National reading data indicate that students with intellectual disabilities (ID) fall behind their peers in reading. Reading is important for academic achievement and learning to read can increase independence in several settings including school, work, home, and community or social (Wilson & Hunter, 2010). Students with ID have historically…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, mixed-methods study was to address the gap in understanding regarding second language (L2) comprehension of stories by using a taxonomical approach based on Anderson and Krathwohl's (2001) revised taxonomy that includes multiple levels of cognitive processing to provide insight into L2 learners' depth of…

The use of the audio medium (e.g., audiobooks and podcasts) is proliferating in everyday and educational contexts. Yet, research investigating text processing in audio compared to the more commonly used print medium is limited in scope. Specifically, the research so far has majorly focused on younger learners or English language learners,…

This dissertation is a program evaluation of the Building Blocks of Comprehension vocabulary program, which was first implemented during the 2019-2020 school year by the English department at the school site. The study aimed to investigate the impact of morphological instruction on student vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension.…

This study examined the significance of the mode of delivery--aural versus written--in second language (L2) vocabulary knowledge and L2 comprehension skills. One of the unique aspects of listening comprehension that sets it apart from reading comprehension is the mode of delivery--language input is delivered not visually but aurally. Somewhat…

Research on Theory of Mind (ToM) and reading comprehension is a lively and active field with numerous publications a year. ToM describes a child's ability to identify and reason about the mental states of others (e.g., think, believe, intend, want). The burgeoning findings from this research suggests ToM plays an important role in the reading…

Reading engagement is an essential component of children's reading achievement. This three-chapter dissertation considers a new approach to conceptualizing reading engagement through the lens of children's immersion, or absorption, in a text. Chapter 1 examines the theoretical underpinnings of story world absorption, sometimes known as…

Learning involves complex cognitive processes such as perception, attention, and memory, with reading being a common method to acquire knowledge. Textbooks are often supplemented with additional materials such as self-test questions and demonstration tasks to enhance learning. However, the impact of these supplemental materials, especially when…

This study explores the possibilities and tensions that emerged when preservice teachers integrated both the science of reading and a culturally sustaining framework when learning about and teaching reading comprehension. Utilizing a constructivist grounded theory methodology, this research draws on data from interviews, student coursework…

This dissertation focuses on strategies and techniques to enhance code comprehension skills among students enrolled in introductory computer science courses (CS1 and CS2). We propose a novel tutoring system, "DeepCodeTutor," designed to improve the code comprehension abilities of novices. DeepCodeTutor employs scaffolded self-explanation…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how reading teachers in southern urban schools described their use of prior knowledge and text clues in instructing high functioning ASD students in their use of inferencing to improve their reading comprehension. There were three research questions used in this study: RQ1: How do…

The problem addressed in this qualitative case study was that teachers in Title 1 schools often struggle to provide the support needed by students to meet the required reading comprehension levels. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of literacy coaches and general education teachers regarding the…

Over the past several years, the need for identification and implementation of effective reading comprehension strategies for students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has come to the forefront of educational research, especially as the prevalence of this population continues to rise. It has been well documented, a large percentage of…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a rich vocabulary intervention on the comprehension and vocabulary learning of third-grade students with language learning disorders (LLD). The study used a repeated acquisition design (RAD), a single case design involving the repeated delivery of a vocabulary intervention on different sets…

While the extant literature emphasizes the role of Phonological Awareness (PA) and Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) in children's developing reading comprehension and vocabulary acquisition skills, there has been a paucity of information on the contributions made by other factors such as Morphological Awareness (MA). Although evidence of a…