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Education Sciences
Special Issues
Students with Special Educational Needs in Reading and Writing
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Students with Special Educational Needs in Reading and Writing

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Special and Inclusive Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 September 2025 | Viewed by 2512

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Heidi Selenius

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Guest Editor
Department of Special Education, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
Interests: reading and writing development; intervention; special education; inclusive education
Prof. Dr. Linda Fälth

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Social Science, Linnaeus University, 35195 Växjö, Sweden
Interests: reading and writing development; reading disabilities; dyslexia; interventions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Reading and writing abilities have democratic value, and it is crucial that all students acquire functional reading and writing abilities before leaving school. Teaching students to read and write is essential for their academic success, communication, further education, work, and participation in society. However, some students struggle with reading and writing and may require additional support and interventions. These difficulties are experienced by both first- and second-language learners, as well as students with disabilities and other special needs. 

To help teachers enhance their knowledge and provide reading and writing education for students struggling, researchers are invited to share their knowledge and empirical studies on students with special educational needs in reading and writing education. This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for researchers to share their findings related to students (aged 5-15) with special educational needs in reading and writing education. We welcome original research articles and reviews in areas such as the following: 

  • Inclusive education involving and engaging all students in reading and writing activities in the classroom;
  • Promoting and supporting reading and writing development among students with special educational needs;
  • Introducing digital technology to students with special needs in reading and writing education;
  • Special needs education with a focus on reading, such as decoding skills, reading fluency, or reading comprehension;
  • Special needs education with a focus on writing, such as spelling, writing fluency, grammatical knowledge, capitalization, punctuation, sentence structure, and text composition. 

Dr. Heidi Selenius
Prof. Dr. Linda Fälth
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • reading
  • writing
  • intervention
  • instructions
  • teaching strategies
  • inclusive education
  • special needs education

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 930 KiB  
Article
Everyone Is Reading and Playing! A Participatory Theatre Project to Promote Reading Competence
by Winnie-Karen Giera
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(5), 593; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15050593 - 11 May 2025
Viewed by 162
Abstract
This study explores the use of a theatre project to enhance reading competencies among students with special educational needs (SENs) in inclusive classrooms. The project, titled “Stop Bullying! A Theatre Project”, aimed to improve students’ reading skills through dramatised engagement with texts, with [...] Read more.
This study explores the use of a theatre project to enhance reading competencies among students with special educational needs (SENs) in inclusive classrooms. The project, titled “Stop Bullying! A Theatre Project”, aimed to improve students’ reading skills through dramatised engagement with texts, with a particular focus on promoting literacy and social interaction. Employing a Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology, the study involved iterative cycles of implementation and data collection. Participants, including students with varying reading abilities, engaged in theatrical activities that incorporated reading strategies such as reading aloud, paired reading, and choral reading—each designed to support comprehension, fluency, and reading confidence. Findings from multiple cycles indicated improvements in students’ social dynamics, including stronger peer interactions and increased group cohesion. While quantitative reading assessment data showed only modest gains in reading performance, qualitative observations revealed significant improvements in reading skills and social interactions during collaborative performances. The study concludes that a theatre-based approach can effectively support reading development while fostering a more inclusive and supportive classroom environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Students with Special Educational Needs in Reading and Writing)
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17 pages, 1137 KiB  
Article
Reading Development Following Forward-Looking Assessments Providing Recommendations to Teachers
by Ulrika B. Andersson, Henrik Danielsson, Thomas Nordström and Stefan Gustafson
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(5), 581; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15050581 - 7 May 2025
Viewed by 138
Abstract
In this retrospective and observational study, we examine grade 1 reading development following an assessment tool providing recommendations for teachers. Tests and recommendations for instruction were provided by LegiLexi, a non-profit foundation that aims to increase reading skills in primary school. We analyzed [...] Read more.
In this retrospective and observational study, we examine grade 1 reading development following an assessment tool providing recommendations for teachers. Tests and recommendations for instruction were provided by LegiLexi, a non-profit foundation that aims to increase reading skills in primary school. We analyzed differences between poor decoders who receive a decoding recommendation after the first test session, then improve their decoding and therefore receive another recommendation (responders) and poor decoders who develop their decoding more slowly (non-responders) and receive a decoding recommendation after both the first and second assessment. Responders are characterized by initial word decoding problems but a substantial improvement between test sessions leading them to a high level of reading comprehension at the end of grade 1. Their decoding improved the most when this skill was the recommended focus of instruction but their reading comprehension also steadily improved when the recommendations changed. The group of non-responders was larger and showed improvements that were more modest on all reading tests during grade 1. The study demonstrates that decoding continues to be a bottleneck for reading development in the early school years and that recommending teachers to focus on decoding instruction might be helpful for some pupils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Students with Special Educational Needs in Reading and Writing)
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14 pages, 400 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Simple View of Reading Model: Longitudinal Testing and Applicability to the Swedish Language
by Thomas Nordström, Linda Fälth and Henrik Danielsson
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 260; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15030260 - 20 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1315
Abstract
This study investigates the empirical validity of the simple view of reading model in a semi-transparent language, Swedish, by using a large amount of reading test data from 11,791 students. Data were collected during the primary grades (year 1–3), which allowed us to [...] Read more.
This study investigates the empirical validity of the simple view of reading model in a semi-transparent language, Swedish, by using a large amount of reading test data from 11,791 students. Data were collected during the primary grades (year 1–3), which allowed us to test two aspects of the model: how much reading comprehension variance can be accounted for by decoding and language comprehension across primary grades (nine test occasions in total), and how decoding and language comprehension contribute to reading comprehension at each test occasion (three test occasions per grade). By using a latent variable framework, our findings indicated that nearly all reading comprehension variance was accounted for by decoding and language comprehension across each test occasion. Both decoding and language comprehension contributed to reading comprehension at all grades. While decoding contributed the most to reading comprehension variance at the first test occasions (grade 1), language comprehension became equally important in the middle of second grade. At the end of third grade, language comprehension outperformed decoding. This study shows that the simple view of reading model is highly usable for yet another semi-transparent language, which has practical implications for how to assess reading skills and, ultimately of how to inform reading instruction for beginner readers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Students with Special Educational Needs in Reading and Writing)
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