Abstract:
Reading Comprehension (RC) is a skill that enhances achievement in school subjects.
Studies have shown that some Students with Learning Disabilities (SLDs) exhibit
deficiency in RC, resulting in low academic achievement. Previous studies focused more
on student-related factors influencing SLDs learning outcomes in RC than on the use of
activity-based instructional strategies such as the THIEVES Strategy (TS)—Title-
Heading-Introduction-Every first sentence- Visuals-End of chapter-Summary of the text,
and Instructional Conversation Strategy (ICS). This study, therefore, was conducted to
determine the effects of TS and ICS on Achievement in Reading Comprehension (ARC)
and Reading Self-efficacy (RSe) among SLDs in Ibadan, Nigeria. The moderating effects
of Vocabulary Knowledge (VK) and MA (MA) on learning outcomes in RC were also
examined.
Schema and Speech Act theories were used as the framework, while the pretest-posttest
control group quasi-experimental design with 3x2x2 factorial matrix was adopted. Three
local government areas were randomly selected from the five in the Ibadan metropolis. Six
public secondary schools with the presence of SLDs were purposively selected. The
students in Senior Secondary one (SSS1) were screened for LD (LDs) using Slosson
Intelligence Test and LD Evaluation Scale (LDES). Seventy-five students who exhibited
LDs were assigned to TS (25), ICS (25) and control (25) groups. The instruments used
were VK (r = 0.80), RC (r = 0.71), RSe (r = 0.84), Slosson Intelligence (r = 0.92); LDE (r
= 0.80) scales and MA inventory. The treatment lasted 10 weeks. Data were analysed
using descriptive statistics, Analysis of Covariance and Bonferroni post-hoc test at 0.05
level of significance.
Participants’ age was 16.30 ± 1.45 years and 65.0% were female. There was a significant
main effect of treatment on ARC (F(3,72) = 5.47, Partial = .134) and RSe (F(3,71) = 8.33,
partial = .190). The participants in ICS ( = 64.95) had the highest mean score in ARC,
followed by those in the TS ( = 61.96) and in the control ( = 41.99) groups. Also,
participants in ICS (=57.24) had the highest mean score in RSe, followed by those in TS (
41.42) and control (=39.03) groups. There was a significant main effect of VK on ARC
(F(2,72) = 4.306, partial = .042). The main effect of MA on ARC was not significant.
The main effect of VK and MA on reading RSe was not significant. There was no
significant interaction effect of VK and MA on ARC and RSe. The two-way interaction
effect of VK and RSe on ARC and RSe was not significant. There was a significant three-
way interaction effect of treatment, VK and MA on ARC and RSe.
Instructional conversation strategy, more than Title-Heading-Introduction-Every first
sentence- Visuals-End of chapter and Summary of the text strategy enhanced achievement
and self-efficacy in reading comprehension among students with learning disabilities in
Ibadan, Nigeria. These strategies should be adopted by teachers to improve achievement
and reading self-efficacy for this category of students.
