Daly, E. J., III, Martens, B. K., Kilmer, A., & Massie, D. R. (1996).
The effects of instructional match and content overlap on generalized reading performance.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
29, 507-518.
This study examined the effects of instructional match and
content overlap on students' ability to generalize from passage
reading instruction. Four students with mild disabilities served
as participants. Using a multielement design, students were
instructed with passages at two levels of text difficulty
(instructionally matched vs. instructionally mismatched), and
generalization was assessed with passages at two levels of
similarity to those instructed (low vs. high content overlap).
Results indicated that students' oral reading accuracy and
fluency showed the greatest degree of generalization when
instructional materials were matched to the students' skill level
and assessment materials were similar to those used during
instruction. Moreover, these results were maintained at 1-month
follow-up. The implications of these findings for classroom
reading instruction and the assessment of students' reading
skills are discussed.
DESCRIPTORS: content overlap, instructional match, passage
reading, generalization