Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Semester of Degree Completion

2001

Thesis Director

Lynn Calvert

Thesis Committee Member

Rebecca M. Throneburg

Abstract

This study investigated the improvement of narrative language arts curricular goals in 140 school-aged children in first and second grade from an east central Illinois elementary school. The progress of non-communication disordered children as well as children with documented speech-language deficits was evaluated. Five classrooms (3 first and 2 second grade) received collaborative classroom-based lessons from the speech-language pathologist (SLP) and classroom teacher. Narrative curricular goals were targeted during whole-class collaborative lessons provided once a week for 30 minutes and incorporated children's storybooks as the theme. The subjects with speech-language deficits in the collaborative group received speech-language services from the SLP solely in the classroom without additional pullout intervention. Four classrooms (2 first and 2 second grade) received traditional nonintegrated instruction from their classroom teacher without the assistance of the SLP. Children with speech-language deficits in the traditional group received pullout services from the SLP. Children were administered the Curricular Narrative Assessment using materials from the Strong Narrative Assessment Procedure (SNAP) (Strong, 1998), a test specifically modified for the purposes of this study, at the beginning and end of the 20-week study. Statistical comparisons between the collaborative and traditional instruction groups were not significant; however, the collaborative group made slightly higher mean test gains than the traditional group. In addition, children receiving language services made statistically higher gains than the non-communication disordered children, irrespective of treatment condition. Findings from this study suggest that collaborative classroom-based instruction is comparable if not better than traditional service delivery for school-aged children. Reasons for non-significant results are discussed.

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