This article examines the conflict between literature-based or whole-language approaches to reading/literacy instruction and the direct instruction approach, as used with students having or at risk for learning disabilities. It concludes that each approach is often depicted in an idealized fashion but that, in practice, the approaches overlap and…

Current research on direct instruction is reviewed with a particular emphasis on studies of instructional design and technology and research on effective staff development. Among conclusions was that the same instructional variables affecting learner performance with traditional materials affect learning with computer-assisted instruction and…