The effectiveness of Multi-Sensory Education Strategies on Audio-Visual Speech Comprehension and Reading Performance in Female Students with Learning Disabilities

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Master student, Department of Pcycology, Ardakan University, Ardakan, Iran

2 Assistant Professor of Department of Counseling, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, Ardakan University, Ardakan, Iran

3 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, Ardakan University, Ardakan, Iran.

10.22084/j.psychogy.2025.30130.2743

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of multisensory education strategies on auditory and visual speech comprehension and reading performance in students with learning disabilities.
Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental study using a pretest-posttest design with a non-blinded control group. The statistical population of the study was all first-year female elementary school students with reading disorders in elementary schools in Shahrekord city in the academic year 1401-1402, of which 30 were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two groups of 15 (experimental and control).Participants completed the Forward and Backward Digit Span subtests and Visual Memory subset of the Wechsler Working Memory Test (1945) and the standardized Reading Disorder Scale questionnaire by Shafiei et al. (2008). The experimental group received Fernald's multisensory educational protocol in 8 sessions of 90 minutes each. The collected data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance.
Results: The results of the analysis of covariance showed that multisensory training strategies have a positive and significant effect on increasing auditory and visual speech comprehension (P<0.01), and increasing reading performance (P<0.01).
Conclusions: Multisensory teaching strategies play a facilitating role in improving auditory and visual speech comprehension, and their practical application is effective in improving reading performance in students with learning disabilities. It also provides a suitable platform for improving learners' active listening in the components of attention skills, follow-up skills, and reflective skills.
 

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Main Subjects

References

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