The Multiple Effects of Direct Instruction Flashcards on Sight Word Acquisition, Passage Reading, and Errors for Three Middle School Students with Intellectual Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to assess effectiveness of the Direct Instruction (DI) flashcard system in improving the sight word knowledge of three middle school boys with intellectual disabilities in a designed instruction classroom setting. Each participant was presented with three sets of 20 sight words and a multiple baseline, single-subject design was used to measure student progress. In addition, a passage reading probe was used to assess the ability of participants to utilize sight word knowledge within passage context. Overall results indicated a large increase in isolated sight word knowledge for all three participants following the implementation of DI Flashcard instruction. In addition, the passage reading data indicated a decreased likelihood that participants would inaccurately read their individual sight words in passage context. The issues related to employing flashcards in literacy instruction were discussed.