Vocabulary Instruction for Secondary Students with Reading Disabilities: An Updated Research Review

This article presents an update and extension of the research on instructional methods for vocabulary learning by secondary-age students with learning disabilities. Seven studies that have been published since the last comprehensive review of the research were located. Four instructional methods were found to be the most effective: mnemonic instruction, learning strategies that utilized morphemic analysis, direct instruction, and multimedia instruction. In addition, peer-mediated instruction was found to be a successful approach for supporting vocabulary learning, although it was not possible to separate the effects of peer mediation from the instructional methods used. Implications for classroom practice and for future research are discussed.