Abstract
We evaluated the efficacy of a reading comprehension intervention with dual language learners (DLLs) with documented English reading comprehension difficulties, half of whom had a developmental language disorder. The intervention EMBRACE (Enhanced Moved by Reading to Accelerate Comprehension in English) required children to move images on an iPad to both improve and demonstrate understanding of multichapter stories. Additionally, we determined the characteristics of students who most benefit from the intervention. Fifty-six participants in second to fifth grades were randomly assigned to one of two groups: (a) Spanish support intervention or (b) Spanish support control. Outcome measures included performance on comprehension questions related to the intervention texts, two transfer texts with no strategy instruction, and the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests-Fourth Edition Reading Comprehension subtest administered pre- and post-intervention. Multilevel hierarchical linear models were used to account for nesting of question within child within classroom. For this group of DLLs, the overall intervention effect was not statistically significant. However, the intervention was most effective with narrative (vs. expository) texts and easy (vs. more difficult) texts. DLLs with lower initial English reading abilities (decoding and comprehension) benefited more from the intervention than those with stronger reading skills. The EMBRACE intervention has promise for use with DLLs with low baseline decoding and comprehension skills, particularly in early elementary grades. Future research should aim to match text difficulty with child skills when introducing new comprehension strategies to maximize benefit from the intervention.
Highlights
We evaluated the efficacy of a reading comprehension intervention with dual language learners (DLLs) with documented English reading comprehension difficulties, half of whom had a developmental language disorder
Difficulties in English reading comprehension are elevated for children who come from a low socioeconomic status home, children who are considered dual language learners (DLLs; in the U.S context, a child who speaks a language other than English at home and is mastering their native language proficiency while learning English simultaneously), and children who have a language impairment
We present the results of the efficacy of the intervention, starting with the most proximal measure, performance on texts read while using the EMBRACE intervention strategies (Question 1a), followed by a more distal measure, performance on the two transfer texts that were read without prompting for EMBRACE strategy use (Question 1b), and we report on the most distal measure, a pre–post change score on a standardized test of reading comprehension
Summary
We evaluated the efficacy of a reading comprehension intervention with dual language learners (DLLs) with documented English reading comprehension difficulties, half of whom had a developmental language disorder. Recent research has shown that, when compared to native English-speaking children, typically developing DLLs disproportionately experience reading difficulties because, monolingual children receive instruction in their first language, most DLLs receive instruction in their second language and often have lower proficiency in that language (Droop & Verhoeven, 2003; Lesaux et al, 2006; Nakamoto et al, 2007; Spencer & Wagner, 2017). The What Works Clearinghouse guide (Baker et al, 2014) to instruction for DLLs who are struggling readers in their second language suggests addressing language and literacy skills simultaneously using small-group instruction that addresses phonemic awareness and decoding as well as vocabulary, listening comprehension, and reading comprehension strategies (Burns, 2011; Denton et al, 2008; Nelson et al, 2011; Ransford-Kaldon et al, 2010; Solari & Gerber, 2008; Vaughn et al, 2006)
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