Preparing Special Educators to Teach Reading Using Multimedia Instruction: A Literature Review

Reading instruction is a key component of special education teacher preparation, with content traditionally delivered through lecture and assigned reading. Recent research investigated the potential for enhancing special education teacher preparation with technological modes of content delivery. This systematic literature review was conducted to explore the effect of multimedia interventions on preservice teachers’ knowledge and skills for delivering reading instruction. Fourteen quantitative studies met the inclusion criteria established and were reviewed to identify the types of multimedia instruction employed, areas of reading instruction addressed, the measures of preservice teacher knowledge and skills used, and the alignment between instruction and theories of learning in the 14 studies. Findings indicate that technological interventions, such as Content Acquisition Podcasts and multimedia vignettes, yielded statistically significant gains in preservice teacher knowledge and skills for delivering reading instruction to students with disabilities when compared with traditional modes of instruction. Multimedia instruction developed with solid theoretical frameworks had increased efficacy, suggesting that individuals preparing future special educators may benefit from increased alignment with theories of learning. Additional implications for teacher education and future research are provided.