Inclusion or Self-Contained Reading: Where Do Learning Disabled Students Learn Better?

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine in which type of classroom learning disabled students are more successful at learning to read. Some school districts believe that total inclusion is better for special education children's learning, while others believe that reading should be taught to students classified as learning disabled in self-contained classrooms. The subjects involved in this study were twelve sixth grade learning disabled students in a rural Orleans County school district. These twelve students included all sixth grade learning disabled students enrolled in the district for the duration of the study. Six students, along with thirteen non-classified students, participated in the inclusion reading class taught by one regular education teacher and one special education teacher. Six other students were taught in the self-contained reading class by the same special education teacher. According to achievement test scores listed on the students' Individualized Education Plans, students in both classes had comparable ability levels. The t-test of repeated measures was used to compare the self-contained reading class to the inclusion reading class on both the Degrees of Reading Power test and the Bader Informal Reading Inventory Graded Word List. The man growth was compared for each class on each assessment. Using a 95% confidence level and a critical t of 2.571, there was no statistically significant difference between the two classes on either test. The null hypothesis failed to be rejected. These results show that learning disabled students are successful at learning to read in either type of class. Both groups showed acceptable growth in one school year, yet there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups.