A study of volunteer effectiveness in a diagnostic remedial program for children with potential learning disabilities

Includes bibliographical references (pages 70-77)This study proposed to investigate the use of trained volunteers using the Topeka Drive Screening Battery to screen and locate kindergarten children with potential learning disabilities and through a weekly individualized remedial program effect significant changes in the task level performance of those children designated as the remedial group. It was hypothesized that trained volunteer workers could promote significant changes in a selected kindergarten population through an out of classroom, individualized one-to-one program of planned remedial instruction. A review of the literature explored research in the areas of early identification of learning disabilities, various tests and screening batteries, remedial programs, and the use of volunteers for educational purposes. Two kindergarten populations were selected for the study. A total of 146 children at both schools were administered the Topeka Drive Screening Battery (TDSB) at the beginning of the school year, 1973. Those children who successfully passed all tasks on the battery were eliminated from the study as it was felt that no special remedial work was necessary for them. The remaining 119\ud children at both schools were designated as the remedial group. In the design of the study, only 45 children at the experimental school, Topeka Drive School, were given the one-to-one individualized remedial program by volunteers. The 74 children at Beckford Avenue School, the control school, were designated as the remedial group but were given no special attention in a remedial program. At the end of seven months, all children designated as the remedial group at both schools were again administered the TDSB by the same volunteer. Results were subjected to statistical analysis. The hypothesis was substantiated using the Mann- Whitney U Test technique at the .0559 level of significance. The remedial program was deemed to be effective and the volunteers to be successful agents of that effectiveness. The validity of the TDSB as an effective tool was not established in this study and further study is necessary. Implications derived from this study discussed the importance of volunteers in a program such as examined in this research. A low-cost volunteer run program with the guidance of a professional proved to be successful in helping children to achieve more success and an increased self-image