Reading instruction for students with reading disabilities

Students with a reading disability often struggle to become proficient readers. The learning support teachers challenged with the job of teaching these students to read can significantly affect the level to which they become competent readers. However, without scientifically-based reading instruction, many students will struggle with the reading process, and many will not learn to read at a proficient level. Therefore, it was the purpose of this qualitative research study to explore the lived experiences of elementary special education teachers currently teaching reading to students with reading disabilities. Through the use of a hermeneutic phenomenological design, the researcher utilized questionnaires and semi-structured interviews of elementary learning support teachers in order to develop a deeper understanding of the internal and external factors that affect their practice. The researcher subsequently transcribed, coded, and analyzed the content of the interviews to identify themes within three broad categories: 1) internal factors influencing the teaching practices of elementary special education teachers as they teach students with a reading disability to read, 2) external factors influencing the practices of elementary special education teachers as they teach students with a reading disability to read, and 3) specialized knowledge that special education teachers possess and apply when teaching students with a reading disability to read. Through this study, the researcher sought to better understand these factors and how they affect the practices carried out by special education teachers in their pursuit of teaching students to read proficiently. The insights garnered through this process illuminated the importance of understanding how various factors influence how special education teachers plan and carry out specialized reading instruction for students with reading disabilities.