Language Arts Keyboard Overlays for Students with Disabilities

Carol Stanger & Arjan Khalsa IntelliTools, Inc. Novato, CA

Abstract

The goal of this study was to demonstrate the effects of custom overlays for the IntelliKeys alternative keyboard on the participation and performance of students with disabilities in computer-based language arts curriculum activities. To determine this we compared the use of standard keyboards with the use of IntelliKeys custom overlays in activities that were otherwise very similar. We measured student productivity, attitudes toward self and peers, and the effects on the overall classroom community. The children participated in cooperative learning groups during all activities.

Background

The ability to communicate effectively in written format is one of the most critical prerequisites for school success. It is also one of the most demanding tasks that students, either those with disabilities or without such challenges, are asked to undertake. Early in their school careers students are expected to demonstrate mastery of spelling, handwriting, punctuation, and grammar while at the same time they are learning the process of formulating ideas and putting them down on paper. The demands for written production increase at each academic level. By the time students reach post-secondary education, writing abilities are one of the most predictive measures of potential academic success. Beyond the academic realm, the ability to communicate clearly in written format is fundamental to successful endeavors as an adult. While learning to be effective writers is a challenge for all students, those with either physical or learning disabilities face even greater obstacles. For many of these students the very opportunity to even be included in the regular classroom activities designed to create writing competence may depend on the availability of adapted curriculum and assistive devices. (Koppenhaver, 1991)

Research Question

Is a child with disabilities more productive and more successful with computer based Language Arts activities when using the IntelliKeys with custom overlays as compared to the regular keyboard?

Method

At the research site, a Chapter I school in Southern California, the classroom teachers brainstormed their curricular needs with the curriculum adaptations specialists from the project. Eight activities were created in response to these needs (four for the standard keyboard, four for custom overlays). The activities were based on the literature stimulus of two poems, one classic childrenÕs novel and one short storybook. In each activity the leader read a story or poem out loud to the class, and students were given a writing assignment based on the literature stimulus. Each literature stimulus was matched with a pair of activities. One activity involved the standard keyboard, and the second activity used a custom overlay to provide a means for comparison. The activities were led by the curriculum adaptations specialists who had been working in this school community on a regular basis prior to the study. The 12 student participants worked in cooperative groups. Groups were composed of two children with disabilities "one with a physical disability and one identified as learning disabled" and one non-targeted student. Student roles were: editor, who also served as team captain; keyboarder, who worked on the overlay or the standard keyboard; and author, who directed the keyboarder in what to write. During each activity each student had a turn at every role. This group structure also allowed for observation of attitudes of peers without disabilities and the students with disabilities during all activities. Observers collected both quantitative and qualitative data on the targeted students during the activities. Attitudinal information was gathered from both students and teachers by way of questionnaires. In addition, the student work generated during the activity was saved in individual files, printed for the students' portfolios, and used to measure productivity and work quality.

Results

Observer Ratings: Observers rated the students on Student Success, and Ideas Contributed. Student Success was a measure of the ability to complete the expected task in the cooperative group. Observers recorded student performance for each targeted student during activities using a scale ranging from 1 to 5 where 1 was "mostly unsuccessful" and 5 was "mostly successful."

Table I provides the data on the average success rate for using the keyboard and overlay as recorded by the observer. All students were equally successful or more successful using the custom overlays as compared to the regular keyboard.

Ideas Contributed (see Table II) was a measure of how many ideas each targeted student contributed relative to his/her peers. The scale ranged from 1 to 4 where 1 was "significantly fewer" and 4 was "significantly more."

Student Opinion Forms: Out of the eight activities completed, the students generally responded that they enjoyed seven. Only one activity was disliked by more than one student. This was a keyboard activity. Notably, the custom overlay activity it was paired with, which was the same format with a different literature stimulus, was the favorite activity of the class. In general, most students thought that everyone in the group was included and that everyone was able to say what they wanted to say for almost all writing activities. Students said that they liked to use the IntelliKeys because they didn't have to type out whole words, and because it was faster, easier, and more fun.

Teacher Surveys: The students' teachers filled out a survey after their students completed all eight of the activities. Teachers were extremely enthusiastic about the use of custom overlays in computer-based language arts activities.

Student Work: Of the four activity pairs, three were fill-in or matching activities that were evaluated based on the percentage of the activity that was completed correctly. One pair of activities was more open ended and was evaluated for student productivity and quality using a scoring system: writing samples were given a score of 1-3, with 3 being the highest. All student work evaluation was done with no knowledge of the subject or whether a standard keyboard or custom overlay had been used. In all circumstances, all students performed about the same or better with the overlay. For five students, their percent correct increased by about 40% to 60% when using the custom overlay. (Khalsa, A. Final Report 1995)

Discussion

The use of custom overlays with IntelliKeys implemented during this study provided a unique opportunity for students with disabilities to participate more fully with their peers in the area of written language. The custom overlays with the IntelliKeys Keyboard allowed students to press only one button on the keyboard and have an entire word or phrase "typed" into the computer. This same technology allowed students to press one "Delete" key and delete the entire word or phrase just typed. These custom overlay features with direct access to words and phrases provided the opportunity for a student to have a more personally satisfying and productive writing experience. By incorporating the use of IntelliTalk, a simple talking word processor, the students could press one "Read"key on the IntelliKeys Keyboard and have their written work read out loud to them by the computer. Hearing their own words proved to be a highly motivating experience for many students. We learned that it was possible to create successful overlays for language arts activities and that the use of custom overlays enhanced the cooperative learning process. We developed strategies for measuring student success, student affect, and teacher affect. The data demonstrated that students gained productivity and success by using custom overlays and that the teachers found the use of the products to be successful for their students and classroom communities.

Student Success: We determined that students with disabilities benefited from IntelliKeys with custom overlays when compared to a regular computer keyboard. The data demonstrated that overall, students had higher levels of success, contributed more ideas, and were more productive and more accurate when using overlays. Observers noted that students worked more intently and were more on task while using the IntelliKeys Keyboard. Teachers reported that the students felt successful and took pride in sharing their work with the peers who were not participants in the study. An unexpected outcome from this study was that students spontaneously became "teachers" of both the lessons and the technology to other students. They exhibited a desire to share their skills with others.

The Cooperative Learning Process: The cooperative learning strategies employed during the Phase I feasibility study were enhanced by the custom overlays. Using the custom overlays, children of various abilities were able to take part in computer-based language arts activities. Children who were typically disruptive in class or in a group demonstrated a greater ability to stay focused and on task when using the IntelliKeys Keyboard and custom overlays.

Teacher Response: Teachers found that the use of overlays for language arts activities was a significant aid in teaching students with disabilities. It is significant to note that all of the teachers thought that the overlays enhance language arts skills, and that these types of activities are useful in the classroom. In conclusion students were more successful and contributed more ideas using the IntelliKeys custom overlays than using the standard keyboards. Teachers reported positive changes in student attitudes toward writing, increased enthusiasm, and better student collaboration.

References

1. Koppenhaver, D., Coleman, P., Kalman, S., Yoder, D. (1991) The Implications of emergent literacy research for children with developmental disabilities. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 1(1), 38-44.

2. Arjan Khalsa, Principal Investigator, Phase I Final Report for National Institutes of Health Grant #1 R43 HD31774-01, Language Arts Keyboard Overlays for Students with Disabilities, IntelliTools, Inc., October, 1995.

Acknowledgments

This work was made possible by a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Institutes of Health (Grant # 1 R43 HD31774-01) Special thanks to Melinda Harrington, Cyndy Hoberman, Suzanne Feit, Laura Leininger, Mary Male, Helen Miller, Elizabeth Wharton, and the students and teachers who participated in this study

Carol Stanger IntelliTools, Inc. 55 Leveroni Court, Suite 9 Novato, CA 94949 (415) 382-5959 Language Arts Keyboard Overlays for Students with Disabilities