GraphoLearn India : The Effectiveness of a Computer-Assisted Reading Intervention in Supporting Struggling Readers of English

Abstract
India, a country with a population of more than 1.3 billion individuals, houses the world’s second largest educational system. Despite this, 100 of millions of individuals in India are still illiterate. As English medium education sweeps the country, many are forced to learn in a language which is foreign to them. Those living in poverty further struggle to learn English as it tends to be a language which they have no prior exposure to and no support at home for. Low-quality schools and poor instructional methods further exacerbate the problem. Without access to quality education, these individuals continue to struggle and are ultimately never given the chance to break the cycle of poverty. The aim of this study was to determine whether GraphoLearn, a computer-assisted reading tool, could be used to support the English reading skills of struggling readers in India. Participants were 7-year-old, grade 3 students (N = 30), who were attending an English-medium public school in Ahmedabad, India. English was not a native language for any of the students and all were reading at a level below that of Grade 1 despite having attended school for 2 years. Half of the students played GraphoLearn (n = 16) while the other half played a control math game (n = 14) for 20–30 min a day, over a period of 8 weeks. GraphoLearn led to significant improvements in children’s letter-sound knowledge, a critical factor in early reading development. Overall, the study opens doors for GraphoLearn as a potential intervention to support struggling readers of English in India, including those who are learning a non-native language and coming from at-risk backgrounds.
Main Authors
Format
Articles Research article
Published
2018
Series
Subjects
Publication in research information system
Publisher
Frontiers Research Foundation
The permanent address of the publication
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-201807183609Use this for linking
Review status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1664-1078
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01045
Language
English
Published in
Frontiers in Psychology
Citation
  • Patel, P., Torppa, M., Aro, M., Richardson, U., & Lyytinen, H. (2018). GraphoLearn India : The Effectiveness of a Computer-Assisted Reading Intervention in Supporting Struggling Readers of English. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 1045. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01045
License
CC BY 4.0Open Access
Funder(s)
Research Council of Finland
Research Council of Finland
Research Council of Finland
Funding program(s)
Akatemiatutkija, SA
Akatemiatutkijan tutkimuskulut, SA
Akatemiatutkijan tutkimuskulut, SA
Academy Research Fellow, AoF
Research costs of Academy Research Fellow, AoF
Research costs of Academy Research Fellow, AoF
Research Council of Finland
Additional information about funding
HL’s work was supported by Academy of Finland with grants #292493 and #311737. MT’s work was supported by Academy of Finland with grants #276239, #284439, and #313768.
Copyright© 2018 Patel, Torppa, Aro, Richardson and Lyytinen.

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