Using a Refutation Text to Increase Dyslexia Knowledge in CSD Undergraduates

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a refutation text on conceptual knowledge of dyslexia among pre-professional undergraduate students in communication sciences and disorders (CSD). Undergraduate students (n = 60) majoring in CSD were randomly assigned to two groups. They completed a pre-test to evaluate their conceptual knowledge of dyslexia, then read a text about dyslexia. There were two texts: a refutation text and a control text. After reading the text, students completed a post-test to evaluate their conceptual knowledge of dyslexia. Four weeks after completing the post-test, students completed a maintenance test. The refutation text facilitated greater conceptual change about dyslexia than the control text in the short term (i.e., from pre-test to post-test). For both groups, participants’ conceptual knowledge of dyslexia decreased between the post-test and maintenance test. However, for both groups, conceptual knowledge of dyslexia was higher at the maintenance time point than it was at the pre-test time point. Refutation texts may be a viable option for facilitating conceptual change among pre-professional speech-language pathologists.