Assisted Reading with Digital Audiobooks for Students with Reading Disabilities

Limitations

This study had limitations that affect the interpretation and generalizability of 

the results. First, a relatively small sample size was used in this study. Ten students 

participated in the treatment group and ten in the control group. These group 

sizes make generalizability more difficult (Cohen, 1988). However, the results sup-

port existing research with similar populations (Carbo, 1978; Gilbert et al., 1996). 

Second, the teachers used a variety of supplemental reading programs other than 

the commercially-produced curriculum subscribed to by the district and therefore, 

the consistency of instruction across schools varied. Third, there is a possibility 

students did not fulfill the requirements of the study as intended given the ten-

dency for students, especially those with learning disabilities and Attention Deficit 

Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), to lose focus. No evidence suggests that treatment 

or control group students did not participate in assisted reading with digital audio-

books or traditional SSR respectively during the time allotted, but the possibility 

should be considered.