The need analysis to identify the need for module-based teaching intervention to children with reading difficulties in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Reading is a cognitive brain-based complex process that helps the reader to make meaning from text. Reading is the basic competency in learning, which lays the foundation for future learning and academic achievements. Children are expected to learn to read within age 9. However, some children struggle with reading either because of decoding problems or because of linguistic comprehension problems. Early identification and intervention based on studies are essential for the reading development of children with reading difficulties. This need analysis is aimed identify the module needs in reading fluency for junior secondary children with reading difficulties in Sri Lanka. Three objective were used to find out the teachers' awareness of children with reading difficulties, to find out the teachers' perception of module needs for teaching reading to children with reading difficulties, and to find out the teachers' agreement on the need for Smart Reading Module (SRM) development. An adapted need analysis questionnaire was used with permission, to identify the module need for teaching intervention. 164 junior secondary teachers (59.8 percent of female and 40.2 percentages of male) from Puttalam South Division responded to random assignment. The questionnaire was computed in SPSS ver. 29 for analysis. Survey questions were analyzed with descriptive statistical methods and cross-tabulation. This finding reveals that 78.7 percent of the teachers were aware that reading difficulty is a common difficulty involved in reading and that can be minimized significantly with more practice. 87.3 percent of the junior secondary teachers' identified that children who can't read properly are with normal intelligence. 93.9% of junior secondary teachers recommend teaching reading and they believe that fluency is important for academic success, and remedy programs will help children with reading difficulties to develop reading fluency. 90.9 percent of junior secondary teachers recommend the SRM-based teaching intervention with a teacher guide and student's exercise book with exercise worksheets and activities using multi-sensory, and systematic and explicit teaching intervention. They recommend reading fluency development including phonological awareness, sound-symbol association, syllable, morphology, syntax, semantics instruction, and reading comprehension to teach readers to connect readers’ background knowledge to develop reading comprehension