Research Review for Teaching Strategies for Reading Using Evidence Based Practices for Special Education Students

Introduction/Background
Evidence Based Practice (EBP) is a strategic approach, teaching program or an intervention program provided to individualized students based on their needs. EBP is significant in the education field because it enables the teacher to implement effective teaching strategies, which can enable them to meet the needs for individual students effectively. This approach can enable students with disabilities to improve their reading and writing skills; hence becoming successful in the future. However, many educators have failed to recognize the importance of EBP in learning institutions. There are numerous students with varied disabilities; hence there is a need for experienced professionals to implement effective reading strategies for teaching. They can also engage parents in this intervention program in order to increase the performance level. This is because parents are the first primary caregivers and educators of the child; thus engaging them in the program will contribute to positive change. Therefore, the EBP should be matched with the unique needs of students and their skills; thus developing effective Individualized Education Program (IEP) for producing better learning outcomes.
The themes in the research articles focus on reading instructions, developing fluency and vocabulary instructions for students with learning disabilities. Therefore, the study seeks to offer an insight on the research issues as to whether teaching strategies for reading using EBP is an effective approach for individual education students.  It seeks to reveal the way educators can teach students to read, but how well do students with disabilities understand what they are reading? Educators can also help students with LD (learning disabilities) to think critically. However, do they actually comprehend what the vocabulary words mean and talk fluent? Therefore, what can educators do in order to help these students to think critically, understand vocabularies and read fluent?  The research employs varied methods such as questionnaires, surveys of the perception of students and standardized tests in order to determine how students can develop effective reading or improve performance learning skills. The results varied across students with learning disabilities, but the majority of the students showed improved reading comprehensive skills when employing EBP approach.

Summary of Studies
Article 1
Participants
Stetter, M. E., & Hughes, M. T. (January 01, 2011). Computer Assisted Instruction to Promote Comprehension in Students with Learning Disabilities. International Journal of Special Education, 26, 1, 88-100 reveals the way reading comprehension is significant. The article reveals the way students with LD strive to improve reading skills and many of them face numerous challenges in learning environment. Therefore, the article attempts to analyze whether the computer assisted instructions can help in promoting reading comprehension for students with LD (Stetter and Hughes, 2011). The authors carried out research through employing a single-subject and diverse baseline designed for achieving the desired outcomes. They employed varied methodologies such as surveys, standardized tests and daily questions in order to determine the way reading comprehension is valuable for achieving academic success. The study results revealed that computer assisted instructions could have influenced the reading comprehension of students with LD. The participants who participated in the research study were students from varied schools in the United States. Of these students, 90 % of them were from lower socio-economic background and the remaining percentage from high socio-economic class. The students with LD also participated in the research study, but only 16% of the qualified students returned the consent form. The researcher also selected randomly nine students among students from various schools, who were willing to participate and meet the required qualifications.

Methods
The researcher employed varied instruments for measuring reading comprehension, vocabulary for students with LD.  First, the researcher used standardized test for administering the comprehension in different reading areas. Secondly, the researcher employed comprehension quizzes in the baseline and intervention phases; thus encouraged participants to complete a 20-question comprehension questions on the computer. The multiple questions were provided to the participants that enabled the researcher to measure comprehension through vocabulary and fluency comprehension. Moreover, during the intervention stage after the completion of the baseline stage, students in the intervention stage had to advance towards the intervention training stage. Students were allowed to move independently to another module, and the intervention phases include varied sections such as a story grammar, vocabulary, story chart and comprehension quiz sheet (Stetter and Hughes, 2011). The materials came from three reading book series, which had short stories and reading comprehension questions. Story maps were also used as part of intervention method whereby the students had to complete a story chart on the computer (Stetter and Hughes, 2011). The computer consisted 20 items similar to the story elements, which were conducted during the intervention process. The researcher assigned students randomly and employed survey method to measure their perception. Thus, after the study, the students took a 13 question survey and questions, which they provided feedbacks. The researcher analyzed the scores across all the participants including those in the baseline via percentages.

Findings
The research study indicates that use of computer assisted instructions can improve the students’ reading skills. The result from the intervention set revealed that e reading comprehension is a valuable approach for advancing the reading skills for LD students.  In the delayed intervention group, some students had a slight progression in comprehension quiz scores while one of them showed no progression. The baseline group also showed some slight progression during the intervention process. However, from different methodologies employed in the study, many students showed increased performance when employing reading comprehension strategy to train student with learning disabilities. However, the survey methodology of the participants has some limitations such as unclear data due to biasness and it is also subjected to variability and lack of validity. The standardized test are also subjected to errors; thus making the strategy ineffective. Lastly, some participants will not be willing to reveal their information and others may not understand the multiple questionnaires; thus contributing to increased biasness.

Implications/ Conclusions
I believe this study is meant for testing the ability of computer assisted instructions when employing reading comprehension strategy for students with LD.  The researcher wanted to reveal the way teachers can employ this technique in assisting students with LD to develop effective learning skills. This is because the increased percentage in the comprehension test scores for some students was an indicated the ability for some individuals to improve their reading skills with the help of computer Assisted Instructions.
 

Article 11
Participants
Conklin, K. P. (March 01, 2012). Making the Case for Coteaching--The Evidence-Based Way. Knowledge Quest, 40, 4, 46-49 article analyses the way teaching students to read and pronounce words is effective. The article provides varied questions regarding on the way comprehensive reading can improve the performance of students with LD successfully. The article also investigates the way students can think critically and understand everything they are taught by teachers. The article demands  teachers to encourage students through showing them significant strategies and techniques for achieving successful learning; thus enabling them to connect with the world surrounding them (Conklin, 2012). Thus, the author examines six significant strategies for comprehension, which teachers should address when training students on how to develop fluency vocabulary and read without difficulties. He also clarifies the way EBP can help educators to determine what should be done in order to improve the learning skills of students.

Methods
One of the effective techniques that the author reveals to be successful is the Coteaching concept. This method is where the researcher demands the school librarian and teacher to work as a team towards helping students with LD to improve their performance. The researcher also reveals varied significant strategies for comprehension, which educators should address when training students on how to read critically. One of the strategies is reading comprehension as an effective way of Coteaching; hence enabling students with LD to perform effectively. Coteaching reading comprehension is another effective strategy that requires educators should share with librarians the task of improving the skills of students.  Lastly, the educators and school librarians can collect the evidence through observing successful skills, which students have. This is vital because it is one way of using EBP for enabling students with LD to improve their learning skills.

Findings
It was found out that reading comprehension helps students with LD to improve their reading skills. Coteaching strategy is effective because helps teachers and school librarians to work together as team; hence enabling them to improve the learning outcomes of students.  Teachers and librarians have varied helpful techniques for instructing students; thus they can students with LD to achieve their learning needs successfully.

Implications/ Conclusions
I believe this study demands educators, and other members in the learning institutions to work together as a team toward creating change in the learning environment. It requires each worker and even parents to collaborate; thus work as one team towards improving the learning abilities of students with LD.

Article 111
Participants
Roberts, G., Torgesen, J. K., Boardman, A., & Scammacca, N. (May 01, 2008). Evidence-Based Strategies for Reading Instruction of Older Students with Learning Disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 23, 2, 63-69 is the article, which attempts to reveal the way many students struggle to acquire new knowledge.  However, the rates are high to those students with LD; thus the article examines significant features for EBP that can enable these students to improve their learning abilities. The authors carried out research across varied schools including middle, elementary and also high schools in order to determine the way students with LD struggle to ready. Thus, they provided  varies suggestions critical for improving reading skills such as motivation, reading comprehension, vocabulary, word study and fluency comprehension (Roberts, Torgesen, Boardman and Scammacca, 2008).

 Participants
The participants involved a large sample of students from the United States who were chosen to participate in the study.  He students were from elementary, middle and high schools. Among these students, 36% of them were fourth graders and 27% were eight graders performed below the reading comprehension base level.  Those students below the base level were unable to understand significant concepts and had a problem in acquiring new skills.

Methods
The researcher employed random sampling method of selecting participants in the research study. The recommended materials crucial for reading improvements were categorized into varied five instructional areas. First, the researcher recommended word study instruction during the intervention program, which focuses on word analysis and recognition. Another strategy recommended is fluency instruction whereby readers were allowed to read orally for more than 170 words in every minute. Vocabulary instruction is another area that was tested in order to determine the accuracy of words.  The researcher carried out experimental research by selecting texts, which exposed student to targeted vocabulary words. Another aspect is motivational strategy whereby the researcher encouraged students to read in order to gain reading comprehensive proficiency.

Findings
It was found out that wordy instructions can improve the reading outcomes for those students struggling to recognize words; thus it is an effective strategy for word recognition. It was also found that flounce facilitative role in enabling students with LD to improve reading rate and accuracy. The researcher found that knowing the meaning of letters is less significant than knowing how to read. However, offering legitimate opportunities for vocabulary learning is essential. Mover, motivating and engaging students in reading programs enables students to improve social interactions and their reading capability.

Implications/ Conclusions
This study means that educators should motivate, train students on vocabulary, fluency of words and help students who struggles with reading to improve their performance level. The researcher demands that educators should employ intervention programs and offer effective instructions that can enable students with LD to improve their learning skills. However, the challenge is that providing effective instruction that is powerful is a difficult task. The study does not also indicate the way these instructions can be offered; thus a limitation to the study. 

Discussions
Reading comprehension is one of the effective strategies that are being emphasized in both articles. The authors in both articles demands that educators should implement effective reading strategy in order to enable students with LD to improve their learning skills. They also demands that educators should develop vocabulary and fluency comprehension as teaching strategies for meeting the needs of learners. The implication for reading strategy is that students are able to develop reading skills faster when EBP is well implemented. However, among varied strategies revealed in the studies, I recommend the secondary school teacher to implement reading and fluency instruction for successful older readers (Roberts, Torgesen, Boardman and Scammacca, 2008).  The high school teacher can encourage learners to read orally more than 120 words in a minute. This is because this can enable students with LD in high schools in order to increase fluency in reading. It can also enable high school students to improve vocabulary and improve word pronunciation of difficult texts of known words. However, this strategy has some weakness of this strategy is that, fluency do not directly cause comprehension. It also has a small effect on the improved reading rate and accuracy on students with LD.  Therefore, there is a need for further research in the future on the way students with LD can improve their accuracy when reading skills.