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The effects of practice and mastery on posttest spelling recall for adult females with mildly handicapping conditions
Abstract
This study was designed to examine the impact no treatment, practice alone, and practice with various mastery conditions had on delayed weekly spelling post-test performance. An operational distinction was made between practice and mastery. Practice was defined as production of a word from a model. Mastery was defined as correct production of a word without a model. Six participants residing in an intermediate care facility were included; all were adult females with mild levels of mental retardation and extreme behavioral difficulties. A combination multiple baseline and simultaneous treatment design was used to evaluate performance. The design included four conditions; no treatment or control; practice; practice with one mastery criterion; and practice with three mastery criteria. The dependent measures were: the correct spelling of words and correct letter sequences across three consecutive weekly post-tests, and generalization to dictated sentences. Both research questions were supported. The results indicated that practice and mastery features were viable phenomena which could substantially improve post-test spelling performance. It was further shown that practice with three mastery criteria substantially improved post-test performance over practice and practice with only one mastery criterion. At least 90% of the words correctly spelled on post-tests generalized to dictated sentences. The study provided additional support for the use of total spelling packages with individuals of similar capabilities. It was hoped that future research would examine practice and mastery effects as an instructional method with a wider variety of populations and in a variety of settings.
Subject Area
Cognitive therapy|Behaviorial sciences|Special education|Educational psychology
Recommended Citation
Bogart, Lynn Clayton, "The effects of practice and mastery on posttest spelling recall for adult females with mildly handicapping conditions" (1997). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9815879.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9815879