DIRECT INSTRUCTION and MEDIATED LEARNING

OVERVIEW

In a random assignment study, two preschool curricula for students with special needs were compared: Direct Instruction and Mediated Learning.  Direct Instruction involves explicit, systematic, teacher-directed instruction.  Mediated Learning, by contrast, strives to be student-led and emphasizes the development and organization of cognitive process.  Following a year of instruction, students from the two interventions did not significantly differ from one another on any measure.  Interactional analyses indicated that higher-performing students gained more from the Direct Instruction program, whereas lower-performing students gained more from the Mediated Learning program.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: Special needs preschool students with mild to moderate disabilities

This study compares two different preschool curricula: an academically-based Direct Instruction program and a cognitively-based Mediated Learning program.

Direct Instruction involves explicit, systematic, teacher-directed instruction.  Instruction is fast-paced and is directed toward very specific, measurable outcomes.  Teachers work to elicit imitation from children and are provided with specific procedures for error correction and reinforcement.  In this study, Direct Instruction was taught using DISTAR materials: DISTAR Language, DISTAR Math, and DISTAR Reading.

Mediated Learning emphasizes the development and organization of cognitive processes, rather than specific academic content.  The curriculum includes two- to three-week-long units, each focusing on a specific area of social or cognitive development.  Units include memory strategies, identifying and understanding feelings, changing perspectives, making choices, identifying and developing patterns, planning ahead, controlling behavior, using senses, and making comparisons.  Instruction follows the child’s lead; teachers work to direct attention to aspects of each child’s current interests that demonstrate the cognitive function under consideration.  Reinforcement systems are not used in Mediated Learning classrooms because internal locus of control and self-monitoring are key goals of Mediated Learning.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Cole, K. N., Dale, P. P., Mills, P. E., & Jenkins, J. R.  Interaction Between Early Intervention Curricula and Student Characteristics.  Exceptional Children, 60(1), 17-28.

Evaluated population: 164 children between the ages of three and five served as the study sample for this investigation.  Children were special education students at a laboratory school in the United States.  112 of the subjects were boys; 52 were girls.  101 of the children were white; 47 were black; and 16 were of other ethnicities.  Approximately 80% of the students had delayed language abilities; 50% had delayed cognitive abilities; 60% had delayed fine motor abilities; 60% had delayed gross motor abilities; and 60% had delayed social-emotional skills.  Approximately 20% also had a medical diagnosis, such as cerebral palsy or Down syndrome.

Approach: Four cohorts of students took part in this study.  Each year, students were randomly assigned to classrooms using a two-step procedure.  First they were assigned to either the Direct Instruction or the Mediated Learning condition.  Then, within condition, they were assigned to one of the classrooms using that approach.  Each classroom had a head teacher with a master’s degree in special education, an assistant teacher, and additional staff, resulting in a student-staff ratio of approximately 4:1. 

Head teachers in Direct Instruction classrooms either studied Direct Instruction during college or received inservice or on-site training.  Using DISTAR materials, these teachers implemented the Direct Instruction curriculum over the course of the school year.  A consultant with extensive Direct Instruction training experience monitored the fidelity of the intervention.

Some head teachers in Mediated Learning classrooms were trained in the methods of Mediated Learning prior to the commencement of the intervention.  These teachers led other Mediated Learning teachers in ongoing staff development over the course of the project.

Each year of the project, students underwent pre-testing from October through December and post-testing from May through August.  Tests included the McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities (MSCA), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test – Revised (PPVT-R), the Test of Early Language Development (TELD), and the Test of Early Reading Ability (TERA).  The Preschool Language Assessment Inventory (PLAI), the Basic Language Concepts Test (BLCT), and the Mean Length of Utterance derived from language samples (MLU) were also given, but not to all student cohorts.

Results: At pre-test, students in the two programs did not differ from one another on any measure.  Nor did students from the two programs differ from one another on any measure at post-test.  The programs did not lead to differential gains.

Interaction analyses indicated that students who were higher-performing at baseline gained more from the Direct Instruction program, whereas lower-performing students gained more from the Mediated Learning program.

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

DISTAR curriculum materials available for purchase at:

SRA/McGraw-Hill: https://www.sraonline.com/

More information on Direct Instruction available at:

National Institute for Direct Instruction: http://www.nifdi.org/

Association for Direct Instruction: http://www.adihome.org/

Mediated Learning resources available at:

Mediated Learning, LLC: http://www.mediatedlearning.com/

References:

Cole, K. N., Dale, P. P., Mills, P. E., & Jenkins, J. R.  Interaction Between Early Intervention Curricula and Student Characteristics.  Exceptional Children, 60(1), 17-28.

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant ages: 3-5

Evaluated participant grades: preschool, kindergarten

Program age ranges in the guide: Early Childhood

Program components: Early Childhood Education; school-based

Measured outcomes: education and cognitive development

Program information last updated on 8/31/07

© Child Trends 2003