Supporting Access to Literacy Instruction for Students with Extensive Support Needs in General Education Settings Through Shared Reading

Abstract

This purpose of this dissertation was to extend knowledge in the field on the use of shared reading interventions to support literacy skill development for students with extensive support needs (ESN) in general education settings. Chapter one introduces a rationale for research on shared reading and an overview of the questions addressed within this dissertation. Chapter two is a systematic literature review of research on shared reading interventions for students with ESN. The review includes a description of the main characteristics of shared reading, materials used, and literacy skills targeted. Quality analysis of included studies was used to identify shared reading as a practice with a moderate evidence-base for supporting comprehension and engagement with literature. Chapter three is a single-case, repeated acquisition design study that assessed the impact of modifications to grade-level non-fiction books on student comprehension by rapidly alternating between the delivery of shared reading with and without book modifications in general education classrooms. Results indicated a functional relation between shared reading with modified grad-level non-fiction books and higher student comprehension of book content for both students with ESN. Chapter four is a single-case, multiple-baseline across skills design in which I investigated the efficacy of professional development coupled with ongoing performance feedback to support teachers to implement a multicomponent shared reading intervention within small groups in general education classes that include one student with ESN. Results indicated an immediate increase in procedural fidelity across all shared reading skills after delivery of professional development with an increasing trend in procedural fidelity as teachers continued to receive performance feedback. Chapter five provides a summary of results from the three studies and implications for future research and practice. The most notable implications include (1) It is essential that pre- and in-service professional development focus on instructional strategies that support students with ESN to access content in general education settings, (2) Teachers should receive adequate planning and material preparation time to implement effective inclusive instruction, (3) Students with ESN should not be removed from general education settings to receive individualized instruction, and (4) More research is needed to replicate and extend these findings.