Conversation Analysis of Shared Reading with Students who Have Significant Support Needs

Authors

  • Nancy Quick, Ph.D. CCC-SLP (Author) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill image/svg+xml
    Nancy Quick, Ph.D. CCC-SLP is an assistant professor at the Center for Literacy an d Disability Studies in the Department of Allied Health Sciences in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. She is a former center-based and school-based speech-language pathologist who served individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing with their families. Nancy’s research interests focus on the identification of hearing loss among children with extensive support needs, as well the communication, language, and literacy needs of children with hearing loss and other disabilities.
  • Penelope Hatch, Ph.D. CCC-SLP (Author) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Penelope Hatch, Ph.D. CCC-SLP is a research assistant professor at the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies in the Department of Allied Health Sciences in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a former school-based speech-language pathologist who provided augmentative communication and assistive technology services to students with significant support needs. Penelope's research interests focus on communication, language, and literacy development for students with complex communication and extensive support needs.
  • Karen Erickson, Ph.D. (Author) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    Karen Erickson, Ph.D. is the David E. and Dolores “Dee” Yoder Distinguished Professor in Literacy and Disability Studies in the Department of Allied Health Sciences in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also the Director of the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies and a Professor in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences. Karen is a former teacher of students with significant disabilities. Her current research addresses literacy and communication assessment and intervention for students with extensive support needs.
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.524
Shared reading focuses on the interaction between an adult and one or more children as they experience a book together. While research has documented classroom shared reading practices among students with diverse characteristics, few have focused on students with significant support needs. Using a conversation-analytic approach, this study sought to describe the teacher strategies that scaffolded successful interactions during shared reading in two self-contained classrooms serving students with significant support needs. Instances of teachers maximizing student participation, promoting connections with the text, maximizing multiple turn interactions, and encouraging students to take the lead were analyzed. Subsequent conversation analysis revealed that a variety of strategies supported students with significant support needs in interactions during shared reading, such as asking open ended questions, commenting, repeating and expanding student comments, modeling text-to-self connections, and providing think time. The implications for applying such strategies during shared reading with students with significant support needs are discussed.

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Acknowledgement 1This document was produced in part under U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs Grant No. H327S160005. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of the Department of Education. No official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education of any product, commodity, service or enterprise mentioned in this publication is intended or should be inferred. Project Officer, Terry L. Jackson.

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Quick, N., Hatch, P., & Erickson, K. (2023). Conversation Analysis of Shared Reading with Students who Have Significant Support Needs. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 18(2), 127-146. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.524

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  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted April 11, 2023
  • Published June 15, 2023
  • Issue Spring/Summer 2023
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