This study was conducted to assess interactive multimedia for aiding students with dyslexia to learn geography. Guided by the National Geography Standards, four sections of a lesson were created in two formats: traditional text and interactive multimedia. Forty-six eighth grade students (dyslexic and non-dyslexic) participated. They took a pretest and then proceeded with the lesson, alternating each section with each format and answering multiple choice content questions after each section. The results indicate that multimedia helped both groups of students in terms of accuracy, response times, and enthusiasm, with a slight decrease in the performance gap between the two groups.

Using Interactive Multimedia for Dyslexic Students in Geographic Education

For people suffering from Specific Learning Difficulties maps can be confusing and frightening documents. Even the colours used may present an alarming image which cannot be seen – let alone understood. We have identified five such areas of “Dys” functions and linked them to colour preferencing. We can find no evidence that this common denominator has been previously investigated. Modern mapping software packages offer the facility to create bespoke colour maps to meet such specific requirements. Our research into individual map content and design warrants further study. To date, we have produced a tailor-made map, that works, for one such child.

N. Tasker

Papers

Dyscover: A world of special maps for special people