Reciprocal teaching of social studies in inclusive elementary classrooms

Reading comprehension relies on the use of metacognitive strategies. Reciprocal teaching has been found to be an effective comprehension technique to use with students with learning disabilities. This study examined the effectiveness of reciprocal teaching during social studies instruction with several students with learning disabilities in fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade inclusive classrooms. One hundred and twenty-eight students in Grades 4, 5, and 6 participated. Four comprehension assessments were administered, as well as an external measure and 30-day maintenance assessment. A mixed-design MANOVA was used to determine interaction on three reading comprehension measures. Results indicated that all students improved their performance on comprehension measures compared with students in the control groups. Improvement continued to be displayed after 30 days in both the sixth and the fourth grades. Students with learning disabilities significantly improved their ability to compose summaries compared to the control students.