A program of diagnosis and remediation for retarded readers who have been placed in special education classes

Hicks, Mary Lyons (1976) A program of diagnosis and remediation for retarded readers who have been placed in special education classes. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The purpose of this internship was to ascertain whether some students had been placed in special education classes mainly because of a disability in reading which could be corrected. -- The subjects of the study - three girls and seven boys ranging in age from ten to fifteen years - were randomly selected from two special education classes at St. Teresa’s School, St. John’s. All students in the group were unable to cope with the routine of the regular classroom where they had experienced failure and frustration. -- The initial step in the diagnostic-prescriptive teaching program was to find each student’s reading level, using the Slosson Oral Reading Test. Following this, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children was administered to obtain each child’s IQ. The information contained in the subtests of the Verbal and Performance Scales was used to pinpoint weaknesses and to find strengths on which to base the remediation process. The Bond and Clymer formula was then used to find each student’s reading potential. These results revealed that the range of reading retardation was from 1.8 to 6.0 years Diagnostic reading and spelling tests were also administered. After determining in which abilities students were weak, the intern focused prescriptive teaching on the whole group, on small groups and on individuals, on the basis of students’ needs. -- Because of past failures and frustrations, the students had acquired a poor self-image. As the program progressed, however, weaknesses were corrected and the students experienced a measure of success. They became more motivated to pursue their areas of interest in the wide range of high-interest low-vocabulary books which were available. -- A marked improvement was evident not only in their progress, but in the general attitudes and behavior of the subjects. As a result of their overcoming specific handicaps, the students became more motivated to learn. -- The remediation process extended over a period of eight weeks. At the end of this period the students were retested and a t test was performed on the results. The observed differences were significant, indicating that the diagnostic-prescriptive program had been a success.

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