English abstract
The present study aims at identifying the role of pre-referral interventions in reducing the number of referral students for diagnosis of learning difficulties and improving the skills of loud reading in the first stage schools in Sultanate of Oman. The sample of the study consisted of 70 students distributed over three schools. Raven's Progressive Colored Matrices, Loud Reading Skills Test, Pre-referral Intervention List, Referral Form for Students Diagnosed With Learning Disabilities, as well as Evaluation Card for Goals of Reading Lessons were used in data collection. The study used a quasi-experimental design that included two experimental groups and one control group. The experimental group 1 depended on the pre-referral intervention team in implementing these interventions. The experimental group 2 depended on the classroom teacher alone in implementing these procedures. The control group continued in the usual way in the Sultanate's schools. The results showed that there were nonsignificant differences between experimental group 1, experimental group 2, and the control group in the number of referral students and the level of loud reading. However, there were significant differences in the number of referral students and level of loud reading before and after implementing the program favoring the experimental group 1 which depended on the pre-referral intervention team. There were no significant differences in the number of referred students to diagnosis of learning difficulties before and after implementing the program favoring the experimental group 2 which depended on the classroom teacher alone in implementing the pre-referral interventions.
