READING COMPREHENSION INSTRUCTION IN THE MIDDLE GRADES FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS Except where reference is made to the work of others, the work described in this dissertation is my own or was done in collaboration with my advisory committee. This thesis does not include proprietary or classified information. ___________________________________ David Alan Crowe Certificate of Approval: _______________________________ Ronald Eaves Craig B. Darch, Chair Professor Professor Rehabilitation and Special Education Rehabilitation and Special Education _______________________________ Anthony Guarino Caroline Dunn Associate Professor Professor Educational Foundations, Leadership, Rehabilitation and Special Education and Technology _______________________________ Everett Martin Joe L. Pittman Professor Interim Dean Rehabilitation and Special Education Graduate School READING COMPREHENSION INSTRUCTION IN THE MIDDLE GRADES FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS David Alan Crowe A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Auburn University in Partial Fulfillment for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Auburn, Alabama August 4, 2007 READING COMPREHENSION INSTRUCTION IN THE MIDDLE GRADES FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS David Alan Crowe Permission is granted to Auburn University to make copies of this dissertation at its discretion, upon request of individuals or institutions and at their expense. The author reserves all publication rights. Signature of Author Date of Graduation iii VITA David Alan Crowe, son of David Crowe and Debra Moore, was born on February 7, 1977, in Montgomery, Alabama. He attended public and private schools in Alabama and graduated from Greenville Academy in Greenville, Alabama in 1996. In 2000, he received a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Auburn University. David also received his Master of Science in Education from Auburn University in 2001 from the Department of Rehabilitation and Special Education. During this time, he taught in the Troup County School System in LaGrange, Georgia. After receiving his degree, he was accepted into the doctoral program in the Department of Rehabilitation and Special Education. In 2004, David decided to join the Rockdale County School System while he finished his degree. David is married to Laura Michelle Crowe, and they have one daughter, Kirsten McKenzie Crowe. iv DISSERTATION ABSTRACT READING COMPREHENSION INSTRUCTION IN THE MIDDLE GRADES FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS David Alan Crowe Doctor of Philosophy, August 4, 2007 (M.A., Auburn University, 2001) (B.S., Auburn University, 2000) 254 Typed Pages Directed by Craig B. Darch National and state measures suggest students with learning and behavior problems demonstrate difficulty with comprehension tasks. Reading comprehension is essential for students with learning and behavior problems to be successful throughout their lifespan. Many studies have examined reading comprehension strategies with students with learning and behavior problems; however, few have examined isolated comprehension components. Even fewer of the reading comprehension studies have been conducted in the regular education classroom. Given the inclusive movement in today’s schools, reading comprehension research in the general education classroom is needed to suggest strategies that work best with students with learning and behavior problems. v The purpose of this study is to provide a comparison of two instructional strategies aimed at improving reading comprehension achievement for students with learning and behavior problems in the general education environment. Explicit rule-based instruction and traditional basal instruction methods were the two instructional approaches under investigation. The explicit rule-based method emphasized the use of instructional sequences, pace of instruction, corrective feedback, as well as other teacher directed components during instructional sessions to develop students’ skills; while the traditional basal method relied heavily on prior knowledge, open-ended questioning, and motivational activities to develop students’ comprehension. Forty-one students with learning and behavior problems from one large school system in the Metro-Atlanta area participated in the study. The students were randomly assigned to one treatment group: explicit rule-based model or traditional basal model. Instruction occurred over a consecutive 4-week period for 20 minutes per instructional session. The two levels of intervention were compared on unit tests, a maintenance test, and a gain test score from a reading comprehension composite score. Results of this study suggest to retain the null hypotheses proposed in the study. Students with learning and behavior problems benefited from the instructional sequences that were used in the study. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To the members of my family, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation for their loyal support and encouragement. To each of them, I say thanks for their unfailing faith in my ability to achieve this goal. I would like to personally thank my wife, Laura Michelle Crowe, to whom I owe the support and birth of our first child, Kirsten McKenzie. Also, I would like to extend my appreciation to my mother, Debra Moore (Johnson), who passed during my third year as a doctoral student. My dedication to complete this dissertation is due to my wife and father who stood by me when times were rough. Similarly, I would like to extend my thanks to my dissertation committee. Special thanks to Dr. Craig Darch, without his excellent mentorship and diligence this process could have not been completed. vii Style manual or journal used Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edition) Computer software used Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS), Version 11.5 viii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES..................................................................................................... xiv LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................... xv I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem............................................................................... 2 National Relevance............................................................................ 2 Statewide Relevance .......................................................................... 4 Middle School Milieu........................................................................ 4 Instructional Dilemmas in Reading Comprehension Approaches..... 8 Time Allocated for Reading Instruction ................................ 8 Individual and Group Instruction........................................... 8 Quality of Reading Instruction............................................... 9 Independent Seatwork and Worksheets................................. 10 Bottom-up and Top-down Approaches.................................. 10 Classroom Structural Dilemmas Faced in Middle School................. 13 Teacher-Based Judgments on Reading Comprehension Achievement................................................ 14 Reading in the Home Environment and Tutoring.......................................... 15 Expository and Narrative Prose ..................................................................... 16 Summary........................................................................................................ 19 Learning Characteristics of Students with Mild Disabilities ......................... 20 Academic Characteristics................................................................... 20 Attention Deficits............................................................................... 20 Memory and Retention Deficits......................................................... 23 Self-Concepts of Students with Learning and Behavior Problems.... 24 ix Behavioral Characteristics............................................................................. 27 Motivational Aspects for Students with Learning and Behavior Problems........................................... 27 Management Concerns for Teaching Students with Learning and Behavior Problems .................................. 31 Summary............................................................................................ 31 II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE . .......................................................... 32 Comprehension Research............................................................................... 32 Descriptive Studies of Instructional Interventions............................. 32 General Education Students Comprehension Outcomes ................... 32 At-Risk Students Comprehension Outcomes..................................... 48 Students in Special Education Comprehension Outcomes ................ 63 Summary............................................................................................ 68 Experimental/Intervention Studies of Instructional Interventions................. 68 General Education Students Comprehension Outcomes ................... 69 Students At-Risk Comprehension Outcomes..................................... 96 Students in Special Education Comprehension Outcomes ................ 110 Summary............................................................................................ 129 Promising Practices of Instruction................................................................