TY - JOUR
T1 - Developing mental orthographic representations in refugee spellers with low literacy
T2 - how much input is too much?
AU - Smyser, Heather
AU - Alt, Mary
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2017 UKLA
PY - 2018/8
Y1 - 2018/8
N2 - Background: We used two principles of implicit learning, variability and complexity, to train mental orthographic representations in refugee English learners to improve spelling. Methods: Twenty-eight refugees enrolled in a 10-week English class were trained on classroom words using stimuli designed to encourage implicit learning. We contrasted high-variability visual input combined with either high-linguistic or low-linguistic complexity, using a short (<5 minute) PowerPoint-based training. Participants were regularly tested on their spelling and were compared with themselves using single subject design. Individual effect sizes were aggregated across participants, and we used dependent measures t-tests to compare conditions. Results: Participants learned significantly more treated words than control words in the high-variability/low-complexity condition, but not in the high-variability/high-complexity condition. Conclusions: Refugees can benefit from interventions designed to promote implicit learning but can be overwhelmed by too much input.
AB - Background: We used two principles of implicit learning, variability and complexity, to train mental orthographic representations in refugee English learners to improve spelling. Methods: Twenty-eight refugees enrolled in a 10-week English class were trained on classroom words using stimuli designed to encourage implicit learning. We contrasted high-variability visual input combined with either high-linguistic or low-linguistic complexity, using a short (<5 minute) PowerPoint-based training. Participants were regularly tested on their spelling and were compared with themselves using single subject design. Individual effect sizes were aggregated across participants, and we used dependent measures t-tests to compare conditions. Results: Participants learned significantly more treated words than control words in the high-variability/low-complexity condition, but not in the high-variability/high-complexity condition. Conclusions: Refugees can benefit from interventions designed to promote implicit learning but can be overwhelmed by too much input.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85021451782&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85021451782&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/1467-9817.12118
DO - 10.1111/1467-9817.12118
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85021451782
SN - 0141-0423
VL - 41
SP - 455
EP - 474
JO - Journal of Research in Reading
JF - Journal of Research in Reading
IS - 3
ER -