ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the research on reading development and instruction for students with reading-related learning disabilities (e.g., word reading difficulties, reading comprehension difficulties) who are also English learners. The first section describes theoretical frameworks for understanding how children acquire and gain proficiency in reading, particularly in relation to the acquisition of a second language. We focus on the Reading Systems Framework (Perfetti & Stafura, 2014) and the simple view of reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986). We also review research on core cognitive processes (e.g., phonological processing, rapid naming, and working memory) that have been shown to predict reading difficulties within and across languages. The second section highlights intervention research, including a summary of significant studies addressing the instruction of reading skills (e.g., phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension) for ELs experiencing reading difficulties. Large-scale experimental and quasi-experimental design studies suggest the benefit of multiple-component reading instruction that includes phonological awareness and phonics instruction for kindergarten-aged and Grade 1 ELs with or at risk for reading disabilities. Although approaches to vocabulary and oral language instruction for ELs with reading difficulties are relatively unstudied, research suggests vocabulary and oral language instruction may make an important contribution to improvement in reading comprehension outcomes for ELs who are struggling readers. The third section discusses implications for practitioners, providing guidance for teachers and other educational stakeholders related to research-based practices for accelerating development of foundational word reading skills (e.g., phonemic awareness), foundational language comprehension skills (e.g., vocabulary knowledge), and discourse-level comprehension skills (e.g., comprehension monitoring) for students who are English learners with reading difficulties. The fourth section identifies gaps in the research and issues related to research methodology that prevent a more complete understanding of reading development for English learners with reading difficulties. We propose directions for future research that might expand our understanding of effective instruction for this population of students.
