The effects of independent reading programs vs. guided reading programs on reading comprehension in sixth graders in a special education setting

This study explored the effects of independent reading programs vs. guided\ud reading programs on reading comprehension in sixth graders in a Specialized\ud Academic Instruction (SAl) setting. When comparing programs individually to\ud determine the success of each program, the first conclusion of this study was that\ud guided reading programs were more effective in helping participating students\ud develop comprehension. An additional conclusion was that once teachers use guided\ud reading then it is also beneficial to use both programs together because the\ud independent reading builds on the guided reading. Teachers need to use guided\ud reading to teach strategies for gaining comprehension and then allow students to use\ud independent reading programs to implement those strategies on their own.\ud The limitations to this study include the small number of students\ud participating in the study, the use of only quantitative data, and some differences in\ud the availability of materials between the two programs This study raises questions for\ud further research into on effective strategies in teaching reading comprehension that do\ud not correspond to a program.\ud KEYWORDS: Guided reading programs, Independent reading programs, Reading\ud comprehension, Specialized Academic Instruction (SAl)