Motivation Modelling and Computation for Personalised Learning of People with Dyslexia

The increasing development of e-learning systems in recent decades has benefited ubiquitous computing and education by providing freedom of choice to satisfy various needs and preferences about learning places and paces. Automatic recognition of learners’ states is necessary for personalised services or intervention to be provided in e-learning environments. In current literature, assessment of learners’ motivation for personalised learning based on the motivational states is lacking. An effective learning environment needs to address learners’ motivational needs, particularly, for those with dyslexia. Dyslexia or other learning difficulties can cause young people not to engage fully with the education system or to drop out due to complex reasons: in addition to the learning difficulties related to reading, writing or spelling, psychological difficulties are more likely to be ignored such as lower academic self-worth and lack of learning motivation caused by the unavoidable learning difficulties. Associated with both cognitive processes and emotional states, motivation is a multi-facet concept that consequences in the continued intention to use an e-learning system and thus a better chance of learning effectiveness and success. It consists of factors from intrinsic motivation driven by learners’ inner feeling of interest or challenges and those from extrinsic motivation associated with external reward or compliments. These factors represent learners’ various motivational needs; thus, understanding this requires a multidisciplinary approach. Combining different perspectives of knowledge on psychological theories and technology acceptance models with the empirical findings from a qualitative study with dyslexic students conducted in the present research project, motivation modelling for people with dyslexia using a hybrid approach is the main focus of this thesis. Specifically, in addition to the contribution to the qualitative conceptual motivation model and ontology-based computational model that formally expresses the motivational factors affecting users’ continued intention to use e-learning systems, this thesis also conceives a quantitative approach to motivation modelling. A multi-item motivation questionnaire is designed and employed in a quantitative study with dyslexic students, and structural equation modelling techniques are used to quantify the influences of the motivational factors on continued use intention and their interrelationships in the model. In addition to the traditional approach to motivation computation that relies on learners’ self-reported data, this thesis also employs dynamic sensor data and develops classification models using logistic regression for real-time assessment of motivational states. The rule-based reasoning mechanism for personalising motivational strategies and a framework of motivationally personalised e-learning systems are introduced to apply the research findings to e-learning systems in real-world scenarios. The motivation model, sensor-based computation and rule-based personalisation have been applied to a practical scenario with an essential part incorporated in the prototype of a gaze-based learning application that can output personalised motivational strategies during the learning process according to the real-time assessment of learners’ motivational states based on both the eye-tracking data in addition to users’ self-reported data. Evaluation results have indicated the advantage of the application implemented compared to the traditional one without incorporating the present research findings for monitoring learners’ motivation states with gaze data and generating personalised feedback. In summary, the present research project has: 1) developed a conceptual motivation model for students with dyslexia defining the motivational factors that influence their continued intention to use e-learning systems based on both a qualitative empirical study and prior research and theories; 2) developed an ontology-based motivation model in which user profiles, factors in the motivation model and personalisation options are structured as a hierarchy of classes; 3) designed a multi-item questionnaire, conducted a quantitative empirical study, used structural equation modelling to further explore and confirm the quantified impacts of motivational factors on continued use intention and the quantified relationships between the factors; 4) conducted an experiment to exploit sensors for motivation computation, and developed classification models for real-time assessment of the motivational states pertaining to each factor in the motivation model based on empirical sensor data including eye gaze data and EEG data; 5) proposed a sensor-based motivation assessment system architecture with emphasis on the use of ontologies for a computational representation of the sensor features used for motivation assessment in addition to the representation of the motivation model, and described the semantic rule-based personalisation of motivational strategies; 6) proposed a framework of motivationally personalised e-learning systems based on the present research, with the prototype of a gaze-based learning application designed, implemented and evaluated to guide future work

A Conceptual System Architecture for Motivation-enhanced Learning for Students with Dyslexia

The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI linkIncreased user motivation from interaction process leads to improved interaction, resulting in increased motivation again, which forms a positive self-propagating cycle. Therefore, a system will be more effective if the user is more motivated. Especially for students with dyslexia, it is common for them to experience more learning difficulties that affect their learning motivation. That's why we need to employ techniques to enhance user motivation in the interaction process. In this research, we will present a system architecture for motivation-enhanced learning and the detailed process of the construction of our motivation model using ontological approach for students with dyslexia. The proposed framework of the personalised learning system incorporates our motivation model and corresponding personalisation mechanism aiming to improve learning motivation and performance of students with dyslexia. Additionally, we also provide examples of inference rules and a use scenario for illustration of personalisation to be employed in our system

The impact of educational programs and support structures on success in the classroom for college students with learning disabilities

This research explores and examines 1) the effectiveness of university sponsored educational strategies (formal and informal) for students with learning disabilities and 2) how individuals react to and manage their learning disability. This study is a mixed- methods design and uses surveys and interviews to collect data. Participants are college students registered with the Office of Disability Services (ODS) for academic assistance at a four-year liberal Southeastern mid-sized university. Results showed that when students’ utilized university sponsored educational strategies, such as assistive technology, note-taking skills, and other accommodations their self-efficacy and confidence increased in relation to personal classroom achievements. Recommendations for future research are to use a larger population sample and to include a broader range of students with disabilities to get a larger response rate for generalizability purposes

How High School Students With Dyslexia Use Assistive Technology; A Teacher\u27s Perspective

High school teachers of students with dyslexia face unique instructional challenges. Students’ with dyslexia experience levels of difficulty in reading and writing tasks that have now transmigrated into the digital realm. These teachers are working to collaborate with and teach students that are dyslexic, using technology tools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain an understanding of how these teachers are using technology to support the learning of students with dyslexia. Two research questions guided this study: How do the teachers of high school students with dyslexia perceive the use of digital technology to assist in the learning process? What are the experiences of teachers who use digital technology to teach high school students with dyslexia? The sample was a purposeful sample consisting of 8 high school teacher participants. Participants taught a variety of subjects including English, mathematics, history, and science at a charter school in western North Carolina. The data collection instruments were face to face interviews, observations, and member checking sessions. The typological analysis model was used to analyze data collected from interviews and observations. The constant comparative strategy was used during analysis to effectively determine commonalities among these data. These strategies ensured data were being analyzed beyond the surface level. The key findings of this study were that participants view digital classroom technology favorably and are using technology frequently as a teaching tool for all students. The teachers expressed the need for professional development and training sessions to more fully develop technology skills as a way to specifically engage with students with dyslexia and their learning needs

Modeling Dyslexic Students’ Motivation for Enhanced Learning in E-learning Systems

E-Learning systems can support real-time monitoring of learners’ learning desires and effects, thus offering opportunities for enhanced personalized learning. Recognition of the determinants of dyslexic users’ motivation to use e-learning systems is important to help developers improve the design of e-learning systems and educators direct their efforts to relevant factors to enhance dyslexic students’ motivation. Existing research has rarely attempted to model dyslexic users’ motivation in e-learning context from a comprehensive perspective. The present work has conceived a hybrid approach, namely, combining the strengths of qualitative and quantitative analysis methods, to motivation modeling. It examines a variety of factors that affect dyslexic students’ motivation to engage in e-learning systems from psychological, behavioral, and technical perspectives, and establishes their interrelationships. Specifically, the study collects data from a multi-item Likert-style questionnaire to measure relevant factors for conceptual motivation modeling. It then applies both covariance-based (CB-SEM) and variance-based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approaches to determine the quantitative mapping between dyslexic students’ continued use intention and motivational factors, followed by discussions about theoretical findings and design instructions according to our motivation model. Our research has led to a novel motivation model with new constructs of Learning Experience, Reading Experience, Perceived Control, and Perceived Privacy. From both the CB-SEM and PLS-SEM analyses, results on the total effects have indicated consistently that Visual Attractiveness, Reading Experience, and Feedback have the strongest effects on continued use intentio

Ontology-based personalisation of e-learning resources for disabled students

Students with disabilities are often expected to use e-learning systems to access learning materials but most systems do not provide appropriate adaptation or personalisation to meet their needs.The difficulties related to inadaptability of current learning environments can now be resolved using semantic web technologies such as web ontologies which have been successfully used to drive e-learning personalisation. Nevertheless, e-learning personalisation for students with disabilities has mainly targeted those with single disabilities such as dyslexia or visual impairment, often neglecting those with multiple disabilities due to the difficulty of designing for a combination of disabilities.This thesis argues that it is possible to personalise learning materials for learners with disabilities, including those with multiple disabilities. This is achieved by developing a model that allows the learning environment to present the student with learning materials in suitable formats while considering their disability and learning needs through an ontology-driven and disability-aware personalised e-learning system model (ONTODAPS). A disability ontology known as the Abilities and Disabilities Ontology for Online LEarning and Services (ADOOLES) is developed and used to drive this model. To test the above hypothesis, some case studies are employed to show how the model functions for various individuals with and without disabilities and then the implemented visual interface is experimentally evaluated by eighteen students with disabilities and heuristically by ten lecturers. The results are collected and statistically analysed.The results obtained confirm the above hypothesis and suggest that ONTODAPS can be effectively employed to personalise learning and to manage learning resources. The student participants found that ONTODAPS could aid their learning experience and all agreed that they would like to use this functionality in an existing learning environment. The results also suggest that ONTODAPS provides a platform where students with disabilities can have equivalent learning experience with their peers without disabilities. For the results to be generalised, this study could be extended through further experiments with more diverse groups of students with disabilities and across multiple educational institutions

The Predictive Relationship Between Teachers’ Knowledge of Dyslexia and Their Confidence in Supporting Students With Dyslexia

The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to explore the relationship between teachers’ knowledge of dyslexia and their confidence in teaching those with dyslexia, as these factors impact teachers’ ability to provide proper interventions and accommodations for students with dyslexia. A lack of knowledge or overconfidence in a teacher’s abilities can negatively impact educational outcomes for these students. The population for this study consisted of 117 public-school teachers in rural Ohio within the Appalachian region. The Knowledge and Beliefs About Developmental Dyslexia Scale and the Teaching Students with Disabilities Efficacy Scale were utilized to collect data in a digital questionnaire format. A multiple linear regression analysis found a significant predictive relationship between three facets of dyslexia knowledge and confidence, and general knowledge of dyslexia was discovered to be the best predictor of teachers’ confidence in teaching those with dyslexia. The findings of this study suggested that teacher training should focus on the complex aspects of dyslexia to further increase teachers’ confidence and competencies. Future research should focus on replicating this study with other populations, investigating additional variables, and implementing different instrumentation to measure dyslexia knowledge as well as conducting qualitative research to gain a deeper understanding of teachers’ confidence in their abilities

K-12 Teachers’ Experience with Professional Development on Implementing Intervention for Cognitive Reading Disorders and Dyslexia: A Qualitative Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand the experiences of the 10 K-12 teacher participants who may implement instruction and interventions for students who struggle with cognitive reading disorders and dyslexia. Instruction for intervention of cognitive reading disorders at the K-12 education level was generally defined as the multisensory approach more commonly found in schools. Instructional methods of 10 teachers at the K-12 education level for cognitive reading disorders was explored by implementing the central research question (CRQ), “What are the experiences of K-12 teachers who receive professional development to provide cognitive reading instruction with interventions specific to dyslexia?” The theory guiding this study is Piaget’s (1952) theory of cognitive development and the four developmental stages. A constructivist theory applies well to an educational qualitative study. Piaget\u27s (1952) observations of cognitive development have influenced research across multiple fields of study. The methodology consisted of interviews, journal responses, and focus groups, that were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed, Data analysis was organized by reading and note-taking of emergent ideas, describing, and classifying codes into themes through interpreting, representing, and visualizing data. The phenomenological approach influenced the creation of data and its organization by reading through text, making margin notes, and forming initial codes. The meaning was derived from significant statements and common group experience of the participants. The analysis culminated into a textual description of what happened, how the phenomenon was experienced, and the development of the essence of the phenomenon. Throughout the study five themes were generated: Professional Development Experience, Interventions, Teacher Collaboration, Teacher Confidence, and Suggestions for Improvement