- Sekineh Motaharisadr, Saeed Bakhtiarpour, - Ahmad Ramezani, Parviz Asgari,
Volume 22, Issue 4 (12-2022)
Abstract
Objective: This research was aimed to determine the effectiveness of Kephart's visual-motor method on the reading difficulties of students with reading disabilities. Method: The design of the study was clinical-trial with pre-test, post-test and follow-up. The subjects were selected among the students with reading difficulties referred to two private centers for learning disorders in Rafsanjan. In this case study, 10 students were selected through convenience sampling. The intervention program was designed based on Kephart's visual-motor method and was practiced for 10 weeks (one session each week). Reading assessment questionnaire was used to assess the subjects’ reading skills. Results: The highest means in the pre-test were related to the sound of the alphabet letters (37.40) and the silent letters (23.00). The highest means in the post-test were related to the sound of the alphabet letters (39.70) and the name of the alphabet letters (23.60). In follow-up, the highest means were related to the sound of the alphabet letters (40/00) and the alphabet names (24/90). The lowest averages in pre-test, post-test and follow-up belonged to rhyme detection (0/20, 2.1 and 2.10, respectively) and suffixes (1.80, 2.00 and 2.30, respectively). Wilk’s lambda multivariate test showed (P-value = 0/035, α≤ 0/05) for removing the final sound and naming the sound of the remaining letters, (P-value=0/037, α≤0/05) for reading the words (1) and (P-value=0/001, α≤0/05) for the compound words, revealing a significant difference between the subjects in pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The effectiveness was not confirmed in other scales. In the study of intra-group effects, the subscale of the vowel alphabet (α≤ 0/02) was significant in all the three stages. Conclusion: Kephart's visual-motor method was effective in improving the reading disorders in students with reading disability in some levels of reading skills such as dropping the last sound, word reading, and vowel combinations.
