Effect of Inclusion Versus Segregation on Reading Comprehension of EFL Learners with Dyslexia

What is it about?

This study reports the relative effectiveness of the inclusion theory when the combined strategy instruction on improving the reading comprehension of narrative and expository texts for students with dyslexia is implemented. A total sample of 298 students of English as a foreign language from both public and private schools participated in the study which employed a pre-test- post-test control group design to investigate the efficacy of combined strategy instruction consisting of Graphic organizers, Visual displays, Mnemonic illustrations, Computer exercises, Prediction, Inference, Text structure awareness, Main idea identification, Summarization, and Questioning. The study concluded that combined strategy instruction in the field of the inclusion theory is more effective than regular instruction in improving reading comprehension when using narrative texts, but there’s no difference, when using expository texts. There was no significant difference neither by gender nor by school types in all the grade levels under study.

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Why is it important?

The present study is significant since it proposes a combined reading intervention treatment to improve the reading comprehension of learners with dyslexia in inclusive environments whereby social justice and equality are ensured, and learners without dyslexia are directed to improve their reading comprehension skills as well. Suggate (2016) indicated that there is scarcity in the research that investigates the long-term effect sizes of reading interventions in general and of intervention type in particular. However, some studies reported the long-term effects of one and not more than one intervention type such as phonemic awareness on improving reading comprehension (Swanson et al., 1999). As such, the low number of conducted studies does not provide a dependable estimation. Instruction is significantly effective when it is tailored in accordance with the needs of students who receive the instruction; however, there is no single strategy to ensure success for children of the same school-age. Some research provided insignificant differences indicating that there has been a focus on providing more individualized instruction than group interventions; in disagreement with general education learners who often receive instruction in big classroom-sized groups, interventions with learners with reading difficulties often take place in individualized environments (Goodwin & Ahn, 2013).

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