Direct Instruction with Special Education Students: A Review of Evaluation Research

Gersten, R.

Abstract:

This article describes a 7 year-long study conducted to test the effect of a structured immersion program, based on the principles of Direct Instruction, on students with limited English proficiency. In 1979, an English immersion program was designed using both developmental and remedial Direct Instruction programs. Essential components of the immersion program included all instruction in English, but at a level understood by the students, the use of bilingual instructors to ensure student comprehension, and carefully controlled vocabulary and sequenced lessons. A comparison group from the district’s bilingual classes was used for students in the primary grades (grades one and two), but not for students in the intermediate grades (grades three to six). The Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) was used to measure student achievement. The Language Assessment Scale was used to measure the entering English language capabilities of all students. Results indicated a significant improvement for all domains for the 1980-81 intermediate group students. Intermediate group students in the 1981-82 group recorded significant gains in all three domains when the parametric t-test was used. Significant growth for reading and math was found when the non-parametric Wilcoxon test was used. For students in the primary grades, results indicated significant differences in reading and math, but not language in comparison to the control group. Seventy five percent of students in the immersion program were at or above grade level in reading, and 96% in math. Nineteen percent of the students in the comparison group were at or above grade level in reading and 62% in math. The mean scores for students in the immersion group exceeded the national median for reading, math, and language. Student performance remained above average at the end of third grade and during the fourth grade.(Copyright © 2011, National Institute for Direct Instruction (NIFDI). All rights reserved).

Research areas:

• Project Follow Through

Year:

1985

Main publication type:

Program Effectiveness

Subtype:

Article

Keywords:

Direct Instruction; DISTAR; reading; language; math; special education; low-SES students; students with learning disabilities

Source:

The Journal of Special Education

Volume:

19

Number:

1

Pages:

41-58

Design type:

Meta-analysis

Fidelity monitored:

No

Students included:

Elementary students, low-SES students, secondary students, moderately retarded, student with learning disabilities, special education students, trainable mentally retarded (TMR) students, kindergarten students

Other tags:

Stanford-Binet, , Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT), word recognition, arithmetic computation, Gilmore Oral Reading Test, Slosson Intelligence Test, general language competence, general language comprehension, Corrective reading program, Palo Alto, Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT), Student Progress Record, Trainee Performance Sample, Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, Metropolitan Achievement Test (MAT), Rebus

Location/Setting:

N/A