The purpose of the study was to improve mathematical problem solving for middle school students with learning disabilities by implementing a research-based instructional program in inclusive general education math classes. A total of 40 middle schools in a large urban district were matched on state assessment performance level (low, medium, and…

This article provides a review of research in cognitive strategy instruction for improving mathematical problem solving for students with learning disabilities (LD). The particular focus is on one of the salient components of this instructional approach--self-regulation. Seven studies utilizing this approach for teaching problem solving to…

In this study, we conducted 124 observations of 41 special education teachers teaching reading to their third- through fifth-grade students with learning disabilities to determine the extent to which and in what ways they promoted students' reading comprehension. In 42 lessons, we did not observe any comprehension instruction. In 30 lessons, the…

The performance of 60 learning disabled and normally achieving children (ages 9-12), either given minimal instruction to use organizing strategies or engaged only in practice with a free recall task, were compared. Factors underlying the unexpected finding that strategy use did not account for learning disabled students' poor recall are discussed.…

The study examined the relationship between proximity of critical textual information and selected metacognitive behaviors of 29 elementary-age subjects. Subjects receiving collapsed versions of passages reported use of higher percentages of text-based strategies, whereas over 50 percent of the responses of subjects receiving the dispersed text…

A metacognition model that can help understand general problem-solving deficits in learning disabled students is presented. Two components of metacognition are highlighted: executive processes and attributional beliefs. An educational package combining these components with specific strategy training is illustrated as an approach to improving…

Seven sixth-grade students with learning disabilities were taught the metacognitive strategy PLEASE for use in writing paragraphs. Results suggest that, compared to the traditional language arts curriculum, the PLEASE strategy was more effective in developing students' metacognitive abilities for prewriting planning, composition, and revision as…

This study evaluated effects of an intervention to teach 23 high school students with learning disabilities (LD) how to understand, identify, discuss, and transform their ineffective beliefs. Results indicated that students with LD successfully learned the BELIEF Strategy contained in the intervention curriculum, and reported satisfaction with…

The paper discusses the implications for research and education of learning disabled students of three models of learning disabilities. The models focus on either: (1) child-centered process problems (attentional deficits), (2) nonspecific performance problems (metacognitive problems), and (3) the interaction between child-centered variables and…

An information processing approach to the assessment of learning disabled students' intellectual performance is presented. The model is based on the assumption that intelligent behavior is comprised of a variety of problem- solving strategies. An account of child problem solving is explained and illustrated with a "thinking aloud" protocol.…

The label "cognitive" has been used to designate five substantially different approaches to the study of learning disabilities: information processing, metacognition, genetic epistemology, cognitive behavior modification, and the specific abilities model. (Author)

When children with learning disabilities fail to learn effective reading strategies, they lose enthusiasm and develop negative self-perceptions and attitudes, jeopardizing future achievement. In response, instructional approaches emphasizing clear explanation of reading strategies and discussion of processes for constructing meaning have been…

Training to self-monitor reading comprehension was undertaken with 120 learning disabled eighth and ninth graders and normally achieving sixth graders. It was hypothesized that insufficient metacomprehension is one possible cause underlying learning disabled adolescents' comprehension problems. (Author/SEW)

This interview study examined the perceptions and beliefs about cognitive strategy instruction of 31 classroom teachers of underachieving students and 9 strategy researchers. Teachers and researchers generally agreed about components of strategy instruction and when to teach them; one difference was the tendency of researchers to relegate each…

This article uses a self-organizing systems (SOS) framework to explain the complexity of learning disabilities (LD) and suggest that traditional classification schema may be inadequate. It explains principles of self-organizing systems and reviews research concerning reading and math disabilities and the roles of language, attention, working…