GraphoLearn India : The Effectiveness of a Computer-Assisted Reading Intervention in Supporting Struggling Readers of English
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.…
Reading Difficulties Identification : A Comparison of Neural Networks, Linear, and Mixture Models
Purpose We aim to identify the most accurate model for predicting adolescent (Grade 9) reading difficulties (RD) in reading fluency and reading comprehension using 17 kindergarten-age variables. Three models (neural networks, linear, and mixture) were compared based on their accuracy in predicting RD. We also examined whether the same or a different set of kindergarten-age factors emerge as the strongest predictors of reading fluency and comprehension difficulties across the models. Method RD were identified in a Finnish sample (N ≈ 2,000) based on Grade 9 difficulties in reading fluency and reading comprehension. The predictors assessed in kindergarten included gender, parental factors (e.…
Assessing the effectiveness of a game‐based phonics intervention for first and second grade English language learners in India: A randomized controlled trial
Background In 2018, it was found that only a quarter of Grade 3 children in India were reading at grade level. A growing demand for English education has further limited children's literacy achievement. Despite a strong evidence base in favour of using systematic phonics for building English literacy skills, many teachers in India continue to use rote-methods of literacy instruction. Objectives We aimed to examine the efficacy of GraphoLearn (GL) English Rime, a computer-assisted reading intervention, in improving the foundational literacy skills of 1st and 2nd grade students who were attending an English medium school in India. Methods A total of 136 students across 6 classrooms were rando…
Understanding the role of cross-language transfer of phonological awareness in emergent Hindi–English biliteracy acquisition
AbstractThis study examined within and cross-language relations, and specifically, the role of phonological awareness (PA) skills in reading among young Hindi-speaking children (L1) who were learning to read English (L2) in Delhi, India. Data was collected from 143 children in Grades 1 and 2 using measures validated for this population. The analyses examined the associations between L1 and L2 PA and decoding, both within and across the two languages. The results showed that PA skills within each language significantly predicted decoding in that language. Furthermore, there was evidence of cross-language transfer with Hindi PA significantly predicting English word reading even after controll…
GraphoLearn India : the effectiveness of a computer-assisted reading intervention in supporting English readers in India
Illiteracy is still a critical problem in many parts of the developing world. India, with a population of over 1.3 billion individuals, has a literacy rate of only 72%. Those living in poverty are at an even higher risk of never achieving literacy due to limited access to quality education. With a strong push towards English education sweeping the country, those in poverty further struggle to learn a language which is foreign to them. Without access to quality education, these individuals 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 intervention, could be used to support the Engli…