Integrating Morphological Knowledge in Literacy Instruction

Morphology instruction is underutilized in special education despite a substantial body of research that links the development of morphological awareness and morphological knowledge to word recognition, spelling, vocabulary and reading comprehension. Morphology is the study of word structure and its meaning; each meaningful unit is called a morpheme. The inclusion of morphology instruction to develop students’ knowledge and awareness of word structure in special education could provide an avenue for students to access rigorous and complex texts where the preponderance of morphologically complex words abound. This article provides the framework and principles to guide special education teachers when integrating morphology in their language arts instruction. Teaching morphology has four components: morphemic analysis, vocabulary/spelling, contextual reading application, and written expression. To address the literacy needs of students in special education, the author recommends five principles for integrating morphology instruction in language arts based on the presented framework and evidence-based practice.