Research

Method

Criteria and Participants

This study will involve both general education teachers, and student-participants. A total of 4 general education teacher-participants will be selected for this study. The criterion for their selection is that, they teach English reading and writing in either 2nd or 3rd grades. In order to be eligible for this study, a three-factor criterion will be used for the students. The general education teachers will provide their input in identifying the three-factor criterion for selecting the student-participants. In this study, the teachers will identify students who have shown consistent struggle or difficulty in organizing ideas to write or who mostly avoid writing tasks as the first factor. Another criterion factor will be students with ineligible writing. The final criterion factor will be; students who show poor sequencing of numbers like “12” for “21”, and words like “was” for “saw” as well as poor spelling.

This study will be carried out in an urban public district school in Shippensburg Area. A total of 9 potential students will be selected for the study informed by the three-factor criterion. However, after a further screening the student participants will be reduced to five students who will satisfy at least two of the factors of the three-factor criterion. Among the students to be selected, two of them must be 2nd graders, while the rest will be 3rd graders with characteristics of dyslexia disability.

Gender sensitivity will be vital in the selection of the participants.

Setting

All the student-participants will be provided with writing instructions by the general education teacher-participants during English writing sessions that will last 50 minutes each. To avoid distractions, all the student participants will be isolated from the rest of their peers to avoid distractions or make them not avoid writing.

Intervention

The intervention in the case of the 5 participants will be a core writing skills curriculum. To differentiate the curriculum, two levels will be advanced. These will be; the early interventions in writing, and mastering the art of writing. These levels will target four critical areas that include; spelling, word recognition, idea organization, and sequencing of words.

Procedure

The study will involve a single-subject experimental research. All students will be enrolled simultaneously. Their baseline data will be collected and it will be in line with the three-factor criterion. This will be done in one week. After determination of their baseline data, an intervention will be introduced for the subsequent week with the final week being an observation week. During the intervention, the students will be instructed by the general education teacher-participants using the writing skills curriculum. The student-participants will have three-50 minute sessions in a week for a period of 3 weeks. Most of the interaction between the general education teacher-participants and the 5 student-participants will be a one-on-one approach.

9 lesson interactions that will occur between the teacher and student-participants will help generate the needed data for this study.

Lesson 1 to3

Lesson 1 to 3 will be used to point out how possible poor sequencing of numbers, and words as well as poor spelling patterns among the student-participants that hamper students with possible dyslexia disability from writing properly. The general education teacher-participants will be required to note how possible dyslexia disabilities that characterize the student-participants affect their writing. During these lessons in the first week, baseline data will be collected.

Lesson 4 to 6

In lesson 4 to 6, the general education teacher-participants will be required to intervene, and adopt strategies to see if the student-participants with possible dyslexia disability respond positively. The general education teacher-participants will be required to note how the possible dyslexia disability among the student-participants affects their writing.

Lesson 7 to 9

In the last 3 lessons of this study, the general education teachers will note additional characteristics of the student-participants in regard to writing, consequently describing how dyslexia disability affects writing.

Data Collection

Data will be taken during each lesson session. The pertinent data that will be collected will be errors visible in written works of the 5 student participants. The student will be required to write short scripts of specific tasks that the general education teacher-participants deem grade-appropriate. Data will be collected throughout the entire period of 3 weeks which characteristically has 9 lessons in total. After this period, the student-participants will be given tests to confirm the data is a true presentation of the students in regards to the dyslexia disability they are associated with, and how it really affects their writing. The general education teacher-participants’ description of how dyslexia disability affects writing will be vital to informing this study.

Expected Results

The expected results of this study are that, after an intervention, all student-participants will make progress in regard to their writing difficulties that could be positively correlated to the dyslexia disability. All student-participants are expected to write legibly using correct sequence of words or numbers, and organize their ideas well before putting them on paper. If they do not do so, then, the conclusion will be like the general education teachers’ description that; dyslexia disability significantly impacts students’ writing or their writing skills.