¶ … assist students with literacy difficulties. The studies all used the academic classroom as the center of education and tested different learning methods.
Factors that influence the book selection process of students with special needs" is a study to learn how students with special needs react to choosing their own reading material. The results show that these children use a similar process as that of other students. The students with special needs do use more factors then typical children but it is clear that they want to read the same stories as typical children.
Many studies have concluded that choice is a necessary motivator to children and has a positive impact on their education. The most natural forum for self-selection is learning to read. Every child has different interests, unique needs and backgrounds and therefore tends to choose different books to read. There are different factors that affect children's book selection. These factors include topic or subject matter, author, writing style, and illustrations or the book cover, characters, and book summaries. Students who are allowed to choose their reading material often enjoy reading. Worthy (1999) concludes that when children are interested in their learning material they improve in "learning, motivation, effort and attitude." (p. 609)
The study was open-ended and favored interviewing students and to chat about their reading experiences. The test subjects were 31 middle school students enrolled in northwestern Ohio schools. All students had special learning needs that were documented. The students discussed what attracted them to different books. After a quick pilot study to ensure the students were comfortable, the children were brought into two groups and asked a set of questions about their interests in different books. Student responses were grouped and analyzed according to fields such as subject matter, author, writing style etc.
Many of the students spoke about topic or subject matter with horror books being the most popular of thirteen different topics mentioned. Authors, writing style, characters, cover/illustrations, book summary, length, recommendations, relation...
This selection should be large covering different topics teachers should be aware of what children read during free time and become acquainted with these popular selections. Teachers should also help children in their decision process in matching their desires with an appropriate book. Universities need to implement curriculum that addresses the need for children with special needs to choose their own readings. Students with special needs are not so different, and should not be forced to learn differently, only helped along. After all, "children with special needs are children first." (p. 617)
The second study is titled "Writing instruction for struggling adolescent readers: A graduate release model" and concludes that "new accountability systems focus on writing, struggling students need daily, coordinated instruction that is meaningful." (p. 396)
Since reading and writing is so correlated it is necessary for teachers to focus on both reading and writing in the literacy development of struggling adolescent youth. Students writing abilities are usually judged by a standardized accountability system. Although independent writing tests have been increased the results have not improved.
This study uses a gradual release of responsibility model to help struggling adolescents with reading and writing. This model transfers the responsibility to perform a task from the teacher to the student. The study was conducted in a class during a semester in an urban high school in San Diego. 31 students were enrolled in the ninth-grade class.
All students in the class were struggling readers and the class was aimed to help them with their literacy. The class was designed to transform from a teacher-controlled class to a student directed environment.
The class utilized modern writing education such as Language Experience Approach, Interactive writing, Writing models, Power writing and Generative sentences. This all led…
