Verbal retelling abilities in adolescents with and without language-learning disabilities for social studies lectures

Verbal retelling abilities for social studies lectures were examined and co mpared in 20 adolescent boys, ages 12-5 to 14-7, with language-learning dis abilities (LLD) and 29 with normal language abilities (NL). Participants vi ewed one videotaped social studies lecture with a comparison expository dis course structure and one with a causation discourse structure. Following ea ch lecture presentation, participants verbally retold the lecture. Results of several repeated-measures analyses of variance indicated that the group with LLD produced a significantly smaller number of T-units, subordinate cl auses, subordinate clauses per T-unit, T-units per second, lecture componen ts per second, and percentage of lecture components in their retellings, co mpared with the group with NL, regardless of lecture type. Both groups prod uced a significantly greater number of T-units and subordinate clauses for the comparison lecture. By contrast, both groups recalled a significantly g reater number of lecture components per T-unit and per second for the causa tion lecture. Results indicated that the comparison discourse structure fac ilitated more substantive and elaborate retellings, whereas the causation d iscourse structure facilitated more efficient, concise retellings in both g roups. Research and instructional implications are discussed.