EDUCATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES, cilt.29, sa.5, ss.6163-6187, 2024 (SSCI)
Creating digital educational materials, individualized and customized, for students with special needs is necessary; these individuals need materials that are developed especially for them. When materials are created for students with disability, it is vital to consider their disability situation, age, interest, and level of skills. There are some studies that implemented these types of materials, but these are not development studies. They focused on the effects of the material but not how it should be. There is a lack of study in the literature focusing on design considerations when developing interactive multimedia materials for students with special needs. Thus, there is a need for creating digital educational materials for students with special needs and an investigation of analyzing, developing, and integrating materials into special education. The present study aims to reveal what should be considered when developing interactive multimedia materials for students with special needs. This designed-based research was conducted with four students, three males and one female, two of whom have an intellectual disability, one has Down syndrome, and one is autistic. In addition, data were collected from two special education teachers and five experts during the material development phase. The study had four phases, and the fourth phase lasted six weeks. Results show that materials for students with special needs should be interactive, flexible, individualized, and simple; the design should not be tiered; sounds and effects should be dynamic, and if possible, concepts can be arranged by the teacher.