This study investigated the effects of computer-assisted comprehension practice using a researcher- developed computer program, Computer-Assisted Collaborative Strategic Reading (CACSR), with students who have disabilities. Two reading/language arts teachers and their 34 students with disabilities participated. Students in the intervention group received the CACSR intervention, which consisted of 50-minutes instructional sessions twice per week over 10-12 weeks. Results revealed a statistically significant difference between intervention and comparison groups on a measure of comprehension measured by a researcher-developed, proximal measure (i.e., finding main ideas and question generation) and a distal, standardized measure (i.e., Woodcock Reading Mastery Test-Passage Comprehension). Effect sizes for all dependent measures favored the CACSR group. A majority of students expressed positive overall perspectives of the CACSR intervention and believed that their reading had improved.
Key words : Learning Disabilities, Reading Comprehension, Computer-Assisted Instruction* Dankook University