Analysis, Conclusions, & Implications
The purpose of this study was to determine the benefits of 8 weeks of explicit metacognitive strategies instruction using fiction and nonfiction texts on listening and reading comprehension skills of two intermediate-grade students with language learning disabilities (LLD). Overall, the results revealed a small benefit to reading comprehension skills as measured by pretest and posttest scores using the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA), the Informal Reading Inventory-7 (B/RIRI-7), and informal oral retelling rubrics all of which assessed reading comprehension for fiction and nonfiction texts. Subject A was assessed using the B/RIRI-7 and the informal oral retelling rubrics for fiction text, but not the DRA due to time constraints; therefore, the outcomes for fiction text will not be considered as strong as the outcomes for nonfiction text for subject A.
Additionally, a transfer effect to listening comprehension was assessed using the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-4th Edition: Spoken Paragraphs Subtest (CELF-4), the B/RIRI-7, and informal oral retelling rubrics for fiction and nonfiction texts prior to and following intervention. The results of these assessments revealed that neither student made improvements in fiction and nonfiction texts on all three assessments, with the exception of nonfiction for subject A; therefore, it was concluded that some gain was observed for listening comprehension skills. Although gains in listening comprehension were found, they were not obtained on all three assessments for both genres, for either student, indicating that the results were not strong enough to support a transfer effect to listening skills.
Finally, the Metacomprehension Strategy Index (MSI) and the metacognitive awareness subtest of the DRA for fiction (subject B only) and nonfiction texts were used to determine awareness and application of metacognitive skills prior to and following intervention. To further support awareness and application of metacognitive awareness skills, two samples were taken from the Metacomprehension Strategies Checklist for fiction and nonfiction texts, which were used weekly to instruct students in strategies before, during, and after reading. The results of these assessments revealed increased awareness of strategies before, during, and after reading. Moreover, during guided reading groups, students improved their knowledge and use of strategies before, during, and after reading. These skills did not transfer to independent tasks as measured by no improvement in performance on the metacognitive awareness subtest of the DRA for fiction (subject B only) or nonfiction texts.
Due to the small number of subjects in this study, each student’s change in performance will be discussed individually. A synthesis of the findings made from the analysis of subject A and B will also be provided.