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

Area of Science:

• Education
• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Reading comprehension (RC) and word-problem solving (WPS) rely on text processing.
• Prior interventions improved single domains, but cross-domain transfer effects were not well-studied.
• Children with comorbid RC and WPS difficulties present complex learning challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of single-domain text-structure interventions on both RC and WPS.
• To investigate the transfer effects of RC intervention on WPS and vice versa.
• To determine if text-structure knowledge mediates these effects.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving second-grade children with comorbid RC and WPS difficulties.
• Three conditions: RC text-structure intervention (RC.INT), WPS text-structure intervention (WP.INT), and a control group.
• Multilevel models were used to analyze acquisition and cross-domain transfer effects.

Main Results:

• Both RC.INT and WP.INT significantly improved their respective target skills (acquisition effects).
• Significant cross-domain transfer effects were observed: RC.INT improved WPS, and WP.INT improved RC.
• Children's text-structure knowledge mediated both acquisition and transfer effects.

Conclusions:

• Single-domain text-structure interventions can simultaneously enhance both reading comprehension and word-problem solving skills.
• Text-structure knowledge is a crucial factor in improving both academic areas.
• These findings offer a promising approach for supporting children with combined RC and WPS learning difficulties.