Content area
Full Text
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency, effectiveness, maintenance effects and social validity of two instructional methods, Direct Instruction and Simultaneous Prompting Procedure, on teaching concepts (long, old, few and thick) using a parallel treatments design. All sessions were conducted at a private special education center in a one to one teaching arrangement. Results showed that (a) both direct instruction and simultaneous prompting procedures were effective on three of four participants, while direct instruction was effective on one of participants, (b) simultaneous prompting procedure was found more efficient than direct instruction procedure in terms of the number of trials and incorrect responses, (c) participants maintained concepts at the first, third and the fifth weeks following the intervention, and (d) social validity data supported results of the study. Limitations and future implications for research and practice were also discussed.
In the pre-school period, children learn qual- itative and verbal concepts of color, shape, dimension, quantity, and direction and they reinforce this learning with their experiences. If children with intellectual disability learn the concepts and have the abilities which are con- sidered as preconditions for the primary edu- cation in the pre-school education program, they can effectively benefit from the program taught in the first years of primary education along with their peers without disabilities. Without being included in a systematic in- struction process, children with intellectual disability are unable to learn the concepts which typically developing children naturally learn on their own in the family and social environments (Nelson, Cummings, & Boltman, 1991).
Studies which reveal that individuals with intellectual disability can learn many skills and concepts through direct instruction (DI) and simultaneous prompting procedure (SP) have been conducted (Birkan, 2002; Gursel, 1993; K?rcaali-I? ftar, Birkan, & Uysal, 1998; Varol, 1992). In providing systematic teaching expe- riences to children with intellectual disability, it has been observed that in addition to the intensive use of teaching approaches based on applied behavior analysis, in concept teach- ing, direct instruction is used extensively (Eri- pek, 2003; K?rcaali-I?ftar, Birkan, & Uysal, 1998). As well as its use in concept teaching, direct instruction is used in teaching units and concepts related with reading, writing, math and science (Becker, 1976; Gursel, 1993; K?rcaali-I? ftar et al., 1998;...