Comprehension in context: The facilitation of comprehension skills for students with learning disabilities by special educators nominated as effective

While the importance of explicit comprehension instruction has been well documented across general and special education, observational research reveals that comprehension is still not an integral part of reading instruction. In their qualitative comparison of the instructional practices of effective and typical teachers, Pressley and his colleagues (2001) found an exception to this rule: Effective teachers integrate comprehension instruction into a balanced literacy model. Therefore, this multi-case study was designed to ascertain the explicit and supportive comprehension practices of two special educators nominated as effective in the field of reading, as well as to reveal the teachers' pedagogical and disability-related beliefs and the factors that influence them.;The participants, Wendy and Linda, both worked with sixth graders with learning disabilities (LD). Data were gathered through a series of observations with each teacher as well as three semi-structured interviews. All data were analyzed via the dual processes of data reduction and expansion as described by Coffey and Atkinson (1996).;The two teachers displayed significant differences in their instructional practices and beliefs. Wendy articulated the importance of knowing each student as a reader and building upon individual strengths and needs. Her comprehension instruction had a rich dialogue-base, with frequent reference to strategies, both modeled and reinforced. Explicit links between strategy use and active reading were rarely observed, however. Linda spoke of students with LD from a more traditional perspective, articulating her responsibility to provide what students lacked, such as motivation and enjoyment of reading. In regards to comprehension, Linda assisted students in answering particular, troublesome, questions, rather than facilitating global understandings of active reading.;Comparisons were made across cases to illuminate a number of underlying commonalities and divergences. For example, there was a lack of a common language for understanding comprehension instruction between the participants and myself; we all spoke confidently of comprehension strategies, not realizing we were articulating different perspectives. This case study indicates the ways two special educators nominated as effective embed and support comprehension skills for students with LD, illuminates the complexities of instructional decision-making from a personal perspective, and opens numerous avenues for future research.