Book Description
Evidence supports a positive relationship between problem behaviors and reading difficulties across Grades K-12 yet there is a lack of research investigating the role of problem behavior in the context of reading interventions. In this study, data was analyzed from a site-specific subset of students from a multi-site randomized controlled trial (RCT) implementing a multi-component reading intervention for struggling readers in Grades 4 – 5. Data were analyzed to answer the following research questions: (1) What is the impact of multi-component reading intervention for 4th and 5th grade students who are struggling readers on both reading and problem behavior outcomes? and (2) Does problem behavior moderate the effect of a multi-component reading intervention for 4th and 5th grade students who are struggling readers? Students (n = 108) were randomly assigned to a one-year multi-component comprehension reading intervention or a school determined business as usual (BAU) comparison condition after meeting the criterion for identification as a struggling reader by scoring at or below a 90 standard score on the Test of Silent Reading Efficiency and Comprehension (Wagner, Torgesen, Rashotte, & Pearson, 2010) screener assessment. To answer the research questions, data (reading and behavior outcomes) were analyzed using an analysis of covariance to: 1) test the impact of the reading intervention on both reading and behavior outcomes; and 2) test for a significant interaction between measures of problem behavior and condition (i.e., treatment or comparison) on reading outcomes (e.g., Gates MacGinitie Reading Test; MacGainitie, 2000). Models controlled for student-level differences (e.g., reading pretest scores). Type I error associated with multiple comparisons was controlled for using the Benjamani-Hochberg correction to adjust for false discovery rates. Results suggested that the impact of treatment resulted in significant posttest group differences on word reading fluency (p
