Internet-based Literacy Development for Middle School Students with Reading Difficulties

In response to criticism that most of the evaluation studies investigating computer-assisted learning for middle school students with reading difficulties have focussed on a narrow decoding approach to reading, this research investigated the Internet's effectiveness to enhance students' literacy, reading achievement, and reading motivation. Year 9 secondary school students identified as having normal cognitive ability but a major reading difficulty were randomly selected into either a control or an intervention group. At the end of 10 weeks, students in the intervention group showed significant gains in reading performance and in their attitude to reading. In contrast, those in the nonintervention group who received their usual support program recorded little change. The strategies that contributed to the success of the literacy program are outlined.