USING RECIPROCAL TEACHING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE READING COMPREHENSION FOR ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

Abstract

Students who have problems comprehending textual material tend to experience failing grades, peer rejection, and even social isolation. Furthermore, students with poor reading comprehension demonstrate poor academic performance in all subjects, not due to difficulty in learning specific subject content (i.e., math, history, etc.), but rather their inability to comprehend reading passages related to that subject knowledge. Reciprocal teaching (RT) is an effective tool for teaching children with Learning Disabilities (LD) to improve their reading comprehension abilities. These multiple cognitive strategies can meet the needs of many students in terms of more deliberate, directed, and self-regulated learning through students’ interaction with reading texts. Still, gaps in the research warrant further investigation as many studies on this topic were published over 20 years ago. Additionally, most studies that looked at reciprocal teaching strategies have not investigated the impact of these strategies with English as a Second Language (ESL) students with LD. This research study investigated the effectiveness of using RT for a group of ESL students with LD and reading comprehension delays for whom English is a second language. A multiple-probe design across three different types of reading texts was used to assess the effectiveness of the RT interventions.