Effects of Infused Instruction on Graduate Students’ Knowledge, Self-Perceptions, and Misconceptions of African American English Dialect

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret

Despite guidelines for training programs in communication sciences and disorders (CSD), pre-service and practicing speech-language pathologists often report feeling under-prepared to work with speakers of Nonmainstream American English dialects such as African American English (AAE). This study examined explicit instruction on AAE phonological and syntactic characteristics through infused instruction with CSD graduate students. Results showed statistically significant gains in demonstrated knowledge and increased perceived confidence, preparedness, and reduced misconceptions after instruction.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages29

Reading Time1 h 13 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Study design

Instruction intervention

Outcomes and implications

Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders | Volume 10 Issue 1 | Article 1 | | --- | --- | | 2026
Effects of Infused Instruction on Graduate Students’ Knowledge, Self-Perceptions, and Misconceptions of African American English Dialect
Virginia L. Dubasik
Bowling Green State University, [vdubasi@bgsu.edu](vdubasi@bgsu.edu)
Tim Brackenbury
Bowling Green State University, [tbracke@bgsu.edu](tbracke@bgsu.edu)
Jasmine I. Wilson
Bowling Green State University, [jaswils@bgsu.edu](jaswils@bgsu.edu)
DOI: 10. 61403/2689-6443 .1407
Follow this and additional works at: [https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/tlcsd](https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/tlcsd) | | Recommended Citation Dubasik, V. L., Brackenbury, T., & Wilson, J. I. (2026) . Effects of Infused Instruction on Graduate Students’Knowledge, Self-Perceptions, and Misconceptions of African American English Dialect. Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders, 10(1) . DOI: [https://doi.org/10.61403/2689-6443.1407](https://doi.org/10.61403/2689-6443.1407) This Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Research is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ISU ReD: Research and eData. It has been accepted for inclusion in Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders by an authorized editor of ISU ReD: Research and eData. For more information, please contact [ISUReD@ilstu.edu](ISUReD@ilstu.edu). Effects of Infused Instruction on Graduate Students’ Knowledge, Self-Perceptions, and Misconceptions of African American English Dialect Abstract Despite guidelines and requirements for training programs in communication sciences and disorders (CSD), pre-service and practicing speech-language pathologists report feeling under-prepared to work with speakers of Nonmainstream American English (NMAE) dialects such as African American English (AAE; Latimer-Hearn, 2020) . The current study explored explicit instruction of the phonological and syntactic characteristics of AAE via infused instruction with speech-language pathology graduate students. Participants were 43 first-and second-year students in a CSD program. At the start of the course, participants completed a pre-instruction survey containing questions regarding demographics, exposure/experiences with AAE, baseline knowledge of AAE characteristics, and misconceptions regarding the dialect. Instruction on a variety of topics related to AAE occurred across five regular class periods and lasted 15 to 20 minutes each. Participants then completed a post-instruction survey with questions pertaining to AAE characteristics, perceived confidence/preparedness to work with AAE speakers, and misconceptions about the dialect. Results indicated statistically significant increases in demonstrated knowledge of AAE dialect following the learning experience. Participants also reported increased perceived knowledge, confidence, and preparedness to work with AAE speakers at the end of the course than prior to explicit instruction of AAE. CSD training programs that incorporate infused, explicit instruction of NMAE dialects within courses have the potential to influence graduate students'knowledge, misconceptions, confidence, and preparedness to work with clients who speak an NMAE dialect such as AAE. Keywords AAE Dialect, explicit teaching, infused instruction, pre-service student perceptions This scholarship of teaching and learning research is available in Teaching and Learning in Communication Sciences & Disorders: [https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/tlcsd/vol10/iss1/1](https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/tlcsd/vol10/iss1/1) The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA, 2020) and the Council on Academic Accreditation (CAA, 2023) have taken steps to guide educational training programs in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) to ensure that once students are certified speechlanguage pathologists (SLPs) they have the skills needed to ac

FAQs

What was the purpose of the study on African American English (AAE) training?

The study explored whether infused explicit instruction on AAE phonological and syntactic characteristics could improve graduate students’ knowledge and related perceptions.

How was instruction delivered to the participants?

Instruction occurred across five regular class periods, with each period lasting about 15 to 20 minutes and covering multiple topics related to AAE.

What outcomes did the researchers find after the infused instruction?

Participants showed statistically significant increases in demonstrated knowledge and reported higher perceived knowledge, confidence, and preparedness to work with AAE speakers, along with improved misconceptions about the dialect.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret