WK3 8310 DIS1

5

Respond to one of your colleagues’ posts in 125 words and provide feedback on the following:

· The alignment of the component parts of your colleague’s post

· The quality of the question as a qualitative research question

· Recommendations on how to improve

Paula Webb

Purpose of Inquiry

The purpose of this research study is to improve the students with special education needs in 5th grade reading comprehension skills. The approach will be a mixed method which will address the research problem. The process will include assessments on comprehension to determine growth.  Also, the teachers will receive a survey with open-ended questions and multiple choice to determine their views on the best reading strategies to improve comprehension as well as researching literature for reading strategies. Block (2008) suggests teaching students about their thinking (“metacognition”) while they are reading is one reading strategy.

 

The Rationale

This qualitative study will contribute to the literature to address the gap in reading comprehension in special education practice. Through this study, the focus will be on improving the reading comprehension of fifth-grade students with learning disabilities. This research will provide an understanding of interventions to increase the reading comprehension skills of students in special education. The Covid-19 pandemic presented educators with the crucial task to determine how to improve the students reading comprehension scores due to the shut-down and virtual learning the following school year. Teaching students the pre-requisite skills the students need to succeed in reading was limited during this recent history. Reading comprehension was difficult for most students in special education prior to Covid-19 and the gap has only increased more since the pandemic. Due to reading comprehension is a significant skill, students need to master to be successful in future grades. This research will support professional practice through literature in providing educators with evidence-based interventions to assist in improving the students reading comprehension skills.

 

Issues with Positionality

The fifth-grade students with learning disabilities on my caseload struggle with reading comprehension. The students are significantly below grade level due to the lack of the reading foundational skills missed during the pandemic shutdown. My focus is on locating evidence-based practices/interventions through the research to improve my students reading comprehension skills.

The Research Question

How will the focus on word studies increase the student’s reading comprehension in fifth-grade students with learning disabilities?

 

References

Block, C. (2008). Michael Pressley's educational legacy and directions he identified for future research in reading instruction. Educational Psychologist, 43(2), 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520801942284