A Reading Intervention with ELs with Disabilities at the High School Level

Abstract

This study examines the effectiveness of a reading comprehension strategy designed to enhance learning for participants with disabilities who come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Specifically, a multiple probe design was used to examine the effects of a reading comprehension strategy on the summarization skills of English learners with disabilities at the high school level. Individualized support was provided through an intervention that utilized a modified version of the Generating Interaction between Schemata and Text (GIST) strategy. The intervention incorporated strategy instruction and explicit instruction in the summarization of expository passages. Visual analysis indicates that all participants improved in their ability to summarize expository passages, as demonstrated by an increased level of change between the baseline and intervention phases. Statistical analysis using NAP and TAU-U reveals all participants demonstrated improvement between the baseline and intervention phases.