VOCABULARY ACQUISITION AND BEHAVIOR OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS WITH EBD: FLASHCARD USAGE AND INSTRUCTIONAL DELIVERY

Most individuals with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) have difficulties in educational and social settings delaying academic and behavioral gains. Peer-mediated interventions (PMIs) have proven effective within both general and special education in academic and behavioral domains. The current study investigated the effect of peer-mediated instruction and SAFMEDS on vocabulary acquisition and behavioral outcomes for two elementary students with EBD. An alternating treatment design was used to evaluate four conditions, peer-mediated SAFMEDS, peer-mediated traditional flashcards, independent SAFMENDS and independent flashcards. Student vocabulary performance improved (increasing corrects and decreasing corrects) across all four conditions and did not distinguish themselves from one another. However, students demonstrated fewer disruptions in peer mediated conditions. A discussion covering the SAFMEDS and peer-mediated conditions immediately precedes directions for future research and implications follow a discussion of findings