1. Background Purposes of the Study Methods Amanda Rumpca and Dr. Marie Stadler, Ph.D. CCC-SLP  Communication Sciences and Disorders  University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Amanda Rumpca and Dr. Marie Stadler, Ph.D. CCC-SLP  Communication Sciences and Disorders  University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire  Limited knowledge regarding the use of the iPad in speech-language pathology  iPad use in therapy is becoming more common in recent years  Few published studies about preposition comprehension and acquisition  To determine if iPad-based intervention is more effective than toy-based therapy to teach the prepositions “above” and “below”  To serve as a pilot study on preschool children’s comprehension and acquisition of prepositions  Researcher-designed pre-test was administered measuring comprehension of “above,” “below,” “in front of,” and “behind”  One group was taught the prepositions “above” and “below” using the iPad application The House of Learning  Second group was taught the same prepositions using toys  Children ages 4;0 to 4;11 years had significantly higher post-test scores than children ages 3;0 to 3;11 years Toys vs. Technology: A Comparison of Methods to Teach Prepositions Toys vs. Technology: A Comparison of Methods to Teach Prepositions Participants  Thirteen children recruited from the Children’s Nature Academy at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire  All children were typically developing No diagnoses of language disorders, cognitive or learning disabilities, hearing loss, or other conditions  Ages ranged from 3;3 to 4;11 years  Six children assigned to the toy-based intervention group  Seven children assigned to the iPad-based intervention group Methods Continued  Researcher and child engaged in cooperative play  Twenty total teaching opportunities of “above” and “below” within each intervention session  Researcher probed child to determine if he/she had learned the concept  Maximum of five sessions or until mastery demonstrated  Same pre-test administered following intervention Results  Data was analyzed using a t-test of statistical significance and the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test  Significant improvements between pre-test and post-test scores for both groups  No significant difference in average post-test scores between the two intervention methodologies Implications  Both toys and iPad applications are equally effective in teaching children prepositions  It may not be developmentally appropriate to expect three-year olds to understand “above” and “below” This study was supported by the Blugold Fellowship which is jointly funded by Differential Tuition and the UW-Eau Claire Foundation. We thank the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for supporting this research, and Learning & Technology Services for printing this poster. Acknowledgements Limitations  Small sample size from a single location  Few male participants  Spatial concepts such as “above” and “below” may not be represented well in two-dimensional planes Future Directions  Larger sample size from varied locations  Different iPad application to teach a language concept  Further research on comprehension of prepositions Selected References Bangs, T. E. (1975). Vocabulary Comprehension Scale. Allen, TX: DLM Teaching Resources Corporation. Hicks, S. C., Bethune, K. S., Wood, C. L., Cooke, N. L., & Mims, P. J. (2011). Effects of direct instruction on the acquisition of prepositions by students with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44, 675-679. Washington, D. S., & Naremore, R. C. (1978). Children’s use of spatial prepositions in two- and three-dimensional tasks. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 21(1), 151-165.