Effects of Text-to-Speech Software on the Reading Rate and Comprehension Skills of High School Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a text-to-speech software program known as "Read Please" on the reading rate and reading comprehension accuracy of two high school students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) in reading. A single-subject A-B-A-B "withdrawa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inLearning disabilities (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 41 - 49
Main Authors Moorman, Amanda, Boon, Richard T, Keller-Bell, Yolanda, Stagliano, Christina, Jeffs, Tara
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Learning Disabilities Association of America 2010
Subjects
Assistive Technology
Computer Software
Dependent Variables
Educational Technology
High School Students
Intervention
Learning Disabilities
Program Effectiveness
Reading Comprehension
Reading Rate
Reading Skills
Teaching Methods
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Summary:The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a text-to-speech software program known as "Read Please" on the reading rate and reading comprehension accuracy of two high school students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) in reading. A single-subject A-B-A-B "withdrawal" research design (Alberto & Troutman, 2009) was used to evaluate the effects of the software on the students reading rate accuracy and comprehension skills. The participants were taught to utilize the features of the "Read Please" software that reads the text aloud to the participants and upon completion of the reading passage, the experimenter collected measures on the students' reading rate and percent of comprehension questions answered accurately. Measurements were collected throughout the study on the dependent variables of reading rate and reading comprehension accuracy. Results of this study indicated that the use of the "Read Please" software increased the reading rate and improved students reading comprehension for both participants. Limitations of the study, implications for practice for both general and special education teachers at the high school level, and future research questions are discussed. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)
ISSN:1046-6819