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The use of a structured literacy program to facilitate the inclusion of marginal and special education students into regular classes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2016

Yola Center  and
Louella Freeman
Yola Center*
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, New South Wales
Louella Freeman
Affiliation:
Macquarie University, New South Wales
*
Address for Correspondence: Dr. Yola Center. Macquarie University, Sydney, 2109
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Abstract

A preliminary study was carried out to evaluate the use of a whole class early literacy program with disadvantaged and at risk children. This program, Schoolwide Early Language and Literacy (SWELL) is based on an interactive-compensatory theory of literacy acquisition. Results indicated that by the end of kindergarten, children in SWELL schools outperformed their counterparts in control schools on tests measuring reading connected text but not on other early literacy measures. In addition, marginal children in the mainstream, including those targeted as having mild intellectual disability, were able to master partial phonetic cue reading, in contrast to marginal students in control schools who did not attain this skill. Follow-up studies indicated that by the end of Year 1, all children in SWELL schools outperformed their counterparts in control schools on four early literacy tests, but the effect of the fifth, reading connected text, was only evident in large disadvantaged schools. Marginal students who had received individualised Reading Recovery outperformed marginal students in SWELL schools and control schools who had received small group intervention on reading connected text and on reading pseudowords, but not on tests of segmentation, spelling and writing. No children classified as developmentally delayed received individualised Reading Recovery, but were included in both SWELL small class and control schools small group intervention. Further follow-up mid-way through Year 2, on marginal children only, no longer indicated any differences among the individualised Reading Recovery, SWELL small class or control schools small group. The implications of the use of a structured program such as SWELL, as a whole-class program and the most effective individualised program for inclusion of at risk students are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Australasian Journal of Special Education , Volume 21 , Issue 1 , January 1997 , pp. 45 - 62
Copyright
Copyright © The Australian Association of Special Education 1997

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