Increasing Word Learning Efficiency in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children Through Retrieval Practice

Area of Science:

• Speech and Hearing Sciences
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children face persistent challenges in spoken language acquisition compared to their hearing peers.
• Closing the language gap in DHH children remains a significant clinical and educational goal.
• Retrieval practice, a learning strategy involving active recall, shows promise for improving language skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of retrieval practice for novel word learning in DHH children.
• To investigate the impact of feedback and spacing (spaced vs. massed trials) within retrieval practice.
• To assess the retention of learned vocabulary over time.

Main Methods:

• A single-case adapted alternating treatments design was employed with 13 DHH children aged 5-9 years.
• Participants were exposed to retrieval practice conditions with and without feedback, and with spaced versus massed trials, alongside a control condition.
• Learning rates (expressive, receptive, semantic) and retention were measured over a 4-week period.

Main Results:

• The retrieval practice intervention was effective, with most participants learning and retaining novel words.
• Learning was more efficient with the inclusion of feedback compared to its absence.
• Spaced retrieval trials led to faster learning than massed trials, supporting predictions.
• Similar patterns were observed across expressive, receptive, and semantic language outcomes.

Conclusions:

• Retrieval practice, particularly with direct feedback and spaced trials, enhances word learning efficiency in young DHH children.
• These findings support the integration of specific retrieval practice techniques into interventions for DHH children.
• Further research is needed to explore individual differences and task variations in retrieval practice effectiveness.