Speech-Language Pathologist–Guided Morphological Awareness Instruction in the General Education Classroom

Abstract

PurposeResearch has shown that instruction in morphological awareness improves students' understanding and use of affixes. However, morphological awareness instruction, typically, is not provided in the general education classroom, and there are few documented collaborations between teachers and speech-language pathologists (SLPs), the latter of whom have a unique expertise in language. Thus, the purpose of this article was to determine the feasibility of an SLP-guided morphological awareness instructional program in a general education classroom.MethodAfter completing a webinar training in morphological awareness, 2 general education teachers implemented morphological awareness lessons in their classrooms over an 8-week period. The teachers and collaborating SLP met weekly to discuss the lessons. Following implementation of the lessons, the teachers completed a questionnaire surveying their opinions on the collaboration. They, along with their students, also completed pre- and postmeasures of their morphological awareness.ResultsResults indicated that the teachers' morphological awareness, as assessed by the morphological awareness measure, did not improve as a result of implementing the lessons; however, the teachers reported that they valued the collaboration and the importance of morphological awareness instruction. Most importantly, the students' morphological awareness skills increased significantly following receipt of the morphological awareness lessons. The effects of these gains were moderate to large.ConclusionsFindings suggest that teachers with limited morphological awareness can successfully implement scripted morphological awareness lessons that result in meaningful gains in their students' morphological awareness. Limitations and suggestions for future research on the collaboration between SLPs and teachers are discussed.