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Automation of frequently used words is a key component in the development of reading fluency. However, acquiring fast word recognition skills is a serious challenge for many children in their early years of formal education. Lagging word recognition leads to general reading problems, as fluency is a vital prerequisite for text comprehension. Recent research shows that the percentage of struggling elementary school readers in Germany is increasing, speaking to the need for widespread implementation of effective word recognition interventions. This pilot study aims to provide preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of peer-tutorial reading racetrack training with an integrated motivational system for the sight word fluency of German struggling elementary school students. The intervention comprised twelve 15-min teaching units over a period of three weeks. To encourage reading motivation, the intervention included graphing of performance scores and a group contingency procedure. A control-experimental group design (N = 44) with pre-, post-, and two follow-up measurements (each after five weeks) was employed to investigate the impact of the treatment on decoding sight words at an appropriate speed. Results demonstrated a significant performance increase in the treatment group, relative to the control group. The effect size can be considered very high (partial η2 = .76), indicating that this brief training has the potential to enhance the word recognition of struggling elementary students.

Die Fahigkeit, Worter fehlerfrei zu schreiben, stellt eine wichtige Kompetenz im Beruf, in der Schule und im Alltag dar. In der vorliegenden Studie sollten Schulerinnen und Schuler mit Lernschwierigkeiten anhand sogenannter Rechtschreib-Rennstrecken lernen, ein haufiges orthografisches Merkmal des Deutschen anzuwenden. Rennstrecken gelten als effektives Instrument, um basale Lese- und Rechenfertigkeiten zu verbessern. Im Rahmen der Untersuchung wurde die Intervention erstmals im deutschsprachigen Raum evaluiert. Als Stichprobe dienten sechs Schulerinnen und Schuler aus dem dritten Schulbesuchsjahr. Die Uberprufung der Wirksamkeit erfolgte anhand einer kontrollierten Einzelfallstudie mit multiplem Grundratenversuchsplan. Vor dem Start der Forderung zeigten die Kinder unterschiedliche Rechtschreibprobleme. Im Verlauf der relativ kurzen Intervention waren sie immer besser dazu in der Lage, die im Blickpunkt stehende Regel korrekt anzuwenden.

This study replicates and extends prior research on multisensory mathematics instruction (Grünke, Urton, & Karnes, 2018) by integrating a touch points strategy, performance feedback, reward system, and a reinforcing card game into an instructional package. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the effects of the touch points package on the subtraction skills of four German female first year students at-risk for learning disabilities. During intervention, the students were administered eight to eleven treatment sessions to learn how to subtract a one-digit subtrahend from a two-digit minuend up to 18 crossing over the tens barrier. Results indicated that all students made substantial increases in their subtraction performance during intervention. Student performance improved from 0 to 2 out of 10 math problems solved correctly during baseline to between 8 and 10 problems correct by the end of the intervention. Effect sizes observed across the four participants indicated the effectiveness of the intervention ranged from high to very high.

The current study examined German spelling errors among students with German as their first language (L1) and those with German as their second language (L2) in Grades 3–4 (elementary school students; n = 127) and Grades 5–7 (secondary school students; n = 379). Five hundred and six students participated in the study. We performed two separate latent class analyses on elementary and secondary school students. Results indicate that elementary school students can be categorized as good (Class 1), consonant error dominant (Class 2), or poor (Class 3) spellers. However, secondary students can be categorized as addition and sequence error dominant (Class 1), substitution and omission error dominant (Class 2), or poor (Class 3) spellers. The three-step multinomial logistic regression analyses suggested that decoding was associated with the highest chances of being poor spellers in both elementary and secondary schools. Speaking German as L1 or L2 was a significant predictor of heterogeneities in secondary, but not elementary, school students. Polish L1 secondary students had the highest possibility of being poor spellers. The results suggest heterogeneities of student profiles. In addition, special attention should be given to secondary school students with the Polish L1 background in their spelling struggles associated with German orthography.

Many children with different kinds of learning problems struggle with reading. To help them combat their challenges, easy-to-implement interventions are needed. Reading racetracks have proven to be effective tools to increase sight word fluency in students with disabilities. The purpose of this single-case study was to evaluate this technique, for the first time, in a context outside of the United States. Four elementary school children with various learning difficulties received nine to twelve individual intervention sessions from one of two graduate students. The results indicated that reading fluency of 30 common two-syllable German words rose remarkably in all four participants. Even though the treatment was a little less effective for one female student, diagnosed with intellectual/developmental delays, than for the other three students, performance gains were still noteworthy. This study provides further evidence that reading racetracks are an effective practice to build fluency in children with disabilities.

This narrative review provides an overview of the research literature on the effectiveness of mnemonics in mathematics instruction for students with learning disabilities in a K-12 classroom. Eleven studies were identified in refereed journal articles and doctoral dissertations from 1975 to December 2018 that met the inclusion criteria. Overall findings of the studies on mnemonic strategies were positive to improve students’ performance in mathematics instruction. Discussion of the findings and future research directions, limitations, and final thoughts on the importance of further study of mnemonics in mathematics instruction are presented. Subscribe to LDMJ

Derived math fact fluency becomes more imperative across all mathematical content areas during a students’ mathematics development. However, many of them struggle to automate the most basic math facts sufficiently and therefore are not able to deal with more complex mathematical problems. This leads to the fact that many of them are already left behind in the early years of their school careers whether they have diagnosed learning disabilities or not. In this single-case research project, we evaluated a peer-tutoring approach designed to extend the number of automated single-digit addition tasks for four struggling elementary students through a multicomponent motivational system including immediate correction of errors, graphical feedback on performance, positive reinforcement, direct instruction flashcards, and a racetrack game. A multiple-baseline design (ABE) across subjects was applied to assess the effects of the treatment. The results indicate significant and large effects of the intervention on the number of automated math facts for the participants. This substantiates the assumption that the math-fact recall performance of struggling students can be improved through the method of peer tutoring even with the limited resources available in everyday school life.

Reading difficulties that are not addressed at the primary level continue to exist at the secondary level with serious consequences. Thus, it is important to provide struggling students with specific reading support. In particular, many students with learning disabilities (LD) and emotional behavioral disorders (EBD) demonstrate reading obstacles and are at risk for motivation loss. A multiple baseline design was used to evaluate the effects of a motivational reading racetrack as peer-tutoring on the word reading skills of secondary students with LD with and without EBD. The intervention was conducted through 4–5 baseline and 16–18 reading units three times a week for 15 min over 8 weeks. The results showed positive effects indicating a highly effective treatment. In addition, follow-up results were also promising. Our findings indicate that this multicomponent intervention has a positive effect on the word fluidity of low-achieving students in secondary education with LD and/or EBD.

Die Fahigkeit, Texte und Aufsatze zu planen und anschliesend zu verfassen, stellt eine wichtige Kompetenz in der Schule und im Alltag dar und ist somit essenziell fur die gesellschaftliche Teilhabe. In der vorliegenden Studie sollten vier Zehntklassler/innen, welche eine Forderschule mit dem Forderschwerpunkt Lernen besuchten, durch die motivationalen Methoden „explicit Timing“, „direktes Feedback“ und „adaptives Attribuieren“ ermutigt werden, langere und gehaltvollere Texte zu alltagsnahen Schreibanlassen zu verfassen. Die Uberprufung der Wirksamkeit erfolgte anhand einer kontrollierten Einzelfallstudie mit multiplem Grundratenversuchsplan. Abschliesend wurden Interviews durchgefuhrt, um die soziale Validitat der Forderung aus Schuler/innenperspektive zu erfassen. Die Ergebnisse lassen darauf schliesen, dass die motivationale Unterstutzung zu einer Verbesserung der Leistung fuhrte und dass die Forderung von den Schuler/innen gut angenommen werden konnte.

Educational research has shown that a high ability to use effective strategies, a broad fount of metacognitive knowledge, and fostering of adaptive beliefs about writing lead to better text production performance. Explicit instruction enhances development in each of these areas. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of a writing intervention program (based on the strategies “POW” and “WWW”) on the quality and length of stories composed by Greek grade 5 and 6 English Foreign Language (EFL) learners. The study was conducted with 177 participants from two Greek elementary schools, who were identified as below average, average, and above average writers, and who were assigned to one of two groups: the experimental group was provided with explicit instruction on narrative writing, the control group received no direct teaching and followed the guidelines outlined by a traditional writing program. It was postulated that explicit instruction would have a positive impact on students’ writing skills. Data analysis yielded statistically significant differences between experimental and control conditions. The students in the experimental group outperformed the ones in the control group in all writing assessments (pertaining to text quality and length). They also revealed a significant improvement in their writing quality and length, whereas no meaningful changes appeared in the control group. In addition, the improvement of writing quality was obvious for the below average, as well as, for the average and the above average students, supporting the notion that there was an improvement irrespective of the students’ level. These results speak to the practical effectiveness of explicit writing instruction to improve the story composition skills in grade 5 and 6 EFL learners. It is postulated and may be the subject of future research that the positive impact on students’ L2 composing skills will be transferrable to their L1. Conclusions and pedagogical implications of the findings are discussed.

Mainstream-school teachers are the most important assets for students with special educational needs (or diverse conditions) who hope to achieve real inclusion. However, teaching experience, attitu...

The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects of a simultaneous prompting procedure on the writing performance of three upper-elementary-level students diagnosed with learning disabilities (LD). Interventionists gave task directions followed by model prompts with a 0-s time delay to teach students composition. Non-targeted information related to the writing process was embedded in the form of progress monitoring. A multiple-baseline design across participants (AB) was used to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. Results indicate that the simultaneous prompting procedure positively affected the overall quality of writing of students with LD. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

The increasing number of students with German as a second language (GL2) poses a great challenge for schools. Previous studies showed that especially young learners with a migration background are lagging behind in the acquisition of second language (L2) literacy. Experiencing problem behaviors (PB) in addition, might pose even greater challenges. Adequate vocabulary, including knowledge of additional vocabulary facts, is essential for appropriate L2 proficiency, and therefore, it is a crucial aspect of support that should be focused on. Thus, the aim of the study was to support vocabulary acquisition in students with GL2 regarding two aspects: (1) the acquisition of expressive and receptive vocabulary, and (2) the incidental acquisition of additional information regarding the vocabulary that are not explicitly focused on during intervention. To this end, the effectiveness of a multi-component method consisting of storytelling and flashcards, as well as motivational reinforcers, was examined using multiple baseline design. The intervention was carried out with nine primary school students with GL2 in three small groups three times a week for four weeks. The results indicated that the multi-component storytelling intervention was effective in increasing students’ receptive and expressive vocabulary, as well as additional vocabulary facts in just one month. The article concludes with a critical discussion of the findings and generally provides pedagogical implications for schools on how to adequately support students with GL2 in their vocabulary acquisition.

In the present study, a quasi-experimental pre-post test design was used to assess the effects of an argumentative writing strategy (POW+TREE) on the performance of grade five and six students of Greek origin who were learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in a Greek setting. The Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) cognitive apprenticeship model was utilized to improve the text composition skills of the students. In the experimental group (N=77), participants received instruction on general and genre-specific strategy use for planning and writing argumentative essays, on procedures to apply self-regulation (goal setting, self-monitoring, self- reinforcement, and self-instructions), and on establishing additional skills (vocabulary, grammar-drill instruction, good word choice, interesting openings etc.). The control group (N=100) was supported through a traditional curriculum in writing (focusing on spelling and grammar). Findings of the study showed that strategy instructed students wrote argumentative essays that were schematically stronger, qualitatively better, and longer than those produced by their counterparts in the control group.

In this study, we examined the impact of a simple explicit-timing intervention on low-achieving third-grade students’ ability to read more rapidly and accurately. We implemented an ABAB design with four struggling readers to establish experimental control and to evaluate the effects of the treatment in terms of the target variable. The results indicated that explicit timing was very helpful in increasing the participants’ reading rates. That is, each of the four students demonstrated better mean results in the B phases than in the A phases. The article closes with a discussion of the practical implications and applications of the findings, including limitations to be addressed in future studies.

The purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate a motivational intervention that consisted of explicit timing, immediate feedback through self-scoring, and display of high scores with the goal of encouraging four students with learning disabilities to write longer stories. All participants were initially very unwilling to engage in text production. An ABA reversal design was used to assess the effectiveness of the approach. Immediately after the treatment, the subjects started to write more extensive stories. However, this effect ended abruptly once the intervention was terminated. The study’s results show that, even for very reluctant students with learning disabilities, writing motivation can be significantly enhanced with relatively little effort. All the participants reported enjoying the treatment. The paper ends with a discussion of the experiment’s limitations and the practical implications of the findings.

This study tested the effectiveness of a writing planning strategy (STOP & LIST) with four struggling students from fourth grade. A multiple-baseline design (AB) was used with baselines consisting of between five and seven daily probes. The duration of the intervention was between five and seven 25-minute sessions. A randomization procedure was implemented within the constraint that the baseline had to comprise at least five measurements and the treatment had to comprise at least three. The data were analyzed using visual inspection, different effect sizes, randomization tests, and piecewise regression analyses. Results revealed distinct improvements in both the length and quality of stories that the participants produced from baseline to the end of the training. This indicates that the ability of young struggling writers to plan narratives can be fostered considerably through rather simple means. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Good writing skills are vital to success in school and, later, in the workplace. However, many elementary andsecondary students fail to invest sufficient time and effort in planning what they want to write and, consequently,produce texts of inferior quality. One approach to help struggling children and adolescents acquire effective writingplanning abilities is called story-mapping. In this single-case study, the story-mapping method was applied in apeer-tutorial setting to help three low-achieving fifth graders brainstorm their ideas and organize their thoughts priorto composing a narrative. During the course of the intervention, all tutees were able to significantly increase thenumber of words that they generated to write their texts. The study demonstrated that peer-tutoring can besuccessfully implemented to combat deficiencies in writing planning skills and help struggling students to improvetheir performance in a meaningful way.

This single-case study evaluated the impact of a brief touch point intervention on the ability of three third graders with intellectual developmental disabilities (IDD) to perform single-digit additions. A multiple-baseline (AB)-across-participants design was used to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between an intervention of 13 to 15 one-on-one teaching sessions and the expected outcome. Results indicated that all three students benefited from the treatment and showed increased performance of their addition skills over the course of the B Phase. By the end of the intervention, the average improvement rates varied from 164.50 to 420.00%. The findings are discussed in light of the existing literature, and conclusions are drawn.