The purpose of this experimental study is to investigate the effects of using content acquisition podcasts (CAPs), an example of instructional technology, to provide vocabulary instruction to adolescents with and without learning disabilities (LD). A total of 279 urban high school students, including 30 with LD in an area related to reading, were…

Reading comprehension is a crucial skill for academic success of all students. Very often, students with learning disabilities struggle with reading skills and since students learn new information in school by reading; these difficulties often increase the academic struggles students with learning disabilities face. The current study examined…

Effects of a computerized professional development (PD) program were investigated in two studies. For each, teachers were randomly assigned to either a Virtual Workshop (VW) group that used a computerized program for PD or to an Actual Workshop (AW) group that participated in a live PD session. In Study 1, the teachers' knowledge about and…

Learning-disabled elementary-school students (n=126) who received computerized math and spelling drill-and-practice for a year expressed more positive attitudes toward academic work on the computer than toward similar academic tasks. They also reported more favorable opinions toward academic work than did 89 learning-disabled students not using…

The author of EC 604 972 describes the evolution of her interest in the motivational aspects of computer-assisted instruction for students with learning disabilities. The paper cites research findings that impact on the selection and implementation of computer activities and notes the complex relationship between student achievement and…

Describes a year-long study of five fifth grade students with learning disabilities with written language deficits that used a specially designed computer program, ROBO-Writer, as a writing tool to assist them in a weekly writing curriculum. Discusses effects on the students' behavior, attitudes, and their written products. (Contains 32…

Investigated the attitudes and opinions of students in grades five through 12 with and without learning disabilities regarding the use of computers for school-related work. Results of pre- and post-tests and attitude surveys support the notion that students with disabilities could be successfully included in computer-based instruction in general…

The paper presents a brief study of the use of computers for instructional purposes with 875 handicapped children; and appendixes list a mathematics skills hierarchy, a language arts hierarchy, excerpts from student reports, and abstracts of studies of computer assisted learning with physically handicapped, learning disabled, and deaf children.…

This research project investigated the effects of computer-assisted cooperative learning in mathematics instruction within integrated classrooms for 118 third-graders (25 with learning disabilities) and 92 fourth-graders (16 with learning disabilities). Students were grouped into cooperative learning, whole-class, or individual learning situations…

Intermediate-level students (n=41) with learning disabilities, regardless of initial attitude or the type of program (game or drill-and-practice) used, significantly improved their arithmetic facts proficiency after four sessions of computer-based practice. The game format had a facilitative effect on continuing motivation of students with low…

This report describes a federally funded project to study integration of computers into the writing instruction of classroom teachers, and evaluates the impact of a computer-supported writing program on instruction, on the writing process, and on products of normally achieving and learning-disabled (LD) students. The study compared the impact of a…

Students with mild disabilities often have difficulties with organization and written performance. These students can be helped by a combination of effective instructional strategies, compensatory strategies, and technological tools. Planning and organizing tools can encourage activities such as concept mapping, story webbing, brainstorming,…

This study compared three motoric conditions (writing, tracing, and computer keyboarding) on the spelling performance of 48 third- and fourth-grade students with and without learning disabilities. No significant effect was found for either group. Interviews revealed that students preferred the computer condition but believed the writing and…

This article evaluates Check and Connect (Hoppe & Bray, 2000), a computer-assisted learning program funded by a competitive subgrant under the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Part B" (ages 3-21). The program targeted 20 students in high school with disabilities categorized as "learning disabilities,"…

Thirty secondary students with learning disabilities were given laptop computers and taught computer-based study strategies to test the efficacy of using technology to support students with learning disabilities. Results showed that students with high intelligence and reading test scores were more willing to adopt computer-based study strategies.…