The Effects of Teacher Training and Implementation of Two Methods for Improving the Comprehension Skills of Students with Learning Disabilities

This study addressed the effectiveness of teacher acquisition and implementation of two methods for improving the comprehension skills of students with learning disabilities. Twenty-four special education resource room teachers participated in one of two training conditions: (a) instruction in teaching specific questioning strategies (QARs) and (b) selected traditional methods of reading comprehension instruction, literal questions (recall or factual information and main ideas), locating supporting details, and drawing conclusions. Small-group, classroom implementation to students ranging from first through ninth grades followed teachers' training. The results of the study indicate that: (a) teachers acquire and implement both QARs and skills effectively with explicit training and supportive feedback; (b) QARs accommodate to content area reading material readily; and (c) QARs significantly elevated the question-recognition and location performance of students with learning disabilities.