Using a Stimulus Equivalence Paradigm to Teach Numerals, English Words, and Native American Words to Preschool-Age Children

Abstract

Most of the nearly 300 indigenous American languages in North America are moribund, including Ojibwe and Dakota. Despite numerous basic studies of stimulus equivalence, only a small handful of applied studies have demonstrated that a stimulus equivalence paradigm can be an effective and efficient means of teaching several concepts including math, spelling, and a second language. This study was designed to apply a stimulus equivalence paradigm involving match-to-sample procedures to teaching numbers and words in a second, endangered, language. A pretest–posttest randomized group design was used to examine the effectiveness of a stimulus equivalence computer program for teaching unknown Ojibwe and Dakota words to pre-kindergarteners. All of the participants who received the computer training demonstrated the development of equivalence classes that included numerals, spoken English words, and written words in Ojibwe and Dakota. Results also suggested that the stimulus equivalence paradigm may be an efficient way to teach words in a second language and to aid in language revitalization efforts.