Effects of Adapted Storybooks on Vocabulary Acquisition of Children Who Have a Severe Speech Impairment (SSI)

Author

• Wendy Ann Peterson, Portland State University

Sponsor

Portland State University. Department of Communication

First Advisor

Donna Boudreau

Term of Graduation

Fall 2000

Date of Publication

10-25-2000

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Speech Communication: Speech and Hearing Sciences

Department

Communication

Language

English

Subjects

Speech disorders in children, Language acquisition, Children with disabilities

Physical Description

1 online resource (v, 61 pages)

Abstract

Research has shown that children who are typically developing have the ability to rapidly learn (fast map) and receptively identify novel vocabulary words presented in the context of storybooks. It has also been shown that repeated exposure to the stories increases the amount of information, or the number of vocabulary words, acquired by the child. Furthermore, studies have shown that children learn more when they are actively rather than passively involved in the learning process. However, little is known about how children who have a severe speech impairment (SSI) fast map new vocabulary in storybook reading contexts, or how active participation or repeated exposure may influence this process.

The purpose of the present study was 1) to determine if children with SSI map new vocabulary in the context of storybook reading, 2) to evaluate if this process (fast mapping) is more efficient in contexts where the child can actively engage in the storybook reading activity, and 3) to determine if there is an influence of multiple exposures on the ability to acquire new words.

The subjects were seven children with SSI, ages 6 to 11, who live in the Portland Metropolitan area. To participate in the study, subjects had to pass a brief receptive language screening, and demonstrate a reliable response mode, such as eye gaze or pointing.

The subjects were seen for 2-3 sessions during which they were exposed to two different storybooks-an adapted and a nonadapted copy. All seven subjects learned at least one nonsense word during the first storybook reading session and retained this knowledge when assessed one week after the initial session. Results also revealed that the group overall learned a greater number of words in the active versus passive storybook reading condition. Finally, the subjects performed better after repeated exposure to the stories, with some more than doubling the number of nonsense words they acquired from the first to the second reading. These results are consistent with previous research that has shown that repeated exposure results in increased learning. These findings suggest that storybooks are a good context for teaching children novel vocabulary words.

Rights

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Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44628

Recommended Citation

Peterson, Wendy Ann, "Effects of Adapted Storybooks on Vocabulary Acquisition of Children Who Have a Severe Speech Impairment (SSI)" (2000). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 7035.