A multi-case study of special educators' approaches to literacy instruction

The purpose of this study was to investigate the instructional strategies special education teachers employ to teach students with learning disabilities to read.;Data were gathered in five special education classrooms, situated in an inland northwest rural school district, over a period of seven months. Data collection methods and sources included participant observation, participant interviews, and personal and official artifacts.;On-going analysis occurred during data collection and analysis following data collection involved inductively coding the data and categorizing the codes. Patterns and trends emerged from the data and were grouped under five broad categories: teacher preparation, interventions, assessment, limitations to instruction, and teacher values and beliefs.;Conclusions focused on the importance of including specific training in effective instructional strategies for special education teachers who are charged with teaching children with learning disabilities to read.