Abstract:
The purpose for this research study was to introduce and develop supplementary English
material for SAT vocabulary instruction by providing memory-enhancing strategies for
students with and without disabilities. Five inclusive English classrooms were assigned
treatments in a within-subjects crossover design where all students received both
treatment conditions – traditional instruction and mnemonic instruction. Memoryenhancing
strategies are mnemonic devices that target specific vocabulary and provide
additional practice using a visual representation to increase comprehension. Mnemonic
devices assist students with encoding the new content information in order to make
retrieval easier. Participants included 103 students in 10th through 12th grade, including
31 students with disabilities. Two general education teachers and two special education
teachers participated in this study. Students received instruction in two units for four
weeks and were pre and post tested on all vocabulary introduced. Students were given
strategy use and satisfaction surveys. Attitudinal and satisfaction surveys were also given
to teachers. Overall findings revealed that students with disabilities performed
significantly better on delayed cumulative posttest. Tenth grade students in the
mnemonic condition performed descriptively higher on delayed cumulative posttest than
eleventh and twelth graders. The majority of students responded that, compared to
traditional instruction, they preferred and enjoyed the use of mnemonic strategies as well
as learned how to generalize to their own learning preferences. Teacher attitudes varied
but mostly favored mnemonic instruction. Findings are discussed with respect to
differences from previous research, implications for practice, and future research.
