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Introduction: The aim of the study was to improve student skills in writing good-quality synthesis texts through a strategic, self-regulated instruction program aimed at ensuring that students properly activated reading and writing strategies required by the synthesis task. Methods: The sample consisted of 84 university students who were randomly assigned to experimental or control conditions. The experimental group received an instructional program based on the development and self-regulated implementation of reading and writing strategies for producing synthesis texts. The control group received a program involving metacognitive knowledge of various academic text types. Both programs involved eight 60-min sessions, taught by teachers in a compulsory degree subject. For the evaluations, students produced synthesis texts from different source texts. The syntheses were graded considering text product measures: information selection, idea connection, text organization, and holistic quality; and measures of reading (underlining and note-taking) and writing (planning and review) strategies. Results: The results show that the experimental group exhibited greater improvements in synthesis quality and greater improvements in activation of information organization processes, note-taking while reading, and text planning. Discussion: In conclusion, university students can, following implementation of a strategic instructional procedure in the context of a study plan, adapt and re-work their own reading and writing strategies and apply them in a self-regulated manner to synthesis tasks, improving text quality and some of the cognitive processes involved.

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The present study investigated the impact of manipulating reading strategies (i.e., reading the questions first [QF] or reading the passage first [PF]) during a reading comprehension test where we explored how reading strategy was related to student characteristics (i.e., reading achievement and working memory capacity). Participants' eye movements were monitored as they read 12 passages and answered multiple-choice questions. We examined differences in (a) response accuracy, (b) average total time on words in the text, (c) total task reading time, and (d) time reading text relevant to questions as a function of PF and QF strategies. Analyses were conducted to examine whether findings varied as a function of student characteristics (i.e., reading achievement and working memory capacity) and grade level (Grades 3, 5, and 8). Several interesting findings emerged from our study, including a limited effect of reading strategy use on response accuracy, with only eighth graders demonstrating better accuracy in the QF condition, and several demonstrations of PF leading to more efficient test-taking processes, including (a) longer average total reading times on words in the passage in the PF condition that could be associated with creating a better mental model of the text, (b) often being associated with less total-task time, and (c) being associated with more successful search strategies. Implications for providing teachers and students with strategies are discussed.

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Given the increase in students with learning disabilities entering university, we investigated a broader group-students with a history of reading difficulties (HRD)-who are known to be at risk of academic struggles. We identified the self-reported reading challenges and strategies of university students with HRD (n = 49) and those with no history of reading difficulties (NRD; n = 88) and examined group differences and relations with first-year grade point average (GPA). Students with HRD reported more difficulties with perceived reading comprehension, concentration, and reading speed than students with NRD. Groups differed in use of reading strategies: Students with HRD were descriptively more likely to reduce reading volume by using alternative materials and chose to read based on text length and availability of alternative materials. For both groups, reading completion and concentration strategies were positively related to GPA, while perceived difficulty with reading comprehension and choosing to read based on interest were negatively related to GPA. Some strategies were negatively associated with GPA for students with NRD, but not for students with HRD. Findings revealed the challenges that students with HRD experience with reading in university and identified strategies, potentially adaptive or maladaptive, that they used to manage their academic reading load.

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BACKGROUND: People with aphasia (PWA) frequently experience difficulties in understanding longer written content such as paragraphs or books. Reading strategies are a promising approach to treat text-level reading comprehension deficits in PWA. Nevertheless, empirical evidence for their efficacy remains rare. AIMS: The primary objective of this study was to analyse the efficacy of a strategy-based intervention on text-level reading comprehension in PWA. Secondary objectives were to compare the effects of two strategy-based intervention components and to explore potential moderator effects. METHODS & PROCEDURES: A protocol was published prior to data acquisition. In a repeated measures trial, 26 German participants with chronic, post-stroke aphasia participated in a waiting period without aphasia treatment (control condition) followed by a strategy-based intervention called 'Strategiebasierte Textverständnis-Therapie bei Aphasie' (StraTexT, 14 face-to-face-sessions, twice per week, 60 min each). Two strategy combinations, Intervention Micro targeting microstructure and Intervention Macro targeting macrostructure, were applied to newspaper and magazine articles. Participants were randomly allocated to two parallel groups that received these strategy combinations in interchanged sequences. Assessments were implemented before and after each period as well as 3 and 6 months after the intervention. The primary outcome measure was text-level reading comprehension measured with the total score of a German version of the Test de Compréhension de Textes (TCT-D). Secondary outcome measures addressed the self-reported perception of reading abilities, reading activities and feelings about reading (German version of the Comprehensive Assessment of Reading in Aphasia CARA reading questionnaire) as well as selected cognitive functions. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: The per-protocol-analysis included data from 22 participants. We found significant small improvements up to 6 months post-intervention compared to pre-intervention in the TCT-D Total (d  =  0.35-0.46) as well as medium to large improvements in the CARA questionnaire (d  =  0.68-0.96). Up to 3 months after the intervention, treatment-induced improvements in the TCT-D Total were significantly larger than change without treatment during the control condition. There was no evidence of moderator effects. Furthermore, we found improvements in several cognitive functions. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: Reading strategies can lead to long-term improvements in text-level reading comprehension and in self-reported reading abilities, feelings about reading and reading activities in aphasia. In regular clinical settings, it seems reasonable to implement both Intervention Micro and Intervention Macro. It remains important to investigate participant characteristics that contribute to treatment success. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on the subject Systematic reviews and multiple case studies suggest that reading strategies are a promising approach to treat text-level reading comprehension in aphasia. The efficacy of reading strategies has been demonstrated for different populations. However, to date no group study has evaluated the efficacy of reading strategies on text-level reading comprehension in people with aphasia. What this study adds This study provides the first group-level evidence about the efficacy of a systematic strategy-based intervention in 22 people with post-stroke chronic aphasia. During 14 treatment sessions, participants applied four reading strategies to newspaper and magazine articles within two intervention components called Intervention Micro and Intervention Macro (two strategies per intervention component). We found improvements in text-level reading comprehension for at least 3 months post-intervention, as well as effects on selected cognitive functions and self-reported reading abilities, thoughts and feelings about reading and the ability to engage in reading activities. What are the clinical implications of this work? The strategies and materials evaluated in this study could be used in clinical practice with people with aphasia. In order to replicate treatment effects in clinical practice, we suggest applying the strategy combination with the same protocol features (e.g., frequency, duration, homework, product orientation) as in this study, implementing Intervention Micro and Intervention Macro sequentially in either order. As treatment response was not equal in all individuals, it seems important to investigate individual features that contribute to treatment success.

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The study examined the effect of reciprocal teaching on students' reading comprehension, reading fluency, and metacognitive knowledge of reading strategies, especially among students with learning difficulties. The special focus was to assess how the increase in reading fluency and metacognitive knowledge during the intervention contributes to the reading comprehension outcome. The sample consisted of 301 Grade 3 students, of whom 77 had learning difficulties. Analyzes of (co)variances were used for estimating the effects of reciprocal teaching on the development of reading comprehension, reading fluency, and metacognitive knowledge. Multigroup path analysis was used for testing the effect of increase in reading fluency and metacognitive knowledge on reading comprehension. We found reciprocal teaching had a positive effect on reading comprehension, especially for students with learning difficulties. Reading fluency and metacognitive knowledge improved significantly, but similarly in both the intervention and control groups. However, the increase in metacognitive knowledge only contributed to reading comprehension in the intervention group, not in the control group. The study sheds light on the cognitive and metacognitive mechanisms underlying students' reading comprehension process, emphasizing metacognitive knowledge and especially the systematic practice of reading strategies as key factors in improving reading comprehension.

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Learning to read primary scientific literature (PSL) is an important part of developing scientific literacy skills. First-year students entering college often have little previous exposure to PSL and therefore face initial barriers in learning how to engage with PSL. Annotations have been shown to be a useful tool in undergraduate education and have potential for guiding students in developing higher-level reading strategies. In this study, we collected both qualitative and quantitative data to test the hypothesis of whether annotated PSL aids in the development of reading strategies for novice students learning to read PSL. Our qualitative results showed that annotations help students (i) break down PSL into manageable pieces, (ii) summarize the text, (iii) identify key information, and (iv) distinguish between different sections of PSL. Quantitatively, we saw no significant influence of annotations on the development of reading strategies for students learning to read PSL. Overall, our study provides a window into better understanding of specific strategies that students employ in reading PSL. Collectively, we suggest incorporating annotated PSL with some scaffolding social activities as an effective strategy to bring novice readers up the on-ramp of scientific literacy.

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Background: Reading literacy is key for personal development and educational success. Previous studies have examined variables that influence and enhance development of reading literacy in specific contexts. However, there is no consensus about which teaching practices encourage development of reading in different settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate how educational strategies influence the development of reading literacy and to analyse their predictive capacity in various cultural, educational and social contexts. Method: The study used data from 294,527 students from 37 countries collected as part of the PISA 2018 study. The data were analysed using an adaptation of the Difference in Differences methodology, which allowed us to isolate the effects of the factors on the acquisition of reading literacy. Results: Students who enjoyed reading and explicitly used an effective reading strategy had reading scores that outperformed their mathematics results on the PISA scale by 4 to 9 points on average. Conclusions: Identifying key factors in the acquisition of reading literacy—such as enjoyment of reading—and the use of effective strategies—such as summarizing texts—underscores the need for suitably targeted educational policies.(AU)

Antecedentes: La competencia lectora es clave para el crecimiento personal y el éxito educativo. Estudios previos han analizado las variables que potencian la competencia lectora en contextos específicos. Sin embargo, no existe consenso sobre las prácticas docentes que favorecen la evolución de esta competencia en distintos contextos. El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar la influencia de las estrategias educativas en el desarrollo de la competencia lectora y analizar su capacidad predictiva en distintos contextos culturales, educativos y sociales. Método: Se utilizaron datos de 294.527 alumnos de 37 países recogidos en el estudio PISA 2018. El análisis de datos se realizó mediante una adaptación de la metodología Diferencias en Diferencias, que permitió aislar el efecto de los factores sobre la competencia lectora. Resultados: Los resultados muestran que los estudiantes que disfrutan leyendo y utilizan explícitamente una estrategia de lectura eficaz superan entre 4 y 9 puntos de media los resultados en matemáticas en la escala de PISA. Conclusiones: La identificación de factores clave en la adquisición de la competencia lectora, como el disfrute de la lectura y la utilización de estrategias eficaces de comprensión y síntesis de textos escritos, enfatiza la necesidad de generar políticas educativas orientadas a su desarrollo. (AU)

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The current study investigated the predictive ability of language knowledge and reported strategy use on reading comprehension performance in English-speaking monolingual and bilingual students. One hundred fifty-five children in grade 4 through 6 (93 bilinguals and 62 monolinguals) were assessed on receptive vocabulary, word reading fluency, reading comprehension, and reading strategy use in English. An additional 38 adult bilinguals (i.e., English Language Learners) were assessed on the same measures. Although, the bilingual adult group and bilingual children had significantly lower English vocabulary knowledge relative to the monolingual children, the bilingual adults exhibited reading comprehension performance that was on par with the monolingual children; both groups outperformed the bilingual children. This discrepancy was accounted for by reported strategy use, wherein bilingual adults reported more inferencing, more connecting between sections of text and more reference to the text structure than the children. Reported strategy use also accounted for unique variance in reading comprehension performance above and beyond the contributions of English vocabulary knowledge and word reading fluency. Findings highlight the strategies that successful readers report and emphasize the value of promoting effective strategy selection in addition to language instruction in the development of reading comprehension skill.

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Primary Scientific Literature (PSL) has been used in undergraduate classrooms as a way to engage students with the research process and to increase science literacy. Most curricula lack any formal training for undergraduates to critically read PSL even though most undergraduate science courses require students to engage with PSL at some level. In addition, there are limited studies exploring the process by which expertise in reading PSL develops in undergraduates. In this study, we adapted behaviors that expert and novice PSL readers exhibit into a quantitative assessment tool, the PSL Reading Strategies Assessment, to evaluate undergraduates' development of reading strategies when learning to read PSL. Factor analysis and reliability measures were implemented to determine the structure of our assessment tool. Our results show the PSL Reading Strategies Assessment is sensitive enough to measure differences among student populations, suggesting that it can be used as a diagnostic tool to guide instructors and researchers as they change curricula, implement new teaching strategies, and strive to develop students' science literacy. Moreover, our data show that developing expert-like reading strategies in students learning to read PSL is not easy. Simply reading a PDF does little to promote the development of reading strategies in students learning to read PSL.

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BACKGROUND: In language learning, reading is a skill that enables interaction with a text in whatever field of knowledge the learner is pursuing. Readers tend to use strategies such as comprehension, interpretation and conception of decoding written language and texts to enhance their reading capacity. This research explores the reading strategies applied by Saudi English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners and compares the reading abilities of male and female EFL students. METHODS: The study interviewed three EFL students about the reading strategies they applied while reading passages and texts. Then an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) reading test was handed over to 26 randomly selected students. RESULTS: The study found that the reading strategies used by the students interviewed involved skimming, scanning, guessing the meaning from context, identifying the mean idea, and summarizing the body of the text in question. Moreover, the study revealed that both male and female students scored low in the IELTS tests that the researchers conducted. The average mean score they reached was 7.15 out of 20. However, even in the low scoring ratio, female students (M=7.69) outperformed male students (M= 6.62) and the difference between them remained significant, P=.000. CONCLUSIONS: The study recommends that the language instructors help EFL learners in developing their reading strategies and applying them every time they read any text.

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Even in the digital age, learning mathematics at an academic level still requires much reading of mathematical text. Research has shown that reading mathematical text requires readers to engage with all the structures of the book and with its pedagogical voice, making connections, and plausible reasoning. Specific practices and strategies that support the close reading of mathematical text have been suggested; however, descriptions and empirical evaluations of materials designed to support these activities are rare. We present the design and first evaluation cycle of materials developed in a design research project that aims to scaffold close reading of mathematical text. The materials were designed and evaluated in a German university course on elementary geometry for first-year teacher education students who study mathematics to become primary teachers. The reading strategies were explained and modeled for students in reading-strategy videos. Additionally, close reading of mathematical text was scaffolded by close-reading tasks and homework tasks and problems that build on the reading strategies and were specifically designed to foster understanding of the mathematical text. Survey data were collected from 296 students to evaluate their use of and attitude toward the different materials. The quantitative results indicate that students used the materials and were generally able to learn the course content by themselves. From all provided materials, they found the close-reading tasks most helpful. A qualitative analysis of answers to open questions revealed issues with different materials, particularly with the script, and requests for additional materials. The issues with the script were categorized inductively. The categories are presented as a qualitative result of the study and discussed. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10763-022-10309-y.

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A growing body of research suggests that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at risk of reading and learning difficulties. However, there is mixed evidence on their weaknesses in different reading components, and little is known about how reading skills characterize in ASD. Thereby, the current study aimed to systematically review the research investigating this function in children with ASD. To this purpose, we reviewed 24 studies that compared (1) children with ASD and children with typical development (TD) in word and nonword reading performance, (2) children with ASD and normative data of word and nonword reading tests, and (3) the results obtained by children with ASD in word and nonword reading tests. Most of the comparisons (62%) contrasting the reading performance of children with ASD and children with TD did not find significant differences between groups in both word and nonword reading. However, all the comparisons that reported standardized results showed that children with ASD had scores that fell within population norms. Regarding the third comparison of interest, about 54% of the studies presented data for both word and nonword reading, but only one study tested the difference between them and showed that children with ASD had higher levels of word than of nonword reading. Despite these results, the heterogeneous and small samples do not allow to draw sound conclusions regarding the strategies that children with ASD use to read words. As consequence, the nature of reading difficulties presented by children with ASD are still unknown, requiring future research conducted with larger and well-characterized samples of ASD and TD, using homogeneous specific tasks designed to assess word reading strategies.

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Viewing strategies are strategies used to support visual information processing. These strategies may differ between children with cerebral visual impairment (CVI), children with ocular visual impairment, and children with normal vision since visual impairment might have an impact on viewing behavior. In current visual rehabilitation practice a variety of strategies is used without consideration of the differences in etiology of the visual impairment or in the spontaneous viewing strategies used. This systematic scoping review focuses on viewing strategies used during near school-based tasks like reading and on possible interventions aimed at viewing strategies. The goal is threefold: (1) creating a clear concept of viewing strategies, (2) mapping differences in viewing strategies between children with ocular visual impairment, children with CVI and children with normal vision, and (3) identifying interventions that can improve visual processing by targeting viewing strategies. Four databases were used to conduct the literature search: PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and Cochrane. Seven hundred and ninety-nine articles were screened by two independent reviewers using PRISMA reporting guidelines of which 30 were included for qualitative analysis. Only five studies explicitly mentioned strategies used during visual processing, namely gaze strategies, reading strategies and search strategies. We define a viewing strategy as a conscious and systematic way of viewing during task performance. The results of this review are integrated with different attention network systems, which provide direction on how to design future interventions targeting the use of viewing strategies to improve different aspects of visual processing.

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This study explored how reading motivation, self-regulated reading strategies and English vocabulary knowledge influenced students' English reading comprehension simultaneously in one model. A total of 543 students from five universities in Southern China completed a reading motivation questionnaire, a reading strategy questionnaire, two vocabulary knowledge tests, and a reading comprehension test. Multiple regression analysis results showed that reading efficacy and enjoyment, and vocabulary knowledge (i.e., both vocabulary breadth and depth) significantly predicted reading comprehension. When students were grouped into high, average, and low achievers on the reading test, monitoring strategies and vocabulary depth were found to significantly predict reading comprehension for the high achievers.

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We evaluate the direct and inferential mediation (DIME) model for reading comprehension with a sample of struggling readers in Grades 3 to 5 (N = 364) in the context of a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) investigating two theoretically distinct reading interventions (text processing + foundational skills [n = 117] or text processing only [n = 120]) and a control condition (n = 127). We investigate whether the intervention affects not just reading comprehension levels, but also how variables within the reading system interrelate. This approach allows the focus to shift from intervention as influencing a change in reading comprehension status to a complex set of processes. We fit structural equation models (SEMs) to evaluate the DIME model at baseline and a change model that included reading comprehension and word reading at posttest. There were no significant mean differences between groups in reading comprehension. However, significant differences emerged on the direct and indirect effects of background knowledge, vocabulary, word reading, strategies, and inferencing on comprehension across grade levels and treatment conditions. Related to treatment groups, background knowledge, vocabulary, and inferencing were significantly related to comprehension at posttest for students who received text processing and/or foundational skills interventions. The results have implications for the direct instruction of higher-order reading skills in the context of multicomponent interventions.

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Children with Down syndrome (DS) using intensive computer-based phonics (GraphoGame, GG) were studied. The children's independence and improvement in phonological processing, letter knowledge, word decoding, and reading strategies were investigated. Seventeen children (5-16 years) with DS participated in a crossover design through 8 weeks (one period), with three test sessions separated by 4 weeks. Children were randomly assigned to GG intervention or regular schooling (RS). All children completed one period and eight children completed two periods. A majority gradually became independent in managing GG. At the group level, very little benefit was found from working with GG. At the individual level, several children with mild to severe intellectual disabilities showed increased decoding of trained words. After one period of GG and RS, an increase in alphabetically decoded words was found. The finding suggests that when individual challenges are considered, computer-based phonics may be beneficial for children with DS in their educational setting.

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This quasi-experimental study examined training in two types of reading strategies: self-generated questions either connecting to prior knowledge (Extra-Text) or connecting between the text's parts (Within-Text). Immediate and long-term effects were assessed on ninth graders' science text comprehension, versus an untrained control group. The three student groups (N = 193) received the same study unit of scientific texts and accompanying tasks, either with/without training in self-generated questioning. PISA-based science literacy assessments (phenomenon identification, scientific explanation, and evidence utilization) were collected at baseline, immediately after intervention, and at 4-month follow-up. Results from both short- and long-term assessments indicated that those learners trained to generate questions about within-text connections reached significantly higher science text comprehension achievements than the other two groups - students trained to generate questions connecting to their prior knowledge and control students who received no support for generating questions. Findings may contribute to the design of support methods and teaching strategies for promoting literacy in general and scientific literacy in particular.

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Early elementary students are not typically introduced to science-specific disciplinary literacies - the specific ways in which scientists use and interpret language - even though authentic experiences with literacy strategies and tools used within the field may help incorporate learners into the scientific community of practice. The lack of freely available easy-to-use resources to build these literacies in the early elementary classroom may be a contributing factor. The Authentic Literacy and Language (ALL) for Science curriculum framework was developed as a deliberate approach to teach disciplinary literacies in the context of science using three distinct components: Science Investigations, Mini-lessons, and Science Inquiry Circles. Here we outline the development of the curriculum framework and a pilot of a 2nd grade unit based on the framework to teach concepts related to heredity and life cycles. We present findings from the pilot and discuss future directions and implications for the development and implementation of curricular materials using the ALL for Science curriculum framework.

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In large scale low stakes assessments, students usually choose their own speed at which to work on tasks. At the same time, previous research has shown that in hard tasks, the time students invest is a positive predictor of task performance. From this perspective, a relevant question is whether student dispositions other than the targeted skill might affect students' time on task behavior, thus potentially affecting their task performance and in turn their estimated skill in the target domain. Using PISA 2009 computer based assessment data, the present research investigated for the domain of reading digital text whether three variables that can be assumed to predict performance in digital reading tasks, comprehension skill, enjoyment of reading, and knowledge of reading strategies would also predict how much time students would devote to digital reading tasks, and in particular, whether they would adapt time on task to task difficulty. To address this question, two linear mixed models were estimated that predicted the time students spent on a task, and the average time students spent on relevant pages within each task, by the interaction of task difficulty with comprehension skill, enjoyment of reading, and knowledge of reading strategies. To account for time on task being nested in students and tasks, random effects for persons and tasks were included. The interaction of task difficulty with gender and Socio-Economic Status (SES) was included for control purposes. Models were estimated individually for 19 countries, and results integrated meta-analytically. In line with predictions, for both time on task indicators, significant positive interactions were found with comprehension skill, enjoyment of reading, and knowledge of reading strategies. These interactions indicated that in students with high comprehension skill, enjoyment of reading, and knowledge of reading strategies there was a stronger association of task difficulty with time on task than in students low in either of these variables. Thus, skilled comprehenders, students enjoying reading, and students in command of reading strategies behaved more adaptively than lower skilled, motivated, or knowledgeable students. Implications of these findings for the validity of self-paced computer-based assessments are discussed.

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Objective: The purpose of this study was to carry out a systematic review of literature of effective reading intervention for students with - intellectual disabilities (ID), intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and multiple disabilities (MD). Findings and recommendations for future research are discussed. Background and rationale: For students with ID, IDD, and MD ability to read can lead to a better quality of life and better integration into the mainstream society. Several studies have expressed a concern over more emphasis placed on social, personal, and vocational skills for individuals with ID, IDD, and MD than on reading and literacy learning. Having a repertoire of effective interventions carried out with this population will help teachers, teacher educators, and anyone else working with the individuals. Method: This study synthesized findings from previous research with 167 students with ID, IDD, and/or MD to assess effectiveness of instruction for key elements of effective reading instruction such as phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. The review made it explicit that literature reviewed conforms to standards and quality indicators for experimental and quasi-experimental studies. Outcomes: The 12 studies identified and included in this review collectively provided evidence-based strategies for developing components of effective reading at elementary grades and sustaining effective reading at secondary levels. Four tables included describe details of participants, setting, strategies, and evidence of effectiveness. Implications for future research: Recommendations offered included carrying out more studies using qualitative and/or mixed-method approaches to further study use of these strategies in different classrooms and at different grade levels. An exclusive and systematic review of studies that used technology and assistive technology to teach reading could also be carried out.