Facilitating the Acquisition of Science Facts in Learning Disabled Students

Fifty-six learning disabled students were presented materials describing minerals of North America. For each mineral, the students had to learn three associated attributes: the mineral's hardness level, its color, and its common use. The students were randomly assigned to four different methods of study. The two principal conditions were direct instruction, where students were taught eight minerals according to the basic principles of direct instruction (in particular, student participation with repeated drill and practice), and mnemonic instruction, where students were shown thematic illustrations that integrated each of the eight minerals and its attributes. Also included were a reduced-list direct-instruction condition, where students were required to learn only half the number of minerals (i.e., four minerals) in the same amount of allotted time as in the other conditions, and a free-study condition, where students were instructed to learn the eight minerals however they wished. The results supported previous findings that learning was superior in the mnemonic instruction condition. In addition (a) mnemonically instructed students learned as much about eight minerals in the same amount of time that direct-instruction students learned about four minerals; and (b) direct instruction per se did not facilitate students' learning relative to free study. Implications of the results for handicapped learners are discussed.