The present investigation replicates and extends an earlier study comparing 2 conditions, a dictionary approach versus a concept mapping model, on the learning of vocabulary words among 4 students with mild disabilities (i.e., emotional and/or behavioral disorders and other health impairments) attending a middle school. An A-B-A-B design was used…

Historically speaking, reading and writing among African Americans were collaborative acts involving a wide range of texts that held social, economic, political, or spiritual significance. One of the constants of literacy collaboratives was being regularly and purposefully engaged with print within a meaningful social context. During the summer of…

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…

This study tested whether social adjustment added to the prediction of academic outcomes above and beyond prior academic functioning. Researchers collected school records and peer-, teacher-, and self-report measures for 1,255 third-grade children in the fall and spring of the school year. Measures of social adjustment included social acceptance…

In this qualitative teacher-researcher one-year classroom study, the author focused upon the literacy strategies that four low-achieving writers used while creating and interpreting music video compositions. The students read a variety of musical and video texts as they composed their own music video project. The guiding question of this research…

This study examined student perspectives about writing by interviewing both typically developing and struggling writers in Grades 2 through 8. The findings revealed a progressive developmental pattern of writing knowledge in which novice writers place more emphasis on the physical product and local meaning, while more experienced writers focus on…

Previous research studies examining the effects of reading interventions on social outcomes for five- to twelve-year-old students with reading difficulties are synthesized. Twenty-seven studies published between 1975 and 2002 met criteria for inclusion in this synthesis. Small, positive effects for several social outcomes are summarized. Reading…

Three hundred and forty-six secondary students (127 special education and 219 general education) were surveyed about their perceptions of co-teaching. While significant differences were discovered between groups, all students responded favorably to co-teaching: they indicated they were getting better grades and developing better literacy skills,…

This study is an investigation of the perspectives of college students who served as tutors for struggling first-grade readers. Two research questions drove the study: What did the tutors perceive as strengths and weaknesses of the tutoring program? and What possible solutions did they have for addressing any concerns? Quantitative and qualitative…

The purpose of the present study was to broaden planned behavior theory and examine its applicability to predict the academic achievement of students of low and high spelling ability. Two hundred fifty seven students, 54 low spellers and 203 high spellers from thirty elementary schools in northern Greece, participated in the study. Between groups…

Two studies evaluated the contribution of goal orientation--over and above the constructs of planned behavior theory--in explaining the relationship between attitudes, motivation, and academic achievement for students with and without learning disabilities. Results indicated that a performance-approach orientation exerted significant positive…

This paper takes up the issue of student voice as part of a larger political and pedagogical project to create spaces in our schools for students' social, cultural, and individual identities, including their learning identities; that is, that all of the students in our nation's classrooms find that people who "look like them" are welcome (Dei et…

Reviews a number of studies on the development of achievement-related self-system factors in relation to young children's reading acquisition. Shows that phonological processing ability and letter-naming knowledge at the outset of schooling not only predict subsequent reading performance but also academic self-concept and reading self-efficacy.…

Informs practitioners working with struggling readers of the latest research on home influences on reading motivation. Provides research-based suggestions to teachers as to how they might enlist the assistance of parents in motivating struggling readers. Shows that supportive home environments foster motivation for reading, which leads to more…

Discusses the Facts and Feelings Response Diary strategy for assisting middle school students in inclusive settings to connect both efferently and aesthetically with informational text. Notes that this activity stimulates students to focus their attention on important facts and details and to use their prior experiences, feelings, interests,…