Date

2023-1-03

Author

Doğan, Sibel

Metadata

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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The present study aimed to uncover the design principles of an online learning material designed to support the reading comprehension performance of students with learning disabilities in an expository text through teaching vocabulary. Moreover, it explored the effectiveness of the online learning material on students’ reading comprehension and vocabulary test scores. The study employed design-based research with its three phases: analysis, design & development, and implementation & evaluation to seek answers to research questions in line with the purposes above. The study was initiated with the in-depth analysis phase by interviewing stakeholders to determine their needs and problems. Then a systematic literature review was performed to seek current technology use. Next, a draft material was prepared considering the findings in the analysis phase and evaluated with stakeholders through four iterative design cycles. Finally, the online learning material was tested with students with learning difficulties in the implementation & evaluation phase. The participants were special education teachers, academics specialized in special education, and students with learning difficulties. The data were collected using semi- structured interviews, observation notes, expert opinions, and achievement tests. The qualitative findings of the study revealed the principles for explicitly designing an online learning material for students with learning difficulties. Moreover, the quantitative findings uncovered that the online learning material positively affected students’ reading comprehension and vocabulary performance. Overall, teachers, educators, and prospective researchers interested in learning difficulties may utilize the present findings. Yet, further research is needed to test the principles emerging in this study in different contexts.

Subject Keywords

Special Education, Learning Difficulties, Online Learning Material, Use of Technology

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/101953

Collections

Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Thesis