Using Multimedia to Improve Middle School Science and Special Education Teachers' Use of Evidence-Based Vocabulary Practices, and the Impact of Vocabulary Performance of Students with Disabilities

The goals of the research project are to develop and pilot test PD materials and processes to augment middle school science and special education teachers' knowledge and skill in the delivery of evidence-based vocabulary instruction for students with disabilities. The PD activities include teachers' use of the following media-based tools: (a) Content Acquisition Podcasts (CAPs), which are short instructional vignettes; and (b) the teachers' production of their own videos practicing effective vocabulary instructional strategies and use of CBMs. The PI will follow a series of iterative steps in developing the materials, procedures, and CBMs with input from the practitioners, followed by a small-scale randomized controlled trial to pilot test the procedures. The PI will randomly assign middle school co-teacher dyads (science teacher and special education teacher) to the intervention or the control condition (standard practice PD). The PI will examine the extent to which: (a) teachers improve procedural knowledge of vocabulary instruction and CBMs after viewing CAPs alone; (b) teachers improve implementation of the evidence-based vocabulary practices and CBMs after viewing CAPs plus producing their own videos; and (c) these PD activities are associated with student achievement in middle school students with and without disabilities (with a focus on those with disabilities) compared to standard PD activities.