RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
Based on the outcome of this study, future research that focuses on explicit instruction using metacognitive techniques should be conducted for a longer period of time. It was believed that the limited time spend on each strategy as well as the time limits imposed due to the nature of my position impacted the subjects’ ability to apply during reading strategies independently. The slow rate of progress of the students in the study may have been the result. Meloth (1991), Pressley (2002), and Jacobs and Paris (2001) supported long-term, repeated strategies instruction as one component of instructional programs that produced desirable results. Therefore, additional studies, which incorporate metacognitive strategies instruction should be completed for a greater part of the school year to determine if application of skills will be observed in independent reading and listening comprehension activities.
In addition, studies that include different types of strategies while reading, such as questioning, summarizing, and inferencing, should be introduced in addition to comprehension monitoring. During this study, it was found that the students struggled with consistently producing higher-level questions and inferences and were unable to self-monitor and self-regulate thinking. Exploring different strategies and implementing them, in addition to comprehension monitoring strategies, may enhance the students' ability to apply during reading strategies independently.
Furthermore, studies should be conducted in only one genre to determine the true benefits of the strategies introduced in either fiction or nonfiction text.
Future studies should also be conducted to determine if a transfer of skills will occur from reading to listening comprehension if the intervention is provided for a longer period of time. Although improvements in listening comprehension were observed, these improvements were variable. Aarnoutse (1997) and Garner and Bochna (2004) found that participating in listening comprehension exercises through listening to books on tape or teacher read stories, in combination with strategies instruction, improved skills in both listening and reading comprehension. Hendrick and Cunningham (2002) found a transfer effect from reading comprehension to listening comprehension when students engaged in wide reading; however, the study was conducted over a two year period and special education students were excluded from the study. This study found improvements in listening comprehension after receiving explicit metacognitive strategies instruction during guided reading tasks, although, the improvements were not broad enough to support a transfer effect. Additional studies that include students with disabilities should be conducted for a longer period of time to determine if a transfer effect occurs from reading comprehension to listening comprehension.
Future studies should be conducted that analyze the curriculum demands for students with LLD and determine how teachers can accommodate the needs of students with LLD to enhance skill acquisition. Based on the observations made during this research study, it was found that the depth and amount of information required in an intermediate-grade regular education classroom was far too great for students with LLD to succeed. Students are required to think inferentially, understand and apply abstract concepts, and learn information that may not be a part of their background knowledge. Students with LLD do not yet have the skills to complete these types of tasks without support. Studies that identify how to accommodate the curriculum, while providing explicit strategies instruction so students can develop these skills, will be necessary to allow students with LLD to experience success.
Finally, studies should be conducted that extend the intervention from an isolated setting into the classroom setting. It is believed that the isolated practice of these skills in a small group setting may have impacted the slow progress observed in reading and listening comprehension. Future studies should include explicit instruction in metacognitive strategies within the classroom setting.