PREP, TALK and CHECK: Dictation, Composition and Revision Strategies to Improve the Writing Skills of University Students with Learning Disabilities
Date
2014-12-09
Authors
McManus, Kelly
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an intervention drawing on the instructional principles of the Self-Regulated Strategy Development Model (SRSD) to support the use of three writing strategies (PREP, TALK and CHECK) combined with the use of assistive technology for post-secondary students with learning disabilities (LD) and writing difficulties. Participants were four students between the ages of 18 and 32, registered with a campus disability service office at a mid-sized western Canadian university. In a multiple-probe, multiple-baseline within-subjects design, participants received intervention support during one-on-one sessions with a writing tutor. Intervention support covered planning, composing and revision processes and the integration of speech-recognition technology into participants’ academic routines. Percentage of non-overlapping data points (PNDs) indicated strong effects for spelling error rate (PNDs = 100), correct word sequences (PNDs = 91.3) and rate of incorrect word sequences (PNDs = 100). Effects were moderate for word count (PNDs = 82.6) and small for punctuation (PNDs = 60) and précis quality (PNDs = 56.5). Results indicate that the intervention was effective for reducing errors in participants’ writing, particularly along the dimensions of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar and semantics. Results also indicate that the intervention was strongly effective at increasing the sequences of correct words, and therefore aided participants in generating higher-quality writing assignments to meet the academic demands of university. Implications for educators and psychological service providers working with postsecondary students with disabilities are discussed.
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Keywords
learning disabilities, learning strategies, postsecondary, Self Regulated Strategy Development, writing, assistive technology