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Many students struggle with gaining knowledge and writing about content text material and therefore require effective intervention. In a randomized controlled trial study, 77 low-achieving fourth-grade students received reading comprehension instruction or reading comprehension plus writing instruction or were assigned to a no-treatment control. Knowledge outcomes were evaluated through students' retelling and performance on a standardized reading test. Written language-based outcomes were analyzed using a computer software program for semantic and syntactic measures. Analyses indicated that students in reading comprehension instruction and reading comprehension plus writing instruction outperformed the control group on oral and written retelling, a standardized reading test, and semantic measures. Syntactic measures, however, did not show statistically significant differences by treatment or control group. Implications for including language instruction and assessments within multi-component instruction are suggested.

Explicit strategy instruction combined with student-directed self-regulation in conjunction with cognitive strategies has proven effective in supporting low-achieving students' reading comprehension. Experts have extended 1 such approach, self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) for the expository reading comprehension Think before reading, think While reading, think After reading (TWA) strategy, by integrating instruction for writing, language development, and prompted discourse into the instructional framework. Researchers have found positive performance effects following SRSD for TWA instruction across reading comprehension and language measures, oral and written summarization, oral and written retelling, and informative essay writing. Findings from 8 empirical studies have provided insights for research and practice. (Contains 1 table, 3 figures, and 3 footnotes.)

Two experiments were conducted with developmental education students to investigate the impact of a contextualized intervention focusing on written summarization and other reading and writing skills. In experiment 1 (n = 322), greater gain was found for intervention than comparison participants on three summarization measures: proportion of main ideas from the source text, accuracy, and word count (ES = 0.26-0.42). In experiment 2 (n = 246), results were replicated for several summarization measures (ES = 0.36-0.70), but it was also found that intervention participants copied more from the source text at posttest than did the comparison group. Further, intervention participants using science text outperformed students receiving generic text on two summarization measures (ES = 0.32-0.33), providing moderate support for contextualization.

Students who struggle with learning may not have the metacognition needed to support the multiple processes required to understand what is read in informational text. Instruction for these students, therefore, should include methodologies that promote self-regulation of critical thinking processes. Fifty-eight low-achieving students were provided Self-Regulated Strategy Development instruction for the TWA (Think before reading, think While reading, think After reading) strategy approach. Students were explicitly taught to establish goals, self-monitor performance, use positive self-instructions, and self-reinforce. We examined these students' perceptions in regard to application of the self-regulation procedures. Students' worksheets and comments as well as perceptions documented in post-instruction interviews were used to gain insight into students' metacognitive awareness of the self-regulation procedures taught and learned. (Contains 5 figures and 4 tables.)

Students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have difficulty with reading comprehension. This multiple baseline across participants design with multiple probes study examined the effectiveness of a multicomponent reading comprehension strategy (TWA: Think Before Reading, Think While Reading, Think After Reading) taught following the self-regulated strategy development model on social studies expository text recall of three high school students with ADHD. Results showed improvement in the number of main ideas and percentage of supporting details recalled. Gains were maintained and some improvement occurred at 2- and 4-week follow-ups. Implications for future research and practice are discussed. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

We conducted a mixed methods study to evaluate motivation among 20 fourth-grade students who struggle with reading and writing prior to and after receiving either self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) instruction for expository reading comprehension or SRSD instruction for expository reading comprehension plus informative writing. We performed qualitative, descriptive, and statistical analysis on 3 data sets to gain insight into student perceptions across a variety of motivational factors and dimensions. Results indicated that students' efficacy increased after instruction in both interventions; however, efficacy was more varied across interventions for interest, self-regulation (intrinsic and extrinsic motivation), and task perception. Findings indicated that social factors could be better developed in both interventions. (Contains 3 tables, 1 figure, and 1 footnote.)

In science classes, teachers must consider the need for explicit, systematic reading instruction for students with learning disabilities (LD) while navigating the constructivist and activity-oriented methods typically employed in science instruction. The complexity of scientific information conveyed through print may make reading science texts the greatest challenge that students with LD encounter in school. Fortunately, researchers have established that, by fostering students' prior knowledge, providing text enhancements, and teaching reading comprehension strategies, students' understanding of science text is improved. Effective instructional approaches and strategies for reading are reviewed and implications for teaching students with LD noted.

Many students struggle to maintain the attention needed to comprehend while reading. One 4th-grade student and 5th-grade student, both with poor comprehension and attention-related disabilities, were taught to use a proven systematic reading comprehension strategy, TWA (Think Before Reading, Think While Reading, Think After Reading), when reading science passages. TWA consists of 9 strategies: "State Author's Purpose, What I Know, What I Want to Learn, Adjust Reading Speed, Reread, Link Knowledge, Identify Main Idea, Summarize," and "State What I Learned." Students received scaffolded support throughout the intervention and learned to self-monitor and self-reinforce their reading performance. Both students' reading comprehension improved during and after lessons when compared with performance before instruction. TWA appeared to help these students regulate their strategy use and sustain attention during reading. (Contains 4 figures and 1 table.)

Students' academic achievement across content areas is often dependent on their ability to express knowledge through written expression. Many adolescent students lack the skills to write efficiently and effectively. These low-achieving writers can benefit from instruction in self-regulating the writing process. One approach, Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) instruction, has proven effective in improving the writing performance of struggling adolescent learners. In this article, SRSD instruction for teaching adolescents to respond to a quick write prompt will be described. (Contains 4 figures.)

Students with emotional disturbance (ED) represent the fourth most prevalent category of disability in the United States. Although the IDEA definition states that the educational performance of students with ED is adversely influenced by inappropriate behavior and feelings, the literature focuses mainly on the problem behaviors and not on the educational needs of this population. Recently, however, interest in the academic achievement of students with ED has increased. Coleman and Vaughn (2000), for example, in their review of reading instruction identified only eight studies that addressed reading outcomes for students with ED. Other than the positive effect of a peer tutoring program noted in three of the reviewed studies, the research literature provides limited information on reading interventions for students with ED. Nelson, Benner, Lane, and Smith (2004) have suggested that reading instruction for students with ED may need instructional approaches that differ from those generally employed by classroom teachers. The purpose of the presented case study was to identify and document the extent of accommodations required to support a validated expository reading comprehension intervention, self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) instruction, for TWA (Think Before Reading, Think While Reading, Think After Reading) (Mason, 2004). This study provides evidence that for students with ED, specialized instruction, beyond what has been developed for most struggling learners, is often required to accommodate problem behavior. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)

The effects of 2 rigorous strategic approaches to reading comprehension for 32 5th-grade students who struggle with reading were investigated. The first approach, TWA (Think before reading, think While reading, think After reading), was taught following explicit self-regulated strategy development instructional procedures (K. R. Harris & S. Graham. 1999). The second approach, reciprocal questioning (RQ), was taught following Cooperative ReQuest procedures developed by A. V. Manzo. U. C. Manzo, and T. H. Estes (2001). Compared with RQ students, TWA students improved significantly (with medium to large effect sizes) on 5 oral reading comprehension measures. There were no significant differences, however, between groups on 3 written comprehension measures, self-efficacy, or motivation. Students were positive about each intervention.

However, many novice writers, including students with disabilities ([7]) and students with limited English proficiency ([5]), are challenged to regulate the demands of goal setting, planning, writing, and revising their essays ([14]). These limitations are also seen in the argumentative writing of college students ([1]), students with disabilities ([7]), and students with limited English proficiency ([5]). The papers that appear in this special issue are motivated by a shared concern about the cultural irrelevancy of truth ([22]; [26]) and the threat it represents to the institutions that buttress liberal democracy. [7] explain that the Next Generation Writing Standards' (NGSS) commitment to "effective instruction for all learners" is an unfulfilled expectation for many students and argue for the use of cognitive apprenticeships to support ambitious instructional goals for students with disabilities (SWD). [Extracted from the article]

Self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) is an effective instructional approach used to teach academic strategies for skills such as writing and reading comprehension. Included in SRSD are direct strategy instruction and explicit procedures for teaching self-regulation skills, a method that has been effective at improving academic skills of students with disabilities, including those with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). However, due to pre-existing deficits in self-regulation skills, students with EBD may benefit from intensifying the four self-regulation skills already present in SRSD. This article provides practical examples for intensifying goal setting, self-monitoring, self-instructions, and self-reinforcement within the existing SRSD instructional approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehending and critically analyzing complex, content-rich text is an essential requirement of academic excellence as well as a life-long skill for students. Unfortunately, students often struggle to comprehend print and digital media, and subsequently, they are unable to complete essential tasks, such as identifying information, making inferences, examining arguments, or vetting sources. In the present study, we compared the effectiveness of three reading interventions (i.e., Quality Talk (QT), T hink before reading, think W hile reading, think A fter reading (TWA), and TWA/QT Hybrid) in promoting fourth- and fifth-grade students’ reading comprehension and critical–analytic thinking. Specifically, teachers in each intervention delivered the respective instructional mini-lessons in their language arts classes and conducted weekly text-based discussions. The results suggested that the Hybrid and QT interventions were effective at promoting high-level comprehension among fourth- and fifth-grade students. Evidence supported that students participating in the Hybrid and QT interventions engaged in more critical–analytic thinking during text-based discussions than those who received the TWA intervention, as evidenced by statistically significantly greater numbers of student-generated authentic questions and elaborated explanations. The Hybrid and QT interventions were also found to effectively boost students’ oral reading fluency in both grades across two phases. Moreover, fifth-grade students who participated in the Hybrid intervention outperformed their peers from the TWA group on the post-discussion reading comprehension assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]