Effects of Audio Texts on the Acquisition of Secondary-Level Content by Students with Mild Disabilities

Abstract

Secondary students with high-incidence cognitive disabilities often struggle to meet the demands of the general education curriculum due to poor reading skills. to address this challenge, we examined the effects of a CD-ROM audio textbook, alone and combined with a complementary strategy (SLiCK), on the academic performance of secondary students in content-rich history classes. Students were assigned to one of three conditions: audio textbook combined with the SLiCK strategy, the audio textbook alone, or a control condition. Students in the groups using the audio text, both alone and with the strategy, performed significantly higher on content-area assessments than students in the control condition; however, there was no significant difference in scores between the group using the SLiCK strategy and the group using the audio text alone. Still, it is noteworthy that use of the audio text had a significant effect on secondary-level content acquisition. Outcomes are discussed, and implications for practice, strategy development, and future research are presented.