The Effects of Combined Strategy and Attribution Training on LD Adolescents' Spelling Performance

Abstract

This investigation was intended to evaluate the effects of attribution training combined with spelling strategy training on spelling performance, strategy transfer, and effort attributions. Thirty-four adolescents with learning disabilities in Grades 7 and 8 were stratified by grade level and randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: spelling strategy training, spelling strategy plus attribution training, or a traditional study control condition. Individually administered training sessions were conducted over 3 consecutive days. Participants in the two strategy training conditions received instruction in a five-step study strategy that included explicit training for strategy transfer, whereas participants in the control condition received training in the use of traditional spelling study procedures. Spelling performance was assessed across the training days and on an unprompted general- ization task that occurred 1 week following instruction. Results indicated that significant differences occurred on spelling recall scores across the training days, favoring the strategy training condition. No performance differences emerged on numbers of words learned on the unprompted generalization task or on posttest numbers of effort attributions. Significant differences were detected on numbers of participants who employed the trained strategy independently on the unprompted task, favoring the strategy attribution condition and the strategy training condi- tions. In this study, attribution training did not result in greater spelling perfor- mance, strategy transfer, or numbers of attributions to effort. Limitations are discussed in addition to implications for future research and classroom practice.