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Using Elements of a Screenplay to Promote Visualization and Increase Reading Comprehension in Secondary Students with High Incidence Disabilities

Abstract The 2017 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) findings indicate that only 37% of the nation’s twelfth graders are at or above proficiency in reading and the average reading score for students with disabilities is under the basic skill level. Consequently, high school teachers are faced with developing targeted interventions to address their limited reading skills. An effective response may be to enhance students’ visualization as they read and interact with text, motivating them to make meaning. Students with high incidence disabilities (e.g., attention deficits, learning disabilities) can often be confused by text structure and experience difficulty creating mental images in order to engage with the text. Additionally, it is difficult to motivate reluctant readers to read texts without pictures. Based on the facets of transactional theory and dual coding theory, this descriptive pilot study explored promoting visualization in order to increase reading comprehension in students with disabilities. In a three-week intervention, ten high school students with high incidence disabilities learned to identify seven elements of a screenplay in various movies. They were guided in identifying the visual features in the movies that corresponded with each element. They subsequently practiced using mental imagery, to identify the same elements in literature of increasing complexity using plot diagrams. Findings indicated students visualized more and were able to identify elements within the text structure. Comprehension results were mixed, based on response format. Implications for reading comprehension are discussed.