The effect of using laptops on the spelling skills of students with learning disabilities

Abstract

The current study examined the effect of using laptops on the spelling skills of students with learning disabilities (LD). It was conducted as part of the Israeli "Katom" (A Computer for Every Class, Student, and Teacher) Program. Participants included 93 Hebrew-speaking students with LD aged 13-16, who attend 10 special education classes in a regular middle school. We examined whether the experimental group using laptops showed significant differences in the number of their spelling errors as a result of the intervention on their pre-and postspelling tests. We also investigated whether there would be differences on the number of spelling errors between the experimental and control groups, as measured by their pre-and post-spelling test results. The findings indicated that the participants in the experimental group significantly improved their spelling skills as opposed to the control group. It seems that the use of laptops in special education classes can enhance the spelling skills of students with LD.

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“…One of the areas that students with learning disabilities frequently experience difficulties with is spelling. There are many reasons why a person may not be a proficient speller, however in the case of a student with a learning disability, Eden, Shamir and Fershtman [4] note, "the reasons for poor spelling range from difficulties with executing and regulating the processes, deficiency in phonological processing, a slow learning pace, attention deficits, general motor coordination deficiencies, intersensory integration disorders, reading and writing difficulties and motivational factors" (p. 251).…”