Comparing Teacher-Provided and Computer-Assisted Simultaneous Prompting for Vocabulary Development With Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Abstract

In this study, the effects of teacher-provided simultaneous prompting and computer-assisted simultaneous prompting for teaching content-area vocabulary words to students who are deaf or hard of hearing were compared using a multiple probe across behaviors with an embedded alternating treatments design. Participants included three second-grade students at a residential school for the deaf in the southeastern United States. Results were mixed, with teacher- and computer-based instruction being equally effective for two students while only teacher-provided instruction was effective for one student who had concomitant disabilities. Social validity surveys for students indicated all three preferred learning vocabulary with the computer. The study extends the literature showing that simultaneous prompting may be an effective instructional strategy for students who are deaf or hard of hearing and that computer-assisted simultaneous prompting may be a useful tool to provide independent learning opportunities for some students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Implications for classroom instruction and directions for further research are discussed.