Transfer between Reading Comprehension and Word-Problem Solving among Children with Learning Difficulty in Both...

Reading comprehension (RC) and word-problem solving (WPS) both involve text processing. Yet, despite evidence that RC text-structure intervention improves RC, transfer to WPS has not been investigated. Similarly, despite evidence that WPS text-structure intervention improves WPS, transfer to RC has not been examined. The purpose of this randomized controlled trial was to assess effects of single-domain text-structure intervention (RC or WPS intervention) for simultaneously improving RC and WPS. Second-grade children with comorbid learning difficulty across RC and WPS were randomly assigned to 3 conditions: RC text-structure intervention (RC.INT), WPS text-structure intervention (WP.INT), or the standard school program (the control group). Inferential tests for acquisition effects in multilevel models were significant. RC.INT's effect sizes (vs. control) on RC were g = 1.16 and 0.83; WP.INT's ESs (vs. control) on WPS were g = 1.36 and 1.05. Inferential tests for cross-domain transfer effects in multilevel models were also significant. RC.INT's ESs (vs. control) on WPS were g = 0.41 and 0.68; WP.INT's ES (vs. control) on RC were g = 0.91 and 0.54. Children's text-structure knowledge in passages and word problems mediated acquisition and cross-domain transfer effects in multilevel models. Findings suggest that text-structure intervention may help address the complex needs of children with comorbid RC and WPS difficulty.