Comparing Two Established Multimedia Approaches for Teaching Vocabulary to Students with and Without Disabilities

Abstract

Vocabulary is a critical building block for establishing mastery of content area knowledge. Two technology-based tools (InferCabulary and Content Acquisition Podcasts for Students [CAP-S]) have been found to have beneficial effects on students’ vocabulary knowledge, but efficacy of device features across varied presentation formats is unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare InferCabulary and CAP-S on four measures of vocabulary performance. Fifth-grade students (n = 656) drawn from 30 classrooms across three states participated in one of three conditions to learn 100 new vocabulary terms. Teachers ( n = 30) taught student participants new word meanings via the InferCabulary program, CAP-S instructional slides, or their business-as-usual (BAU) approach to instruction. Results indicate that when students learned vocabulary using InferCabulary or CAP-S approaches, they significantly outperformed their peers who participated in BAU vocabulary instruction. In addition, students with disabilities in the CAP-S and InferCabulary conditions scored similarly to students without disabilities in the BAU condition on most measures. Implications for research and practice are discussed.