An investigation into the effects of narrative discourse intervention supported by specialised software on the language skills of primary pupils with acquisition problems

This study investigated language acquisition in late talking boys between the ages of eight and eleven. The main aim of this research was to investigate whether specialist software could help to support improvements in the oral language of pupils with language acquisition problems. It sought to discover whether oral language reading and writing could be improved through narrative discourse intervention. A test-teach-retest methodology was used to establish if persistent expressive language problems could be improved. Pupils’ expressive language was assessed using SALT Software. The Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test assessed receptive language. The Diagnostic Reading Analysis examined reading and the subordination index in SALT Software assessed writing. All tests were administered pre and post intervention. The intervention consisted of a story retell of five age appropriate stories taught over a five week period. The results found that children improved their narrative discourse skills by including more story components and a more engaging and expansive vocabulary than previously. Children improved their ability to retell stories from a third person singular perspective. Significant gains were evident in story retell, reading and writing fluency. Written texts showed significant improvement in terms of length of sentences and inclusion of main and relative clauses. In conclusion the study has shown that specialist software can assess and monitor oral language improvements. Improvement can be brought about in oral language, reading and writing through narrative discourse intervention where a uniform structure is maintained throughout the teaching of all three. Finally it is recommended that narrative discourse intervention should form part of the oral language training of all pupils between the ages of four and eight years of age.