Use of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies, Computer-Assisted Instruction and Traditional Classroom Reading Programmes in Remediation of Reading Difficulties in Children: An Empirical Study

Increasing incidence of reading difficulties(RD)has been a matter of concern for every nation ofthe world. In spite of the fact that the large number of child population encounter substantial difficulty in reading, very little research has been conducted to develop evidence-based learning programmes for them. The present paper examines application of three major intervention strategies such as Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS), Computer- Assisted Instruction (CAI) and Traditional Classroom Reading (TCR) for remediation of reading difficulties. The relative efficacies of these methods have been studied on measures like oral reading, and comprehension skill of these children. A quasi- experimental research with pre-post, matched random assignment design was used in this study to assess the effectiveness of three intervention programmes on 36 children with reading difficulties of 4th and 5th children from regular schools. The findings revealed that there were statistically significant improvements in reading skills ofthe participants. PALS showed better gains over CAI and TCR on oral reading and comprehension, whereas CAI seemed to be effective in reducing the number of incorrect responses on cloze ability in the overall reading ability The traditional teaching group (TCR) showed quite imperceptible improvement in their performance.In summary,the study highlights the efficacy of PALS over the other two interventional programmes.