A COMPARISON OF FOUR METHODS FOR TEACHING SPELLING VOCABULARY TO FOURTH-GRADE LEARNING DISABLED STUDENTS
Abstract
Research indicates that learning disabled (LD) students exhibit lower spelling achievement than their nondisabled peers. Since one of the most common causes of poor spelling achievement is the use of inefficient word-study strategies, it is generally recommended that LD students should be taught an efficient word-study method for learning novel spelling words. However, few studies have directly addressed the needs of LD students in learning and applying systematic and efficient techniques for studying spelling vocabulary. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of four methods, differing in levels of structure (teacher assistance), for teaching spelling vocabulary to fourth-grade LD students. Subjects were 40 fourth-grade LD students (8 girls and 32 boys). During two separate sessions, subjects were asked to study a list of 15 spelling words and then were administered a posttest. The independent variables were structure (no-structure group, child-directed study group, teacher-monitored study group, and teacher-directed study group) and sessions (Session One and Session Two). The dependent measure was the number of words which subjects spelled correctly on the posttests. Data were analyzed using a 4 x 2 analysis of covariance with repeated measures. The two covariates were the Test of Written Spelling, a spelling achievement measure, and the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire, a locus-of-control measure. The only significant finding obtained in this study was that subjects in the child-directed, teacher-monitored, and teacher-directed groups, who received training in using a word-study technique, scored significantly higher on the posttests than subjects in the no-structure group who were not taught a word-study method and who were allowed to use their own methods of study. Recommendations for future research also were discussed.
Degree
Ph.D.
Subject Area
Special education
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