A SELECTIVE SYNTHESIS OF INTERVENTION RESEARCH FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING-DISABILITIES

The present article provides a selective synthesis of instructional (i ntervention) research with samples of children and adolescents with le arning disabilities. Intervention studies were analyzed across instruc tional domain (e.g., reading, social skills), sample characteristics ( e.g., age, intelligence), intervention parameters (length of sessions, number of Reeks), and sampling procedures (e.g., random assignment to conditions vs. intact groups). The synthesis indicated that (a) readi ng is the most researched domain, whereas mathematics and intellectual processing are the least researched, (b) intervention studies that pr oduced the highest effect sizes were related to derivatives of cogniti ve and/or direct instruction; (c) no significant differences in effect sizes were found across response domains (e.g., reading, mathematics, spelling, language); (d) effect sizes for cognitive processes (e.g., attribution, metacognition, memory) were higher when coupled with acad emic domains than when ''isolated'' for intervention, and (e) effect s izes were significantly higher for intact or stratified groups when co mpared to randomly sampled groups. The limitations of current studies, as well as the current synthesis, are discussed.