Case Study: Effects of a Systematic Method of Vocabulary Instruction on a Disabled Learner

Abstract

This descriptive case study examined the effects of instruction in a systematic method of vocabulary instruction which included a mnemonic component on the fifteen-year-old learning disabled female with memory deficits. The researcher and subject met for nine forty-five minute sessions over a period of four weeks. At the end of the study, changes in the subject included increased self-confidence about her ability to learn vocabulary independently. She gained the confidence to volunteer vocabulary related answers in another class, a behavior which the subject reported was something she would not have previously done. She was able to write definitions for 21 out of 27 words which were previously unfamiliar to her. The subject was also able to select the correct word for a fill-in exercise for the remaining six words for which instruction time was limited. A post hoc test administered three months after the end of the study revealed that the subject remembered 19 of the 26 words studied. All words for which she had created mnemonic devices were among those remembered. Instructional implications of this study include a recommendation that time devoted to teaching a method for learning vocabulary may be beneficial for disabled learners. Situational examples of new vocabulary in context were recommended to facilitate faster word learning. Recommendations for future research in this area included an extended length of time to practice using the system with supervision to increase the likelihood that subjects would be able to use the system independently.