Navigating Inclusion: Teachers’ Insights into Reading Difficulties among Students

Navigating Inclusion: Teachers’ Insights into Reading Difficulties among Students | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Navigating Inclusion: Teachers’ Insights into Reading Difficulties among Students Dr. Dhananjay Vishnu Deshmukh, Dr. Santosh Yadav, Avinash Vitthalrao Aneraye This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9454945/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The article discusses about the reading difficulties observed and experienced by mainstream school teachers and special educators in an inclusive setup. For this purpose, responses were taken from mainstream teachers and special educators on the Questionnaire “Teacher Experience on Reading Difficulties (TERD)” prepared and validated by the researcher. Teacher Experience on Reading Difficulties (TERD) includes 10 questions, having 6 closed-ended and 4 open-ended questions. Responses were collected using an online Google Form. The sample included 49 teachers, of whom 28 were special educators and 21 mainstream teachers. Responses were collected and analysed using simple percentages for 6 questions and content analysis for 4 questions of the TERD. Both types of teachers reported different types of reading difficulties. Teachers experienced that the reading difficulty associated with the components of fluency and comprehension was more among the students as compared to the reading difficulties associated with recognition and pronunciation. Special Education Reading Reading Difficulties Inclusive Setup Students with and without reading difficulties special educators mainstream teachers fluency comprehension recognition and pronunciation Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Introduction Reading is an important skill associated with the four skills of language learning, viz. Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Any difficulty experienced by the learner in one area will lead to the subsequent struggle to develop competency in the acquisition of other skills. Thus, in order to ensure a progressive development of language skills and acquisition of mastery in the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, it is essential that consistent efforts are made during the classroom teaching learning process. In spite of these efforts, students are often observed having trouble with skill acquisition. Reading is the complex cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning in the context of what is being taught. It is a form of language processing that includes language acquisition, communication, and sharing information and ideas. The reading is measured on the ability of the child to correctly recognise and identify the words, recall and repeat them fluently, pronounce them correctly and clearly and finally comprehend the meaning of words. 1 Reading difficulty is characterized as an individual’s inability to grow “rapid, context-free word identification skill” (Lovett, Steinbach, and Frijters, 2000 pp. 334-358). Reading difficulty is the inability of a child to read a particular text as expected from the age and class group for that particular age. The major areas of study under reading skills include recognition, fluency and comprehension. Recognition Word recognition is defined here as recognising words without resorting to any apparent use of strategies—that is, the student recognises the word at sight. Word identification, on the other hand, refers to the use of one or more strategies to identify unknown words. Accurate and automatic word recognition and identification are important so that students can read more, concentrate on comprehension (Stanovich, 1991, pp. 418-452), and read independently. Word knowledge also assists spelling, aids the use of context as an early reading strategy, and promotes interest in reading. Fluency Reading fluency is the ability to read a text easily. Reading fluency actually has four parts: accuracy, speed, expression and comprehension. Each part is important, but no single part is enough on its own. A fluent reader can coordinate all four aspects of fluency. (Elish-Piper, L 2010, pp.48-49) Comprehension Comprehension is the reason for reading. If readers can decode the words but fail to understand, interpret, or connect with what they read, they are not truly reading. Effective readers are both purposeful and active, using a range of cognitive and linguistic skills to construct meaning, analyze ideas, and internalize information (Reading Rockets, 2024). This paper specifically focuses on reading skills and the associated reading difficulties observed among students. Beyond comprehension, reading difficulties often stem from expressive speech and language challenges, which include deficits in phonetics, phonemics, and morphology—core linguistic components that influence recognition, pronunciation, and fluency. When learners struggle to manipulate sounds (phonemics), articulate them accurately (phonetics), or understand word structures (morphology), their ability to express and comprehend language through reading becomes significantly hindered. These aspects are therefore examined empirically in the present study to understand their role in shaping reading proficiency. Objective: To identify the type of reading experiences and difficulties observed by teachers in the classroom. To identify the difference in experiences of the mainstream teacher and special educators with reference to the reading difficulties faced by the students. To classify and analyse the percentage of reading difficulties experienced by mainstream teachers and special educators in the classroom. To derive pedagogical recommendations for addressing these challenges through inclusive and evidence-based instructional practices. Research Questions What type of reading difficulties are faced by students in the classroom, as reported by the teacher's experience? What type of recognition problems related to reading are faced by students in the classroom, as reported by the teacher's experience? What type of comprehension problems related to reading are faced by students in the classroom, as reported by the teacher's experience? What type of fluency problems related to reading are faced by students in the classroom, as reported by the teacher's experience? What types of instructional interventions are required to overcome these reading problems? Research Method A Descriptive Survey Research Method employing a quantitative approach was used to collect and analyze teachers’ responses regarding reading difficulties among students. The quantitative method was selected as it enables objective measurement of trends, frequencies, and relationships across a large group of respondents. Data were collected through a structured Google Form questionnaire , designed to gather information on different dimensions of reading difficulties such as fluency, comprehension, pronunciation, and expressive language. The questionnaire included both closed-ended and Likert-scale items to ensure measurable and analysable responses. The sample comprised mainstream teachers and special educators working at primary and upper primary levels. The inclusion criteria involved teachers currently engaged in classroom instruction with at least one year of teaching experience, and those familiar with reading intervention strategies. The exclusion criteria ruled out pre-service teachers, administrators, and respondents without direct classroom experience. Data fitness and reliability were ensured through pilot testing of the tool and consistency checks before analysis. Population, Sample and Sampling Techniques The population of the study consisted of mainstream teachers and special educators working in government and private schools at the pre-primary level in an inclusive setup, teaching students from pre-primary to grade five in inclusive classrooms. The teachers were selected from private and government schools in the Delhi region, working during the academic year 2021-2022. The researcher used simple random sampling techniques to select the teachers. 28 mainstream teachers, out of which 13 were from private schools and 15 from government schools setup were selected for the study. These teachers were teaching a total of 120 students, comprising 52 students from government schools and 68 students from private schools, in an inclusive setup during the academic year 2021-2022. The data was collected using the Teacher Experience about Reading Difficulty test (TERD), a Questionnaire which measures the experiences of teachers while teaching students. Research Tool The researcher developed and validated the Teacher Experience about Reading Difficulty test (TERD) was used to collect the data. The objective of TERD was to study and document the teachers’ experiences when they are teaching students having reading difficulties in an inclusive setup. The questionnaire consisted of 10 items. Six questions were in the form of multiple choice, and four were in the form of open-ended descriptive questions. Multiple-choice questions were analysed as 1 mark for a correct answer and 0 marks for a wrong answer. The open-ended descriptive questions were analysed qualitatively using emerging codes. The respondents were expected to answer all the questions in the questionnaire. The questions covered the experiences associated with the tasks and areas of reading difficulties included in the Reading Difficulties Screening Test, namely: Recognition, Fluency, and Comprehension. This paper presents the findings of the quantitative MCQ’s only. Data Analysis The data analysis technique is a percentage for the quantitative questions. The data collected by teachers on four components, viz. Recognition, Fluency, Comprehension, and Pronunciation were tabulated and analysed using percentages. RQ 1: Type of reading difficulties faced by students in the classroom Table 1: Teacher Experience on Types of Reading faced by students Recognition Fluency Comprehension Pronunciation 50.79% 60.31% 68.25% 52.38% Table 1 shows that 50.79% teachers reported that students face recognition difficulties, 60.31% teachers reported fluency difficulties, 68.25% teachers reported comprehension difficulties, and 52.38% teachers reported that students face pronunciation difficulties during the process of reading. Analysis of Reading Difficulties w.r.t to components of recognition, fluency and comprehension RQ 2: Types of Recognition problems faced by students This research question assessed the recognition problem related to three different areas viz. a) Recognition difficulty w.r.t. learnt letter, differentiation between capital and small and differentiation between similar alphabets; b) Matching Difficulty viz. Matching letters with pictures, letters, names and objects; c) recalling & comprehension difficulty w.r.t see picture & answer the question, read & copy, recognition of pictures and sentence. Table 2: Teacher Experience on Types of Recognition problems faced by students Learnt Letter Difference between capital and small Difference between similar alphabets All types 11.11 7.93 14.28 58.73 Table 2 shows that 11.11% teachers reported that students face difficulties in learnt letters, 7.93% teachers reported that students cannot differentiate between capital and small letters, 14.28% teachers reported that students cannot differentiate between similar letters, and 58.73% teachers reported that students face difficulties in all three areas. Table 3: Teacher Experiences on Recognition Reading Difficulties w.r.t. Matching Matching letters with pictures Matching letters with letters Matching names with objects All types 17.46 9.52 31.74 28.57 Table 3 shows that 17.46% teachers reported that students without disabilities face difficulty in matching letters with pictures; 9.52% teachers reported difficulty in matching letters with letters; 31.74% teachers reported difficulty in matching names with objects; and 28.57% teachers reported that students without disabilities face all three areas. Recognition Difficulties with recalling and comprehension are shown in Table 4. Table 4: Teacher Experiences on Reading Difficulties with regard. recalling & comprehension See the picture & answer the question Read & copy letter/alphabet/words Recognition of pictures Read the sentence & copy the same 39.68 38.09 28.57 58.73 Table 4 shows that 39.68% teachers reported that students were not able to see picture and answer the question, 38.09% teachers reported that students were not able to read and copy letters/alphabet and words, 28.57% teachers reported that students were not able to recognise pictures, and 58.73% teachers reported that students were not read a sentence and copy the same. RQ-3. Types of Fluency reading difficulties faced by students Table 5: Teacher Experiences on Fluency Reading Difficulties faced by students Not able to read specific word Omit the Words Read very Slow Read without understanding 57.14 44.44 46.03 71.42 Table 5 shows that 57.14% teachers reported that students were not able to read specific words, 44.44% teachers reported that students omit the words while reading, 46.03% teachers reported that students read very slow and 71.42% teachers reported that students read without understanding. RQ-4. Comprehension Reading Difficulties Faced by Students Table 6: Teacher Experiences on Comprehension Reading Difficulties faced by students Read passage & answer questions Identify words in the paragraph Identify words not in paragraph Picture reading & comprehension 68.25 38.09 28.57 47.61 Table 6 shows that 68.25% teachers reported that students were not able to read the passage and answer the question, 38.09% teachers reported that students were not able to identify the words in the paragraph, 28.57% teachers reported that students were not able to identify the words which were NOT in the paragraph and 47.61% teachers reported that students were not able to comprehend the scene by reading and viewing the picture. B. Analysis of Teacher Experience about Reading Difficulties w.r.t. qualitative questions Major difficulties faced by students in class w.r.t recognition/identification The teacher's experience of the major difficulties faced by students in class was analysed. The teachers answered this qualitative question based on their experiences during classroom teaching w.r.t recognition/identification. The responses of teachers include: Omissions, Confusion and Letter reversal regarding similar letter recondition like b-d, m-n, e-I, p-q 9-6 etc. Difficulties in differentiating small and capital alphabets Picture identification and naming problems Converting letters to word and reversal of words while reading Transposing letters in words and not able to comprehend cursive writing Not able to recognize/identify similar consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words Mirroring letters and mirroring of numbers Therefore, the major difficulties faced by students in identification/recognition are related to SODA - substitution, omission, distortion, and addition; reversal, confusion, blending, condensation, guessing, and insertion, etc. Major difficulties faced by students in class w.r.t fluent reading Teacher's experience of the major difficulties faced by students in class was analysed. The teachers answered this qualitative question based on their experiences during classroom teaching w.r.t fluent reading. The responses of teachers include: Lack of interest in reading Differentiate the sounds of the alphabet and their use in word formation Reading Letters that have many pronunciations Slow pace of reading due to the inability to recognise letter/word formation Lack of ability to join letters and their sounds to read out words correctly Skipping words while reading Teachers pointed out that after the COVID and pollution break, students with normal/average IQ also show issues in reading and writing, even after 6-7 continuous classes. Therefore, the major difficulties faced by students in fluency in reading are related to stuttering, omission, distortion, condensation, slow pace etc. Major difficulties faced by students in class w.r.t to comprehension The teacher's experience of the major difficulties faced by students in class was analysed. The teachers answered this qualitative question based on their experiences during classroom teaching w.r.t comprehension. The responses of teachers include: First-generation learners, so no support system Scholastic backwardness & low socioeconomic status Faces difficulties in remembering and recalling the concept Difficulty in recognising small and bold letters of the alphabet Difficulty in recognising and identifying answers from the text, Difficulty in grasping the meaning of words in the text, therefore, reading without understanding Difficulty in decoding the words and sentences, Difficulty in remembering while reading, Difficulty in recalling learnt concepts at the time of reading the text Therefore, the major difficulties faced by students in comprehension of the text and reading material are scholastic backwardness, recognising and identifying, remembering and recalling, decoding and interpreting etc. Major difficulties faced by students in class in general w.r.t to the frequency of occurrences The teacher's experience of the major difficulties faced by students in class was analysed. The teachers answered this qualitative question based on their experiences during classroom teaching w.r.t the number of times a particular difficulty occurs, i.e. its frequency of occurrences. The responses of teachers include: Recognition of the alphabet, reversal of letters Students find it difficult to read big words and punctuation errors while reading, Omission, substitutions of letters, punctuation marks Most students can read 3-4 letter words but are not able to read words of more than five letters. Not able to do syllabification while reading, Students have a hard time comprehending the material that they read, Specifically, students with disabilities also have some additional difficulties in combination, of as chunking of words to read, losing track of words while reading and being unable to recall the sound in the inclusive setup. Therefore, the major difficulties faced by students in its frequency of occurrences are identification of recognition and reversal of letters, actions related to punctuation, syllabification, comprehension, chunking of words and loosing track of words etc. Findings of the Study As per the teacher's experiences, 50.79% students face recognition problems, 60.31% students face fluency problems, 68.25% students face comprehension problems, and 52.38% students face pronunciation problems. As per the teacher's experiences, in case of recognition, 11.11% students can’t recognise learnt letters, 7.39% of students can’t differentiate between capital and small letters, 14.28% can’t differentiate between similar letters and a high 58.73% face all three types of recognition problems. As per the teacher's experiences, in case of fluency, 57.14% are not able to read specific words fluently, 44.44% of students omit the words while reading, 46.03% of students read very slowly, and 71.42% of students read without understanding. As per the teacher's experiences, in case of comprehension 68.25% of students face difficulty in answering the questions after reading the passage, 38.09% students are not able to identify the words in the paragraph, 28.57% of students are not able to identify the words that are not in the paragraph and 47.61% of students can’t comprehend picture reading. To derive pedagogical recommendations for addressing these challenges through inclusive and evidence-based instructional practices. RQ. 5 What types of instructional interventions are required to overcome these reading problems? Reading is the foundation of all learning, yet many students in inclusive classrooms experience significant challenges in acquiring reading skills due to diverse learning needs, as informed by special educators and mainstream teachers. To ensure that every learner achieves literacy success, teachers must be well-equipped with effective strategies and intervention techniques. With this objective, a training program was organized for special educators and mainstream teachers focusing on understanding the nature of reading difficulties and implementing practical, evidence-based methods to overcome them. The sessions provided hands-on exposure to different strategies that help the teacher to overcome the reading problems faced by students in the inclusive setup. Content or types of reading difficulties Days Sessions Methods/techniques/strategies for teaching reading difficulties Techniques for Teaching Reading Skills Recognition / Identification- 3 1 Visual Configuration & Picture Clues 2 Semantic & syntactic clues 3 Context clues & Word Structural clues & Analogy clues Approaches for Teaching Identification 3 1 Fernald Approach (VAKT) Ortan - Gillighum Method 2 Reading Recovery Reading Mastery & Corrective reading 3 Association techniques – Sight word Association Procedure, Picture Association Techniques Sentence/word Association Techniques Approaches for Teaching Fluency 3 1 Reading and Reading Aloud Repeated Reading 2 Choral Repeated Reading 3 Making the easy book acceptable and the difficult book accessible Caution Reading Fluency Approaches for Teaching Comprehension 3 1 K-W-L Questioning Strategies 2 Paraphrasing, summarization & Retelling 3 Comprehensive Approaches Reciprocal Teaching The intervention strategies outlined above were specifically recommended to address the reading difficulties commonly faced by students in inclusive classroom settings. To ensure effective implementation, the researcher conducted a structured training program for both special educators and mainstream teachers. The training aimed to equip participants with practical knowledge and evidence-based techniques for identifying, understanding, and remediating reading challenges among diverse learners. Through this capacity-building initiative, teachers were empowered to apply appropriate instructional approaches to enhance students’ reading recognition, fluency, and comprehension skills within an inclusive educational environment. Conclusion The study examined teachers’ experiences of reading difficulties in inclusive classrooms, focusing on recognition, fluency, comprehension, and pronunciation. Findings indicated that comprehension difficulties were the most common, followed by challenges in fluency, pronunciation, and recognition. Teachers frequently reported issues such as letter reversal, omission, and decoding errors, with comprehension problems often linked to limited language exposure and cognitive readiness. Fluency challenges—such as slow reading pace and omission of words—were attributed to weak phonemic awareness, while recognition difficulties reflected gaps in letter-sound association and visual discrimination. These insights respond directly to the research questions, emphasizing the interconnected nature of reading difficulties across different dimensions. In inference, the study highlights that reading difficulties in inclusive classrooms are complex and require differentiated, evidence-based teaching approaches. Enhancing teacher preparedness through inclusive literacy training and adopting multisensory, phonics-based, and comprehension-focused strategies can significantly strengthen early reading development for all learners. Declarations Acknowledgements: The authors express their sincere gratitude to all the teachers who participated in this study and shared their valuable classroom experiences. The authors also acknowledge the institutional support provided during the conduct of this research. Conflict of Interest Statement: We have no conflicts of interest to disclose in this article to be published in this journal. Ethics Approval Statement: The study was conducted in accordance with ethical standards and was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of Indian Institute of Teacher Education (IITE), University For Teacher Education Gujrat All procedures performed in this research involving human participants were in line with institutional and national research guidelines. Participant Consent Statement: Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study. Participation was voluntary, and confidentiality and anonymity of the participants were strictly maintained throughout the research process. References Elish-Piper, L. (2010). Information and ideas for parents about fluency and vocabulary. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 38(2), 48-49. Hosp, A. and Reschly, D. (2003). Teaching and Learning Reading in the Language Classroom. Oxford: University Press. Lovett, M. W., Steinbach, K. A., & Frijters, J. C. (2000). Remediating the core deficits of developmental reading disability: A double-deficit perspective. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 33, 334-358. Mahana P. et al. (Year ) Reading Problems of Secondary School Students in English Language, at School of Education, Ravenshaw University India-Odisha. http://www.k12.wa.us/MigrantBilingual/pubdocs/CLIC2016.pdf. Sandra McCormick & Evelyn Z. Becker (1996) Word recognition and word identification: A review of research on effective instructional practices with learning disabled students, Reading Research and Instruction, 36:1, 5-17, DOI: 10.1080/19388079609558224 Scarborough, H. S., Dobrich, W., & Hager, M. (1991). Preschool literacy experience and later reading achievement. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 24, 508-511. Stanovich, K. E. (1991). Word recognition: Changing perspectives. In R. Barr, M. L. Kamil, P. Mosenthal, & P. D. Pearson (Eds.), Handbook of reading research (Vol. II, pp. 418-452). New York: Longman Yaseen, A. (2013). The Reading Difficulties in English and How to Deal with them as Perceived by Teachers and Students in Nablus District. Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine. Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Reading Rockets: Launching young readers . https://www.readingrockets.org/ Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. 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Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Any difficulty experienced by the learner in one area will lead to the subsequent struggle to develop competency in the acquisition of other skills. Thus, in order to ensure a progressive development of language skills and acquisition of mastery in the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing, it is essential that consistent efforts are made during the classroom teaching learning process. In spite of these efforts, students are often observed having trouble with skill acquisition.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReading is the complex cognitive process of decoding symbols to derive meaning in the context of what is being taught. It is a form of language processing that includes language acquisition, communication, and sharing information and ideas. The reading is measured on the ability of the child to correctly recognise and identify the words, recall and repeat them fluently, pronounce them correctly and clearly and finally comprehend the meaning of words.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003eReading difficulty is characterized as an individual\u0026rsquo;s inability to grow \u0026ldquo;rapid, context-free word identification skill\u0026rdquo; (Lovett, Steinbach, and Frijters, 2000 pp. 334-358). Reading difficulty is the inability of a child to read a particular text as expected from the age and class group for that particular age. The major areas of study under reading skills include recognition, fluency and comprehension.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRecognition\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWord recognition is defined here as recognising words without resorting to any apparent use of strategies\u0026mdash;that is, the student recognises the word at sight. Word identification, on the other hand, refers to the use of one or more strategies to identify unknown words. Accurate and automatic word recognition and identification are important so that students can read more, concentrate on comprehension (Stanovich, 1991, pp. 418-452), and read independently. Word knowledge also assists spelling, aids the use of context as an early reading strategy, and promotes interest in reading.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFluency\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReading fluency is the ability to read a text easily. Reading fluency actually has four parts: accuracy, speed, expression and comprehension. Each part is important, but no single part is enough on its own. A fluent reader can coordinate all four aspects of fluency. (Elish-Piper, L 2010, pp.48-49)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComprehension\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eComprehension is the reason for reading. If readers can decode the words but fail to understand, interpret, or connect with what they read, they are not truly reading. Effective readers are both purposeful and active, using a range of cognitive and linguistic skills to construct meaning, analyze ideas, and internalize information (Reading Rockets, 2024). This paper specifically focuses on reading skills and the associated reading difficulties observed among students. Beyond comprehension, reading difficulties often stem from expressive speech and language challenges, which include deficits in phonetics, phonemics, and morphology\u0026mdash;core linguistic components that influence recognition, pronunciation, and fluency. When learners struggle to manipulate sounds (phonemics), articulate them accurately (phonetics), or understand word structures (morphology), their ability to express and comprehend language through reading becomes significantly hindered. These aspects are therefore examined empirically in the present study to understand their role in shaping reading proficiency.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eObjective:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col start=\"1\" type=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eTo identify the type of reading experiences and difficulties observed by teachers in the classroom.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eTo identify the difference in experiences of the mainstream teacher and special educators with reference to the reading difficulties faced by the students.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eTo classify and analyse the percentage of reading difficulties experienced by mainstream teachers and special educators in the classroom.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eTo derive pedagogical recommendations for addressing these challenges through inclusive and evidence-based instructional practices.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResearch Questions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col start=\"1\" type=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eWhat type of reading difficulties are faced by students in the classroom, as reported by the teacher\u0026apos;s experience?\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eWhat type of recognition problems related to reading are faced by students in the classroom, as reported by the teacher\u0026apos;s experience?\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eWhat type of comprehension problems related to reading are faced by students in the classroom, as reported by the teacher\u0026apos;s experience?\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eWhat type of fluency problems related to reading are faced by students in the classroom, as reported by the teacher\u0026apos;s experience?\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eWhat types of instructional interventions are required to overcome these reading problems?\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Research Method","content":"\u003cp\u003eA \u003cstrong\u003eDescriptive Survey Research Method\u003c/strong\u003e employing a \u003cstrong\u003equantitative approach\u003c/strong\u003e was used to collect and analyze teachers\u0026rsquo; responses regarding reading difficulties among students. The quantitative method was selected as it enables objective measurement of trends, frequencies, and relationships across a large group of respondents. Data were collected through a \u003cstrong\u003estructured Google Form questionnaire\u003c/strong\u003e, designed to gather information on different dimensions of reading difficulties such as fluency, comprehension, pronunciation, and expressive language. The questionnaire included both closed-ended and Likert-scale items to ensure measurable and analysable responses.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003esample\u003c/strong\u003e comprised \u003cstrong\u003emainstream teachers and special educators\u003c/strong\u003e working at primary and upper primary levels. The \u003cstrong\u003einclusion criteria\u003c/strong\u003e involved teachers currently engaged in classroom instruction with at least one year of teaching experience, and those familiar with reading intervention strategies. The \u003cstrong\u003eexclusion criteria\u003c/strong\u003e ruled out pre-service teachers, administrators, and respondents without direct classroom experience. Data fitness and reliability were ensured through pilot testing of the tool and consistency checks before analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePopulation, Sample and Sampling Techniques\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe population of the study consisted of mainstream teachers and special educators working in government and private schools at the pre-primary level in an inclusive setup, teaching students from pre-primary to grade five in inclusive classrooms. The teachers were selected from private and government schools in the Delhi region, working during the academic year 2021-2022.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe researcher used simple random sampling techniques to select the teachers. 28 mainstream teachers, out of which 13 were from private schools and 15 from government schools setup were selected for the study. These teachers were teaching a total of 120 students, comprising 52 students from government schools and 68 students from private schools, in an inclusive setup during the academic year 2021-2022. The data was collected using the Teacher Experience about Reading Difficulty test (TERD), a Questionnaire which measures the experiences of teachers while teaching students.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResearch Tool\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe researcher developed and validated the Teacher Experience about Reading Difficulty test (TERD) was used to collect the data. The objective of TERD\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003ewas to study and document the teachers\u0026rsquo; experiences when they are teaching students having reading difficulties in an inclusive setup. The questionnaire consisted of 10 items. \u0026nbsp;Six questions were in the form of multiple choice, and four were in the form of open-ended descriptive questions. Multiple-choice questions were analysed as 1 mark for a correct answer and 0 marks for a wrong answer. The open-ended descriptive questions were analysed qualitatively using emerging codes. The respondents were expected to answer all the questions in the questionnaire. The questions covered the experiences associated with the tasks and areas of reading difficulties included in the Reading Difficulties Screening Test, namely: Recognition, Fluency, and Comprehension. This paper presents the findings of the quantitative MCQ\u0026rsquo;s only.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData Analysis \u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe data analysis technique is a percentage for the quantitative questions. The data collected by teachers on four components, viz. Recognition, Fluency, Comprehension, and Pronunciation were tabulated and analysed using percentages.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRQ 1: Type of reading difficulties faced by students in the classroom\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 1: Teacher Experience on Types of Reading faced by students\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable style=\"width: 4.0e+2pt;\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRecognition\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFluency\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComprehension\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePronunciation\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50.79%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e60.31%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e68.25%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e52.38%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 1 shows that 50.79% teachers reported that students face recognition difficulties, 60.31% teachers reported fluency difficulties, 68.25% teachers reported comprehension difficulties, and 52.38% teachers reported that students face pronunciation difficulties during the process of reading.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnalysis of Reading Difficulties w.r.t to components of recognition, fluency and comprehension\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRQ 2: Types of Recognition problems faced by students\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis research question assessed the recognition problem related to three different areas viz. a) Recognition difficulty w.r.t. learnt letter, differentiation between capital and small and differentiation between similar alphabets; b) Matching Difficulty viz. Matching letters with pictures, letters, names and objects; c) recalling \u0026amp; comprehension difficulty w.r.t see picture \u0026amp; answer the question, read \u0026amp; copy, recognition of pictures and sentence.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 2: Teacher Experience on Types of Recognition problems faced by students\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable style=\"width: 4.3e+2pt;\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLearnt Letter\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDifference between capital and small\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDifference between similar alphabets\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAll types\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e11.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.93\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e14.28\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e58.73\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 2 shows that 11.11% teachers reported that students face difficulties in learnt letters, 7.93% teachers reported that students cannot differentiate between capital and small letters, 14.28% teachers reported that students cannot differentiate between similar letters, and 58.73% teachers reported that students face difficulties in all three areas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 3: Teacher Experiences on Recognition Reading Difficulties w.r.t. Matching\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable style=\"width: 4.3e+2pt;\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMatching letters with pictures\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMatching letters with letters\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMatching names with objects\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAll types\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.46\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.52\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e31.74\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.57\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 3 shows that 17.46% teachers reported that students without disabilities face difficulty in matching letters with pictures; 9.52% teachers reported difficulty in matching letters with letters; 31.74% teachers reported difficulty in matching names with objects; and 28.57% teachers reported that students without disabilities face all three areas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRecognition Difficulties with recalling and comprehension are shown in Table 4.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 4: Teacher Experiences on Reading Difficulties with regard. recalling \u0026amp; comprehension\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable style=\"width: 4.4e+2pt;\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSee the picture \u0026amp; answer the question\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead \u0026amp; copy letter/alphabet/words\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRecognition of pictures\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead the sentence \u0026amp; copy the same\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e39.68\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e38.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.57\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e58.73\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 4 shows that 39.68% teachers reported that students were not able to see picture and answer the question, 38.09% teachers reported that students were not able to read and copy letters/alphabet and words, 28.57% teachers reported that students were not able to recognise pictures, and 58.73% teachers reported that students were not read a sentence and copy the same.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRQ-3. Types of Fluency reading difficulties faced by students\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 5: Teacher Experiences on Fluency Reading Difficulties faced by students\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable style=\"width: 4.1e+2pt;\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNot able to read specific word\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOmit the Words\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead very Slow\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead without understanding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e57.14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e44.44\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e71.42\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 5 shows that 57.14% teachers reported that students were not able to read specific words, 44.44% teachers reported that students omit the words while reading, 46.03% teachers reported that students read very slow and 71.42% teachers reported that students read without understanding.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRQ-4. Comprehension Reading Difficulties Faced by Students\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 6: Teacher Experiences on Comprehension Reading Difficulties faced by students\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"\"\u003e\n \u003ctable style=\"width: 4.3e+2pt;\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead passage \u0026amp; answer questions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIdentify words in the paragraph\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIdentify words not in paragraph\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePicture reading \u0026amp; comprehension\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e68.25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e38.09\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.57\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e47.61\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n \u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 6 shows that 68.25% teachers reported that students were not able to read the passage and answer the question, 38.09% teachers reported that students were not able to identify the words in the paragraph, 28.57% teachers reported that students were not able to identify the words which were NOT in the paragraph and 47.61% teachers reported that students were not able to comprehend the scene by reading and viewing the picture.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eB. Analysis of Teacher Experience about Reading Difficulties w.r.t. qualitative questions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;Major difficulties faced by students in class w.r.t recognition/identification\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe teacher\u0026apos;s experience of the major difficulties faced by students in class was analysed. The teachers answered this qualitative question based on their experiences during classroom teaching w.r.t recognition/identification. The responses of teachers include:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eOmissions, Confusion and Letter reversal regarding similar letter recondition like b-d, m-n, e-I, p-q 9-6 etc.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eDifficulties in differentiating small and capital alphabets\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ePicture identification and naming problems\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eConverting letters to word and reversal of words while reading\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eTransposing letters in words and not able to comprehend cursive writing\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eNot able to recognize/identify similar consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eMirroring letters and mirroring of numbers\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTherefore, the major difficulties faced by students in identification/recognition are related to SODA - substitution, omission, distortion, and addition; reversal, confusion, blending, condensation, guessing, and insertion, etc.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMajor difficulties faced by students in class w.r.t fluent reading\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTeacher\u0026apos;s experience of the major difficulties faced by students in class was analysed. The teachers answered this qualitative question based on their experiences during classroom teaching w.r.t fluent reading. The responses of teachers include:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eLack of interest in reading\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eDifferentiate the sounds of the alphabet and their use in word formation\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eReading Letters that have many pronunciations\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSlow pace of reading due to the inability to recognise letter/word formation\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eLack of ability to join letters and their sounds to read out words correctly\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSkipping words while reading\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eTeachers pointed out that after the COVID and pollution break, students with normal/average IQ also show issues in reading and writing, even after 6-7 continuous classes.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTherefore, the major difficulties faced by students in fluency in reading are related to stuttering, omission, distortion, condensation, slow pace etc.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMajor difficulties faced by students in class w.r.t to comprehension\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe teacher\u0026apos;s experience of the major difficulties faced by students in class was analysed. The teachers answered this qualitative question based on their experiences during classroom teaching w.r.t comprehension. The responses of teachers include:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eFirst-generation learners, so no support system\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eScholastic backwardness \u0026amp; low socioeconomic status \u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eFaces difficulties in remembering and recalling the concept\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eDifficulty in recognising small and bold letters of the alphabet\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eDifficulty in recognising and identifying answers from the text,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eDifficulty in grasping the meaning of words in the text, therefore, reading without understanding\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eDifficulty in decoding the words and sentences,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eDifficulty in remembering while reading,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eDifficulty in recalling learnt concepts at the time of reading the text\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTherefore, the major difficulties faced by students in comprehension of the text and reading material are scholastic backwardness, recognising and identifying, remembering and recalling, decoding and interpreting etc. \u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMajor difficulties faced by students in class in general w.r.t to the frequency of occurrences\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe teacher\u0026apos;s experience of the major difficulties faced by students in class was analysed. The teachers answered this qualitative question based on their experiences during classroom teaching w.r.t the number of times a particular difficulty occurs, i.e. its frequency of occurrences. The responses of teachers include:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eRecognition of the alphabet, reversal of letters\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eStudents find it difficult to read big words and punctuation errors while reading,\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eOmission, substitutions of letters, punctuation marks\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eMost students can read 3-4 letter words but are not able to read words of more than five letters.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eNot able to do syllabification while reading,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eStudents have a hard time comprehending the material that they read,\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSpecifically, students with disabilities also have some additional difficulties in combination, of as chunking of words to read, losing track of words while reading and being unable to recall the sound in the inclusive setup.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTherefore, the major difficulties faced by students in its frequency of occurrences are identification of recognition and reversal of letters, actions related to punctuation, syllabification, comprehension, chunking of words and loosing track of words etc.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFindings of the Study\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs per the teacher\u0026apos;s experiences, 50.79% students face recognition problems, 60.31% students face fluency problems, 68.25% students face comprehension problems, and 52.38% students face pronunciation problems.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col start=\"1\" type=\"1\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAs per the teacher\u0026apos;s experiences, in case of recognition, 11.11% students can\u0026rsquo;t recognise learnt letters, 7.39% of students can\u0026rsquo;t differentiate between capital and small letters, 14.28% can\u0026rsquo;t differentiate between similar letters and a high 58.73% \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;face all three types of recognition problems.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u0026nbsp;As per the teacher\u0026apos;s experiences, in case of fluency, 57.14% are not able to read specific words fluently, 44.44% of students omit the words while reading, 46.03% of students read very slowly, and 71.42% of students read without understanding.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAs per the teacher\u0026apos;s experiences, in case of comprehension 68.25% of students face difficulty in answering the questions after reading the passage, 38.09% students are not able to identify the words in the paragraph, 28.57% of students are not able to identify the words that are not in the paragraph and 47.61% of students can\u0026rsquo;t comprehend picture reading.\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003col start=\"4\"\u003e\n \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTo derive pedagogical recommendations for addressing these challenges through inclusive and evidence-based instructional practices.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRQ. 5 What types of instructional interventions are required to overcome these reading problems?\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReading is the foundation of all learning, yet many students in inclusive classrooms experience significant challenges in acquiring reading skills due to diverse learning needs, as informed by special educators and mainstream teachers. To ensure that every learner achieves literacy success, teachers must be well-equipped with effective strategies and intervention techniques.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith this objective, a training program was organized for special educators and mainstream teachers focusing on understanding the nature of reading difficulties and implementing practical, evidence-based methods to overcome them. The sessions provided hands-on exposure to different strategies that help the teacher to overcome the reading problems faced by students in the inclusive setup.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable style=\"width: 4.5e+2pt;\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContent or types of reading difficulties\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDays\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSessions\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods/techniques/strategies for teaching reading difficulties\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eTechniques for Teaching Reading Skills Recognition / Identification-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eVisual Configuration \u0026amp; Picture Clues\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ul\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSemantic \u0026amp; syntactic clues\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ul\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eContext clues \u0026amp; Word Structural clues \u0026amp; Analogy clues \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ul\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eApproaches for \u0026nbsp;Teaching Identification\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eFernald Approach (VAKT)\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eOrtan - Gillighum Method\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ul\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eReading Recovery\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eReading Mastery \u0026amp; Corrective reading\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ul\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAssociation techniques \u0026ndash;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSight word Association Procedure,\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ePicture Association Techniques\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSentence/word Association Techniques\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ul\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eApproaches for Teaching Fluency\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eReading and Reading Aloud\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eRepeated Reading\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ul\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eChoral Repeated Reading\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ul\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eMaking the easy book acceptable and the difficult book accessible\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eCaution Reading Fluency\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ul\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eApproaches for Teaching Comprehension\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eK-W-L\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eQuestioning Strategies\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ul\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eParaphrasing, summarization \u0026amp; Retelling\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ul\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; 3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd\u003e\n \u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eComprehensive Approaches\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eReciprocal Teaching\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003c/ul\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe intervention strategies outlined above were specifically recommended to address the reading difficulties commonly faced by students in inclusive classroom settings. To ensure effective implementation, the researcher conducted a structured training program for both special educators and mainstream teachers. The training aimed to equip participants with practical knowledge and evidence-based techniques for identifying, understanding, and remediating reading challenges among diverse learners. Through this capacity-building initiative, teachers were empowered to apply appropriate instructional approaches to enhance students\u0026rsquo; reading recognition, fluency, and comprehension skills within an inclusive educational environment.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe study examined teachers\u0026rsquo; experiences of reading difficulties in inclusive classrooms, focusing on recognition, fluency, comprehension, and pronunciation. Findings indicated that comprehension difficulties were the most common, followed by challenges in fluency, pronunciation, and recognition. Teachers frequently reported issues such as letter reversal, omission, and decoding errors, with comprehension problems often linked to limited language exposure and cognitive readiness.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFluency challenges\u0026mdash;such as slow reading pace and omission of words\u0026mdash;were attributed to weak phonemic awareness, while recognition difficulties reflected gaps in letter-sound association and visual discrimination. These insights respond directly to the research questions, emphasizing the interconnected nature of reading difficulties across different dimensions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn inference, the study highlights that reading difficulties in inclusive classrooms are complex and require differentiated, evidence-based teaching approaches. Enhancing teacher preparedness through inclusive literacy training and adopting multisensory, phonics-based, and comprehension-focused strategies can significantly strengthen early reading development for all learners.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors express their sincere gratitude to all the teachers who participated in this study and shared their valuable classroom experiences. The authors also acknowledge the institutional support provided during the conduct of this research.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflict of Interest Statement:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe have no conflicts of interest to disclose in this article to be published in this journal.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEthics Approval Statement: The study was conducted in accordance with ethical standards and was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of Indian Institute of Teacher Education (IITE), University For Teacher Education Gujrat All procedures performed in this research involving human participants were in line with institutional and national research guidelines. Participant Consent Statement: Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study. Participation was voluntary, and confidentiality and anonymity of the participants were strictly maintained throughout the research process.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eElish-Piper, L. (2010). Information and ideas for parents about fluency and vocabulary. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 38(2), 48-49.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eHosp, A. and Reschly, D. (2003). \u003cem\u003eTeaching and Learning Reading in the Language Classroom.\u003c/em\u003e Oxford: University Press.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eLovett, M. W., Steinbach, K. A., \u0026amp; Frijters, J. C. (2000). Remediating the core deficits of developmental reading disability: A double-deficit perspective. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 33, 334-358.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eMahana P. et al. (Year ) \u0026nbsp;Reading Problems of Secondary School Students in English Language, at School of Education, Ravenshaw University India-Odisha. http://www.k12.wa.us/MigrantBilingual/pubdocs/CLIC2016.pdf. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSandra McCormick \u0026amp; Evelyn Z. Becker (1996) Word recognition and word identification: A review of research on effective instructional practices with learning disabled students, Reading Research and Instruction, 36:1, 5-17, DOI: 10.1080/19388079609558224\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eScarborough, H. S., Dobrich, W., \u0026amp; Hager, M. (1991). Preschool literacy experience and later reading achievement. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 24, 508-511.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eStanovich, K. E. (1991). Word recognition: Changing perspectives. In R. Barr, M. L. Kamil, P. Mosenthal, \u0026amp; P. D. Pearson (Eds.), Handbook of reading research (Vol. II, pp. 418-452). New York: Longman\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eYaseen, A. (2013). The Reading Difficulties in English and How to Deal with them as Perceived by Teachers and Students in Nablus District. Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eReading Rockets. (n.d.). \u003cem\u003eReading Rockets: Launching young readers\u003c/em\u003e. https://www.readingrockets.org/\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"bansthali vidyapith","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Reading, Reading Difficulties, Inclusive Setup, Students with and without reading difficulties, special educators, mainstream teachers, fluency, comprehension, recognition, and pronunciation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9454945/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9454945/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe article discusses about the reading difficulties observed and experienced by mainstream school teachers and special educators in an inclusive setup. For this purpose, responses were taken from mainstream teachers and special educators on the Questionnaire \u003cem\u003e“Teacher Experience on Reading Difficulties (TERD)” \u003c/em\u003eprepared and validated by the researcher. Teacher Experience on Reading Difficulties (TERD) includes 10 questions, having 6 closed-ended and 4 open-ended questions. Responses were collected using an online Google Form. The sample included 49 teachers, of whom 28 were special educators and 21 mainstream teachers. Responses were collected and analysed using simple percentages for 6 questions and content analysis for 4 questions of the TERD. Both types of teachers reported different types of reading difficulties. Teachers experienced that the reading difficulty associated with the components of fluency and comprehension was more among the students as compared to the reading difficulties associated with recognition and pronunciation.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Navigating Inclusion: Teachers’ Insights into Reading Difficulties among Students","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-21 09:51:28","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9454945/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"9f934ca6-4bef-43b7-a28b-90cba73dabb9","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 21st, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":66563151,"name":"Special Education"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-21T09:51:28+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-21 09:51:28","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9454945","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9454945","identity":"rs-9454945","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}