University Study: Critique of Quasi-Experimental Design

This report critiques a quasi-experimental design study titled "Collaborative Strategic Reading for Students with Learning Disabilities in Upper Elementary Classrooms." The study, employing multisite cluster randomized control trials, investigates the efficacy of Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) on reading comprehension among fourth- and fifth-grade students, particularly those with learning disabilities. The research, conducted in multiple schools across different states, explores the impact of CSR in general education classrooms compared to traditional teaching methods. The report examines the study's research questions, population of interest, methodology, and statistical analyses, including the use of multilevel modeling. It highlights the importance of improving reading comprehension for students with learning disabilities and the potential benefits of CSR implementation. The critique also acknowledges the limitations of the study, such as the use of varied data sources, and suggests improvements for future research, including the incorporation of interview data. Overall, the report underscores the significance of the study's findings and its implications for educational practices.

Running head: CRITIQUE OF QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN STUDY 1
Critique of Quasi-Experimental Design Study
Name
Institution

CRITIQUE OF QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN STUDY 2
Critique of Quasi-Experimental Design Study
The article "Collaborative Strategic Reading for Students with Learning Disabilities in
Upper Elementary Classrooms" employed multisite cluster randomized control trials (RCT).
The use of the method enables the researcher to avoid the risk of teacher-level acting as a
confounding variable. Further, in the study, the teachers were randomly assigned CSR, while
others were allowed to use their typical teaching approaches. The main research question of
the study is the applicability of collaborative strategic reading (CSR) for students with
learning disabilities. In order to measure the applicability of CSR, the research question is
narrowed to three specific operational questions:
1. What is the efficacy of CSR on the reading comprehension of fourth- and fifth-grade
students in general education classrooms compared with students in a comparison
group?
2. What is the efficacy of CSR taught in general education classrooms for a subgroup of
students with learning disabilities?
3. How does fidelity to the CSR model distinguish instruction between CSR and
comparison classrooms? (Boardman et al., 2016).
The population of interest is students with learning disabilities. However, the population
of interest is students with learning disabilities in upper elementary classrooms (fourth and
fifth-grade students). Further, “the study took place in 14 elementary schools located in three
urban/near urban school districts, two in one state (Site 1) and one in another state (Site 2).”
(p. 413). The study is of great importance to the general population of students with learning
disabilities in public learning institutions. The generalization takes effect under the following
assumptions: (1) The teachers in the school's willingness to learn and use CSR, (2) Follow up

CRITIQUE OF QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN STUDY 3
activities on such students should be put in place in a situation where the students are in a
general class. The equations of the study include were presented in the form of levels:
Level 1
PostGMRTijk=π 0 jk+ π 1 jkx ( PreGMRTijk ) +π 2 jkx ( LDijk ) +π 0 jkx ( SpedOTHER ijk ) +eijk
(1)
Level 2
π 0 jk=β 00 k +β 00 kx ( CONDITIONjk )+ r 0 jk (2)
π 1jk = β10k (3)
π 2 jk=β 20 k + β 20 kx ( CONDITIONjk ) +r 2 jk (4)
π3jk = β30k (5)
Level 3
β 00 k=γ 000+u 00 k (6)
Where:
PostGMRTijk = Posttest scores controlling for GMRT for condition ijk
PreGMRTijk = Pretest scores controlling for GMRT for condition ijk
Sped_OTHERijk = Special education other than learning disability for condition ijk.
π , β , γ , u ∧r = parameters
Eijk= error term.

CRITIQUE OF QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN STUDY 4
The study shows that improving reading comprehension for all students is very
important for better academic achievement. Students with learning disabilities (LD) take
advantages from teachers in general classroom since they need new strategy with the least
restrictive environment to develop their skills and enable them to a better understanding. CSR
reading and comprehension is a great strategy which can be implemented in general
classroom with all subjects such as science or social studies to improve students reading
comprehension. The teacher can choose a paragraph from this subject and ask students to
read it thus building the confidence of the students. However, the main limitation of the study
was that it used data from varied sources; thus, the validity of such sources is questionable.
To improve external validity, future researchers should consider using interview data. Finally,
in the study, the sources of the data were not mentioned and described in the article.

CRITIQUE OF QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN STUDY 5
References
Boardman, A. G., Buckley, P., Klingner, J., Reutebuch, C., Roberts, G., & Vaughn, S. (2016)
Collaborative strategic reading for students with learning disabilities in upper elementary
Classrooms. Exceptional Children, 82(4), 409 – 427.