Three sixth-grade students with language learning disabilities performed better on learning vocabulary words when using computer-aided instruction (CAI) with speech output than CAI without speech. Two students did better using CAI with digitized speech, and one student made greater gains using CAI with synthesized speech. (Author/JDD)

This article compares four theories relating vocabulary knowledge to reading comprehension and applies these theories to vocabulary development instructional approaches for various types of students with problems in reading comprehension. The four theories are the instrumentalist hypothesis, the aptitude hypothesis, the access hypothesis, and the…