Using colourful semantic approaches as a group intervention within primary schools to improve language development: A mixed methods design

Colourful Semantics is an approach initially designed to support language development in children within clinical settings (Bryan, 1997). While initial research was small and based on case study methodology, the research base is growing to include larger numbers of participants and populations. Studies in this area have begun to explore how impactful Colourful Semantic approaches are within school settings when delivered by teaching practitioners (Hettiarachchi, 2016; Hettiararchchi & Ranaweera, 2019). The current small scale study explores the impact of Colourful Semantic approaches when delivered by Additional Support for Learning teachers within small groups in primary schools. A mixed methods design is utilised with both standardised (Renfrew, 1997) and non-standardised pre and post assessments being employed. Additionally, practitioner experiences were gathered through an online questionnaire. While the standardised assessment scores presented mixed findings, closer analysis of narrative responses revealed improvements in sentence structure and organisation. Triangulation and analysis of non-standardised assessment scores and practitioner experiences, revealed significant improvements in both semantic understanding and mean utterance length. Additional benefits in cognitive skills were highlighted by practitioners. Limitations and future research to explore implementing Colourful Semantic approaches within school settings is explored.