Psychoeducational Reports: Impact of Jargon and Report Length on Parent and Teacher Recall and Preference
Open Access
- Author:
- Bucknavage, Leah Beth
- Graduate Program:
- School Psychology
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 07, 2007
- Committee Members:
- Barbara Schaefer, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
James Clyde Diperna, Committee Member
Ronald Madle, Committee Member
Eric Loken, Committee Member - Keywords:
- report length
jargon
psychoeducational reports
recall
preference - Abstract:
- The psychoeducational report has many purposes including informing educational diagnosis and classification, addressing intervention both at school and home, and serving as a permanent product in the child’s educational record. As it is an important vehicle for transmitting information from the school psychologist to the multidisciplinary team that makes special education decisions regarding individual students, the reports need to be understandable and serve in a manner that will enhance communication between home and school. This study examined the effects of language used, length, and reader background (i.e., whether the reader is a parent or teacher) on readers’ understanding. Specifically, the effects of (a) reduced jargon in psychoeducational reports, (b) summary-length versus full-length versions, and (c) readers’ level of teacher training were examined via the readers’ preference for, and recall of, psychoeducational reports. Participants in the study (N = 131) included 82 teachers and 49 parents from a medium size public school district in the Northeast. After reading a summary-length or full-length psychoeducational report containing either a high or low level of jargon, participants completed questionnaires assessing their recall of information contained in the report and preference regarding the report. Participants subsequently read a second report and directly compared their preference for the summary-length versus the full-length version. Results indicated that readers’ role as a parent or teacher and the length of the report did not affect their recall or preference. However, the level of jargon contained in the report had an effect on both recall and preference measures, with the low-jargon report leading to higher recall scores and higher preference ratings. Additionally, this effect was influenced by whether the reader was a parent or a teacher. The implications and limitations of the study are discussed, and recommendations for future research regarding jargon use in psychoeducational reports are identified.