General teachers should use reading comprehension strategies and instructional methods which are based on research. Therefore the purpose of this study is to investigate the perception about efficacy and practice of reading comprehension strategies an...
General teachers should use reading comprehension strategies and instructional methods which are based on research. Therefore the purpose of this study is to investigate the perception about efficacy and practice of reading comprehension strategies and instructional methods for at-risk students with learning disabilities. The survey data gathered from 187 elementary school teachers was analyzed for the extent of use and the effectiveness of 15 strategies and 5 instructional methods used for at-risk students with learning disabilities who have difficulties in reading comprehension, what resources were utilized in order to develop interventions for reading comprehension was also part of the analysis.
The results obtained from the study are as follows.
First, the frequency with which general teachers use strategies and instructional methods is average not often and the extent to which the teachers perceive is effective.
Second, the results showed that most strategies and instructional methods (except summarization, direct instruction and multimedia instruction) had significant discordance between the extent of use and the perceived effectiveness.
Third, three teacher variables: grade in charge, educational experiences, and existence of in-service training about intervention for reading comprehension problems showed significant correlations to the extent of use and the perceived effectiveness of strategies and instructional methods for reading comprehension.
Fourth, when developing interventions in reading comprehension, teachers were more likely to depend on subjective information such as personal experiences and colleagues' advices rather than objective data such as articles, books and research studies.
According to the results above, general teachers do not conduct evidence based on the research which is being recommended in order to improve the reading comprehension of at-risk students with learning disabilities. This study has proposed the following suggestions to solve these problems. First, a study based on the field which is reflective of the opinions of teachers should be undertaken to reduce a gap between theory and practice. Second, the learning environment, including physical and human resources, should be provided in order to apply reading comprehension strategies and instructional methods. Third, general teachers in a process of teacher's training should be equipped to their specialty and the ability so as to perform their reading comprehension strategies and instructional methods. Fourth, the training which offers concrete and practical contents in relation to reading comprehension strategies and instructional methods should be provided to teachers.