkids. Throughout the study the students were administered the McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities test, the Test of Early Reading (TERA), the Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT), and the California Achievement Test (CAT) to measure reading achievement. Results indicated no significant difference between the groups following the completion of the intervention. However, among the students who made advanced progress in lessons completed, results from the CAT sound recognition subtest and the PIAT reading recognition and spelling subtests indicated that the Reading Mastery (RM) students exhibited greater reading gains. Advanced progress RM students significantly outperformed the limited progress RM students. On the contrary, there were no significant differences on any of the reading measures for the limited and advanced progress groups within the Superkids treatment. Results from follow up testing one year later with the PIAT indicated that the RM students outperformed the Superkids students on reading achievement, and significantly outperformed them on spelling achievement. (Copyright © 2011, National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI). All rights reserved).

Research areas:

• Project Follow Through

Year:

1993

Main publication type:

Program Effectiveness

Subtype:

Article

Keywords:

Reading Mastery

Source:

Exceptional Children

Volume:

59

Number:

4

Pages:

312-323

Design type:

Pretest Posttest Control Group with Random Assignment Design

Fidelity monitored:

Yes

Students included:

Kindergarten students, students with learning disabilities, special education students

Other tags:

Beginning reading, Reading Mastery, children with disabilities, Reading Mastery I and II, Meet the Superkids, The Superkids Club, McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities, Test of Early Reading (TERA), California Achievement Test (CAT), Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT)

Location/Setting:

Northwest, Washington, transitional kindergartens