A mobile game as a support tool for children with severe difficulties in reading and spelling

We used a randomized controlled trial to investigate if a mobile game, GraphoLearn (GL), could effectively support the learning of first graders (N = 70), who have severe difficulties in reading and spelling. We studied the effects of two versions of the game: GL Reading, which focused on training letter-sound correspondence and word reading; and GL Spelling, which included additional training in phonological skills and spelling. During the spring of first grade, the children trained with tablet computers which they could carry with them during the six-week intervention. The average exposure time to training was 5 hr 44 min. The results revealed no differences in the development of reading or spelling skills between GL players and the control group. However, pre-training self-efficacy moderated the effect among GL Reading players: children with high self-efficacy developed more than the control group in word reading fluency, whereas children with low self-efficacy developed less than the control group in spelling.Peer reviewe

GraphoGame - a catalyst for multi-level promotion of literacy in diverse contexts

GraphoGame (GG) is originally a technology-based intervention method for supporting children with reading difficulties. It is now known that children who face problems in reading acquisition have difficulties in learning to differentiate and manipulate speech sounds and consequently, in connecting these sounds to corresponding letters. GG was developed to provide intensive training in matching speech sounds and larger units of speech to their written counterparts. GG has been shown to benefit children with reading difficulties and the game is now available for all Finnish school children for literacy support. Presently millions of children in Africa fail to learn to read despite years of primary school education. As many African languages have transparent writing systems similar in structure to Finnish, it was hypothesized that GG-based training of letter-sound correspondences could also be effective in supporting children's learning in African countries. In this article we will describe how GG has been developed from a Finnish dyslexia prevention game to an intervention method that can be used not only to improve children's reading performance but also to raise teachers' and parents' awareness of the development of reading skill and effective reading instruction methods. We will also provide an overview of the GG activities in Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Namibia, and the potential to promote education for all with a combination of scientific research and mobile learning.Peer reviewe

Is School a Better Environment than Home for Digital Game-Based Learning? : The Case of GraphoGame

This study investigated how the use of an online reading game differs in home and school environments. First and second graders (N = 194) participated in an 8-week training during which they used the reading program GraphoGame either at home or at school under the supervision of parents or teachers. Child participants were recommended by parents and teachers recruited from the list of GraphoGame users, and adults decided whether the training took place at home or at school. We measured the frequency and duration of playing, children’s engagement, development of reading skill and reading interest, and adult supportive involvement. The results revealed that children who played GraphoGame at school showed higher engagement and used it more frequently than players at home. Although teachers were more involved in the children’s playing than were parents, only parental involvement was significantly associated with a child’s engagement during training and the child’s learning outcomes.peerReviewe

Digital game-based training of early reading skills : overview of the GraphoGame method in a highly transparent orthography / Entrenamiento de habilidades de lectura tempranas basado en un juego digital : vision general del metodo GraphoGame en una ortografia altamente transparente

Learning to read in a language with a transparent orthography is generally quick and easy. To be able to read any words, learners need to know how to connect the smallest spoken language units, phonemes, into the written counterparts, graphemes. However, even learning the basic alphabetic principle has proven difficult for some learners. Here we focus on children who struggle to learn to read in Finnish that has a highly transparent orthography. In an attempt to provide efficient early preventative support for such learners, a technologyenhanced learning environment, GraphoGame, was developed. The GraphoGame method focuses on the specific problematic areas of each individual learner using a phonics type drilling, starting from training the letter-sound connections before introducing larger units. Here we provide an overview of the GraphoGame method together with research findings.peerReviewe

Readers’ Theater Projects for Special Education : A Randomized Controlled Study

A randomized controlled trial was conducted to study the effectiveness of two readers’ theater (RT) programs in promoting reading skills and motivation of dysfluent readers in Grades 3–4. One program (RT Goal) included a goal of preparing a performance for an audience (n = 50), while another program (RT Practice) did not include such a goal (n = 49). A group of dysfluent readers receiving traditional oral reading intervention (Control group; n = 59) and a group of classroom peers (Mainstream group; n = 159) served as controls. The results indicate that both RT groups and the Control group developed at a higher rate in oral reading speed during the intervention period than the Mainstream group. The RT Goal program was associated with higher engagement ratings and a temporary reduction in reading errors and oral reading anxiety. RT had no effects on silent reading skills or reading self-efficacy.peerReviewe

The roles of motivation and engagement in computer-based assessment of children's reading comprehension

The present study investigates whether task engagement mediates the effects of reading-related self-efficacy and motivation on reading comprehension. Finnish-speaking students from Grades 3 and 4 performed a computer-based reading comprehension task. Engagement was measured by two indicators retrieved from log files: time-on-task (behavioral engagement) and response strategy (cognitive engagement). Two studies were conducted. Study 1 included mostly fluent readers (N = 108), and Study 2, which served as a conceptual replication of Study 1, included both fluent and dysfluent readers (N = 308). The results of both studies suggest that cognitive engagement mediates the effect of reading enjoyment on reading comprehension. In Study 2, the effect of self-efficacy on reading comprehension was mediated by both types of engagement but only when the effect of reading enjoyment was not controlled for. Overall, the results provide further clarification of the mechanism by which motivation affects children's task-oriented reading.peerReviewe

ReadDrama-hanke tuottaa tietoa draamakasvatuksellisen lukuteatterin vaikuttavuudesta

Draamallisia menetelmiä sovelletaan laajasti opetuksessa, mutta niiden vaikuttavuutta on tutkittu melko vähän. Oppilaan keskeinen oppimistehtävä koulupolkunsa alkupuolella on riittävän teknisen lukutaidon ja lukusujuvuuden tason saavuttaminen. Lupaava draamakasvatuksellinen menetelmä lukutaidon harjoitteluun on lukuteatteri, jossa lukemista harjoitellaan näytelmätekstien parissa. Lukuteatterin vaikuttavuutta kohdennetun tuen muotona tutkitaan Suomen Akatemian rahoittamassa ja Niilo Mäki Instituutissa suoritettavassa ReadDrama-tutkimushankkeessa.nonPeerReviewe

"Koska oli extrasuperkivaa" - 3.-4.-luokkalaisten hitaiden lukijoiden kokemuksia lukuteatterista

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