The Effects of Guided Visual Vocabulary Practice for Students with Learning Disabilities on Learning Concrete Nouns in Spanish

Abstract

Inclusion of students with learning disabilities (LD) in foreign language courses has been challenging, particularly as educational institutions and statewide educational policies have included graduation requirements involving successful completion of foreign language courses. LD students experience individualized dysfunction of the central nervous system (CNS) which often creates obstacles to acquiring vocabulary in any language. CNS dysfunction and disruption of working memory often requires that multi-sensory strategies be employed to support students in academic content areas. Previous research has explored the impact of multi-sensory strategies to support LD students in foreign language courses and has often focused upon course completion, as opposed to the relationship of particular strategies to specific domains of language learning. Accordingly, the present study investigated the impact of a researcher-designed, multi-sensory instructional strategy called Guided Visual Vocabulary Practice (GVVP) on concrete Spanish nouns. Consistent with the individualized nature of special education, the study employed a single-subject, reversal design involving eight participants over a ten-week period. Student vocabulary learning was assessed by tabulating the number of Spanish words correctly identified from thematic groups and by examining performance on a comprehensive post-assessment. Individual performance was analyzed by visual inspection and comparison of mean for baseline and treatment periods. Overall effect size for the sample was computed using Cohen’s d, which indicated a moderate effect size for the total sample. The greatest impact for GVVP occurred among the three middle school participants included in the sample. Suggestions for future replication studies and further research involving GVVP have been provided.