Development of English-language Use and Learning through Integrated Interactive Media for Young Learners with Special Needs

บทคัดย่อ

This study investigated the development of English-language use and learning among 15 young learners with special needs, by integrating some interactive media into instruction of reading and speaking.  This study aimed to 1) find out the methods to help these young learners build up their understanding of English-language use and learning, with the help of some media such as pictures, actions, sounds, moving pictures and interactive media as part of the teaching materials, 2) compare and contrast the development of the learners’ understanding of the language use and learning, and 3) apply the research findings with instruction of English in other situations or of other languages.  The research instruments comprised the ones used for teaching English and the ones used for collecting data.
The teaching instruments were formed with integration of various kinds of media, like pictures, actions, sounds, moving pictures and interactive media.  The instruments for data-collection were observations, pre-tests and post-tests, and follow-up interviews with open-ended questions.  The quantitative data collected from the pre-tests and the post-tests were analysed with Wilcoxson Signed Ranks Test Statistics; whereas the qualitative data collected from the classroom observations and follow-up interviews were analysed and cross-checked with the quantitative data.  This study revealed the following interesting findings.  First, the integration of pictures, actions, sounds, moving pictures and interactive media into classroom instruction, as a whole, could develop these learners’ use and learning English, in terms of grammar/language structure, meaning and comprehension.  Second, the development of language use and learning in the area of language structures resulted from the integration of pictures and actions and of moving pictures and interactive media.  Third, the learners’ development of language use and learning in terms of meaning was derived from the integration of pictures, pictures and actions, actions and sounds, and moving pictures and interactive media.  Fourth, the learners’ development of language use and learning in terms of overall comprehension resulted from the integration of pictures and moving pictures and interactive media.