The Use of Story-Mapping to Increase the Reading Comprehension of Elementary Students with Learning Disabilities

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The Use of Story-Mapping to Increase the Reading
Comprehension of Elementary Students with
Learning Disabilities

• Valdosta State University
• Department of Special Education and Communication
  Disorders
• Presented by Jordan Cayton

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Introduction

• Problem
• Students were reading text but unable to
  comprehend the main idea or details of the story.
• Expected reading comprehension for fifth grade is
  complete comprehension
• Students lack reading comprehension skills
  because of the lack of instruction
• Purpose
• To determine the effects of using story map
  instruction on increasing reading comprehension
  with three fifth grade students with learning
  disabilities
• Goal
• For the story-grammar map to be able to be used
  within various environments and with various
  students to increase reading comprehension

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Literature Review
Researchers stated the following in relation to
the strategy of story maps
Davis (1994) used story mapping in contrast to
a direct reading activity (DRA) in his group
study of third and fifth grade students in a
teacher-directed prereading instruction of their
elementary classrooms, and the results suggested
that the story map positively affected the
students on their literal and inferential
comprehension(Davis, 1994, p.356). Students
were able to identify elements of the story, such
as being able to recall the story, in a deeper
sense than before they were introduced to this
strategy when using a story mapping strategy
(Vallecorsa deBettencourt,1997, p. 174).
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Participants Materials

• Participants were
• Three fifth grade students from Dewar Elementary
  School
• One boy
• Two girls
• Students with learning disabilities
• English language learners
• The only materials that were needed were the
• Passages taken from the third grade basal reader
  series, McMillian/McGraw Hill
• Story-grammar map
• Pencil

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Setting
The study took place in the participants reading
resource special education classroom for
approximately 15-30 minutes each session over the
course of nine days of observation. The first 5
minutes of each session was used to read the
story. After reading the story, students are
given the story map to complete regarding the
story elements. During this time, the students
independently completed the story-grammar map,
while I read aloud each criteria to complete and
what it means.
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Procedural Integrity Checklist
100 each session
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Dependent Variable Measurement

• The dependent variable was literal and
  inferential reading comprehension of the students
  after reading a text.
• Acceptable answers were pre-identified to assess
  student responses regarding story-grammar
  elements. After each teaching session, students
  were provided a blank story map to complete,
  which was then scored for the percent of items
  correct. On any given probe, there were eight
  possible correct answers (Boulineau, Fore,
  Hagan-Burke, Burke, 2004, p. 108).
• Each of the eight story map elements were worth
  12.5 points.

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Reliability

• Interobserver reliability was taken
• Once during baseline
• Twice during intervention
• The investigator and the teacher sat in opposite
  locations of the classroom and observed the
  students behaviors and their answers to the
  story-grammar map.
• The percent of Interobserver agreement was
  calculated by dividing the number of agreements
  by the number of intervals and multiplying by
  100.
• The percent of Interobserver agreement for all
  three inappropriate behaviors was 100 for all
  three sessions.

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Experimental Design
A multiple baseline design across AB design,
which means it observes baseline and
intervention. Baseline sessions consisted of a
20-minute period during which students were at
their desks either reading, listening to teacher
instruction, or working independently on story
grammar map. Baseline was taken in the resource
room, and was in effect for three days.During
this time, the instructor is unable to give
answers to questions or give advice to persuade
students to know the correct answers. This
portion is only completed by allowing the
students to be independent for a true result in
their reading comprehension.
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Baseline Procedures

• For at least three days, the baseline probe
  will be administered. One story will be taught
  and completed per session. The instruction
  consists of discussion of vocabulary and prior
  knowledge before reading. Then the students will
  randomly be called upon to read the text.
  Afterwards, the baseline will be gathered as the
  students complete a story-grammar map
  independently. As the student answers the
  questions, I will check on the data sheet for the
  correct answers. For each correct answer, the
  number will be multiplied by 12.5 to gather the
  percentage correct.

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Intervention Procedures
The intervention will occur daily with
instructions on story-grammar elements. Elements
of story grammar are explicitly taught using a
story map as a visual aid and an organizer for
guided practice. The intervention will be
continued until each student has completed a
story map querying key story-grammar elements
with 90 accuracy for three consecutive sessions.

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Results-Destinee
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Results-Emily
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Results-E.J.
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Implications for Teachers

• A story map is
• A graphic organizer used to encourage readers to
  comprehend story elements.
• Administered before, during, or after reading
  text.
• Used to spark prior knowledge
• Used to encourage discussion
• Used to document any important information gained
  from the story.
• Story mapping directs students attention to
  relevant elements of stories, such as setting,
  problem, goal, events, or actions that contribute
  to the goal, the outcome or resolution of each
  passage, and the theme, using a specific
  structure through visual spatial display for key
  information in a narrative text (Boulineau,
  Fore, Hagan-Burke, Burke, 2004, p.106).

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Implications for Teachers (contd)

• According to Davis research, the story map
  positively affected the students on their literal
  and inferential comprehension(Davis,1994,
  p.356). This outcome replicated the earlier work
  of Davis (1994) with elementary school children
  with learning disabilities.
• Results were consistent with the results of
  Vallecorsa and deBettencourt (1997) with students
  with learning disabilities.
• The story-grammar map strategy is an extremely
  beneficial and effective intervention (Gardill
  Jitendra,1999, p.17 ) and the present findings
  support this finding.

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References

• Boulineau, T, Fore, C, Hagan-Burke, S, Burke,
  M.D. (2004). Use of Story-Mapping to Increase
  the Story-Grammar Text Comprehension of
  Elementary Students with Learning Disabilities.
  Learning Disability Quarterly, 27, 105-121.
• Davis, Z.T. (1994). Effects of prereading
  story-mapping on elementary readers
  comprehension. Journal of Educational Research,
  87, 353-360.
• Gardill, M.C., Jitendra, A.K. (1999). Advanced
  story-map instruction Effects on the reading
  comprehension of students with learning
  disabilities. The Journal of Special Education,
  33, 2-17.
• Gersten, R., Baker, S. (2008). NCLD-reading
  comprehension instruction for students with
  learning disabilities. Retrieved September 26,
  2008, from Reading Comprehension Instruction for
  Students with Learning Disabilities Web site
  http//www.ncld.org/index.php?optioncontenttask
  viewid521
• Lebzelter, S., Nowacek, E.J.(1999).Reading
  strategies for secondary students with mild
  disabilities. Intervention in School Clinic.
  34(4), 212-231.
• Vallecorsa, A.L., deBettencourt, L.C. (1997).
  Using a mapping procedure to teach reading and
  writing skills to middle grades students with
  learning disabilities. Education and Treatment
  of Children, 20, 173-189.