Behavioral Engagement among Adolescents with Reading Difficulties: The Role of Active Involvement in a Universally Designed Digital Literacy Platform

Abstract

We use the affordances of a supplemental digital literacy platform to study the dynamics of behavioral engagement and reading comprehension among middle-school students in remedial reading classes. All participating students (n = 315) were identified by their schools as needing additional reading support; 56% received special education services. They used the digital literacy platform designed using the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework for approximately 1 hr per week for an academic year. Embedded indicators of activity in the digital platform captured whether and how students engaged with available text-related activities. Higher levels of behavioral engagement were not associated with improved reading comprehension in the sample overall. An interaction effect indicated that students who started the year with lower reading comprehension skills were likely to benefit more from higher reading-related behaviors and more use of text-to-speech than those starting with relatively higher comprehension skills.

Acknowledgement

We thank the many colleagues who contributed to this project: Alyssa Boucher, Linda Butler, Peggy Coyne, Kim Ducharme, Miriam Evans, Steve Graham, Elysa Greenberger, Tracey Hall, Karen Harris, Ted Hasselbring, Garron Hillaire, Rebecca Louick, Kristin Robinson, and David Rose.

Additional information

Funding

The contents of this article were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education [H327M11000]. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal government.