The Influence of a Holistic Language Learning Program Using Fairytales on Mentally Disabled Students’ Reading and Receptive/Expressive Vocabulary
Written by :Jo, Kyung-Hee
Department of Special Education
Graduate School of Woosuk University
Directe...
The Influence of a Holistic Language Learning Program Using Fairytales on Mentally Disabled Students’ Reading and Receptive/Expressive Vocabulary
Written by :Jo, Kyung-Hee
Department of Special Education
Graduate School of Woosuk University
Directed by Prof. Chung, Jae-Kweon Ph.D.
<Abstract>
The purpose of this study is to examine what influence a holistic language learning program using fairytales has on the enhancement of mentally disabled students’ receptive vocabulary and reading. The subjects are 2nd graders from a special middle school, with whom a holistic language learning program using fairytales was implemented in 4 sessions a week for 8 weeks, 30 times in total. A session was held for 40 minutes. As for the processing of the results of the study, pre and post‐tests were carried out using REVT‐R and KISE‐BAAT‐Reading.
The results from this study are as follows.
First, the intervention with the holistic language learning program using fairytales had influence on the mentally disabled students’ receptive vocabulary. The subject students’ receptive vocabulary increased by 13.51%, and their equivalent age also rose by an average of 2.3 years. The subject students’ receptive vocabulary as well as their equivalent age rose in the order of student A, student B, and student C. As for the change for each part of speech, student A showed increase in verbs, nouns, and adverbs/adjectives in this order, while students B and C in nouns, verbs, and adverbs/adjectives in this order.
Second, the intervention with the holistic language learning program using fairytales had influence on the mentally disabled students’ advancement in reading. Though there were individual differences among the students undergoing the intervention with the program, their reading was increased after the intervention by 6.25~12.5%. Also, as for the 5 areas related with reading, lexical selection and sentence arrangement turned out to be different among the subject students in accordance with their characteristics, but all of the areas of word understanding, sentence completion, and short text understanding were increased.
Based on the results of this study, I make the following proposals about research tasks for future research.
First, it is hard to generalize from the results of this study because the number of its subjects as only 3 and because there was a limitation with respect to the fact that this study limited the subjects to those students who did not have dysesthesia but were able to read sentences and carry out dictation. Thus, subsequent work should include students from various areas by extending the range of the subject students.
Second, as the holistic language learning program used in this study was reconstructed by the current researcher on the basis of previous studies, subsequent work should develop a substantial holistic language learning program appropriate for the subject students.
Third, this study has worked only on the subject students’ reading. However, subsequent work should extend its range to the areas of speaking, listening, and writing to construct and apply a holistic language teaching program.