Teaching Oral Reading to Students in a Special Needs Class Using an Equivalence Relationship Between Sequences: Transfer to Matching-to-Sample and Oral Expression

Abstract

Study objective: To develop equivalence relationships between words in 2 children enrolled in a special needs class by alternately reading 2 sentences in which specific words were exchanged. Design: Multiple baseline design across stimulus sets. Setting: A special needs classroom. All procedures were conducted individually. Participants: 2 fifth-grade boys enrolled in a special support class at an elementary school. Independent variables: Oral reading of 2 sentences in which specific words were exchanged; printed materials were sometimes referenced and sometimes not. Measures: The percentage of correct responses in (a) a matching-to-sample task using word cards as sample and comparison stimuli, (b) word card selection responses to auditory stimuli, and (c) verbal expressions. Results: The participants’ percentage of correct responses on the matching-to-sample task improved after the procedure of reading sentences with word replacements started. Word card selection responses and verbal expressions to auditory stimuli were also observed. Conclusion: An equivalence relationship was established between word cards, vocal stimuli, and verbal responses. This language teaching method is easy to use in a classroom setting. However, in future research, sentences with changed word orders should be verified.