THE EFFECTS OF DIGITAL TEXTS WITH TRANSITION TO LITERACY FEATURES ON THE SIGHT WORD RECOGNTION SKILLS OF YOUNG CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
Open Access
- Author:
- Boyle, Aisling Susannah
- Graduate Program:
- Special Education
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- April 30, 2018
- Committee Members:
- David Brent Mcnaughton, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
David Brent Mcnaughton, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Pamela S Wolfe, Committee Member
Jennifer L Frank, Committee Member
Janice Catherine Light, Outside Member - Keywords:
- digital texts
shared reading
sight word recognition
peer interaction - Abstract:
- Acquiring sight words aids children in developing phonemic awareness and phonics skills, and supports participation in early reading activities. Previous research has indicated children with disabilities can successfully acquire sight words using flashcards and time delay procedures. However, such activities may not be viewed as socially valid as they do not incorporate developmentally appropriate practices such as utilizing authentic reading materials and including interactions with peers. To meet this need, digital texts were created based on I-spy books with “Transition to Literacy” (T2L) features in which a target word is dynamically presented in spoken and written form when the matching picture is touched. These digital texts were then incorporated into shared reading activities with dyads of a child with a disability and a typically developing peer. A multiple probe design across dyads was used to evaluate the effects of this intervention. Participants with disabilities acquired an average of 73.3% of the words to which they were exposed, a gain of 4.25 words above the baseline average of 1.68 correct responses. Intervention averaged 6.2 weeks, with 65.1 minutes of intervention for each dyad. The results of study provide support that incorporating digital texts with T2L features into inclusive shared reading activities can be an effective and socially valid method to develop the sight word recognition skills of young children with disabilities.