Effects of Reading Motivation and Meta-comprehension on the Reading Comprehension of Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

Introduction.  Reading comprehension is an essential skill to achieve autonomy and independence within our literate society. Unfortunately, several studies show that students with intellectual disabilities tend to achieve low reading levels. In normotypical students, the influence of reading motivation and metacomprehension habilities on reading comprehension has been extensively studied. In this sense, it is interesting and innovative to explore the influence of these variables on the population of students with IDs. Method.  The present research had two main objectives: 1) to describe the level of reading motivation and meta-comprehension skills present in students with intellectual disabilities (N=27); and 2) to predict the impact of these variables on their performance in reading. A standardized reading comprehension test (LECTUM), the Motivation for Reading Questionnaire (MRQ), and different instruments to assess aspects of Metacomprehension (metacomprehension inventory, inconsistency detection test and confidence in performance judgments) were applied. Results.  The analysis of the data through descriptive statistics allowed characterizing the performance of the students in each of the variables considered. In turn, the stepwise linear regression analysis showed that, together, the total number of inconsistencies detected as a measure of metacomprehension monitoring and two dimensions of metacognitive knowledge (knowledge about cognition and regulation after problematic understanding), predict 67% of the variability in participants’ reading comprehension performance. Discussion and Conclusion.  Implications for special educational practice and reading comprehension theory are discussed.