Feasibility and Effectiveness of Remote Learning for Students with Learning Disabilities During the Pandemic

Abstract

This study examined the feasibility and effectiveness of Remote Learning (RL) for students with learning disabilities (LD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first experiment, perceptions of the appropriateness of using RL to teach students with LD during the pandemic was examined with 99 Saudi special educators. The teachers reported that their students with LD lacked motivation, engagement, and had poor learning outcomes. In the second experiment, IEPs of 33 students with LD were analyzed to compare their learning outcomes before and during the pandemic. The students with LD received fewer teaching sessions, completed fewer IEP goals, and missed more school days during the pandemic than before the pandemic. Taken together, the findings indicated that RL instruction did not meet the needs of students with LD. In the future when considering RL, school districts should provide training and technical support to teachers, IEPs should be implemented consistently, and families should be involved in the intervention process.