The impact of a mnemonic strategy, the keyword strategy, on learning elementary science concepts of students with specific learning disabilities

The aim of this study is to determine the impact of the keyword strategy, which is a mnemonic strategy, on learning elementary science concepts of students with specific learning disabilities. The population of this study consisted of 27 students, who were diagnosed with specific learning disabilities and attending to four private special education and rehabilitation centers. Those students had the following characteristics: a) graduated from primary school, b) literate, c) had Anadolu Sak Intelligence Scale (ASIS) general intelligence score 70 or above, and d) had a score of four or less from the administered science concept test. The experimental group consisted of 13 students while the control group consisted of 14 students. The sample consisted of 20 male and 5 female students. The age of the students ranged from 10 to 13 years. This study used the pre-test post-test control group design, which is a quantitative research approach. The dependent variable of this study was the success level of the participants (i.e., the score from the science concept test). The independent variable was the keyword strategy. Data collection tools used in this study included the Concept Test and the Social Validity Rating Form. The collected data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U test and the Wilcoxon Rank-Sum test, which are quantitative analysis tests. As a result of the study, there is no statistical difference in the pre-test scores of the experimental group and the control group (Z=-1.62, p>.05). Furthermore, there is a statistically significant difference between the post-test scores of the experimental group and the control group, and the difference was in favor of the experimental group (Z=-4.21, p<.05). A statistically significant difference was found between the pre-test and follow-up scores of the experimental group (Z=-3.20, p<.05). However, a statistically significant difference was not found between post-test and follow-up scores of the experimental group (Z=-1.41, p>.05). In conclusion, it was found that the keyword strategy positively affects the science concept learning of students with specific learning disabilities, and they continued their success as shown by the follow-up test performed six weeks after the implementation. Moreover, the students provided positive remarks about the strategy used.