Dyslexia—Early Identification and Prevention: Highlights from the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia

2015

Over two decades of Finnish research, monitoring children born with risk for dyslexia has been carried out in the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia (JLD). Two hundred children, half at risk, have been assessed from birth to puberty on hundreds of measures. The aims were to identify measures of prediction of later reading difficulty and to instigate appropriate and earliest diagnosis and intervention. We can identify at-risk children from newborn electroencephalographic brain recordings (Guttorm et al., J Neural Transm 110:1059–1074, 2003). Predictors are also apparent from late-talking infants who have familial background of dyslexia (Lyytinen and Lyytinen, Appl Psycolinguistics 25:3…

Children's engagement during digital game-based learning of reading: The effects of time, rewards, and challenge

2014

This study investigated the effects of two game features (the level of challenge and the reward system) on first and second graders' engagement during digital game-based learning of reading. We were particularly interested in determining how well these features managed to maintain children's engagement over the 8-week training period. The children (N = 138) used GraphoGame, a web-based game training letter-sound connections, at home under the supervision of parents. Data regarding the children's gaming and engagement were stored on the GraphoGame online server. A 2 x 2 factorial design was used to investigate the effects of the level of challenge (high challenge vs. high success) and the pr…

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

2015

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 s…

Digital game-based training of early reading skills : overview of the GraphoGame method in a highly transparent orthography / Entrenamiento de habili…

2014

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…

Supporting struggling readers with digital game-based learning

2019

This study investigates the effectiveness of a digital game—GraphoLearn (GL)—in supporting second-grade students who have persistent difficulties with acquiring accurate and fluent reading skills. The participants (N = 37) were randomly assigned either to a 6-week intervention including sessions with GL, in addition to school-provided support, or a control group receiving only school-provided support. The intervention took place at the students’ homes and schools under the supervision of their parents and teachers. The results showed that the children who received the GL intervention developed significantly faster in word reading than the control group. Moreover, their reading development w…

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

2022

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 gro…

Early science learning with a virtual tutor through multimedia explanations and feedback on spoken questions

2018

The purpose of this pilot study with a within-subject design was to gain a deeper understanding about the promise and restrictions of a virtual tutoring system designed to teach science to first grade students in Finland. Participants were 61 students who received six tutoring science sessions of approximately 20 min each. Sessions consisted of a sequence of narrated multimedia science presentations during which a virtual tutor explained science phenomena displayed in pictures. Narrated science explanations were followed by one or more multiple choice questions with immediate feedback about students’ choices and a possible second attempt, during which students reached 97% accuracy. A pretes…

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

2020

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 …

Early identification of dyslexia and the use of computer game-based practice to support reading acquisition

2007

The validity of early predictive measures of delayed reading acquisition is summarized on the basis of the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal study of Dyslexia (JLD). These results show that children in need of support can be identified years before school age. After a brief review of the literature on computer-based interventions, pilot data is reported on the effects of our computer game ‘Literate’ that has been specially developed for preventive training with children who are at risk of failing to acquire reading skill at a normal rate.

Game learning analytics for understanding reading skills in transparent writing system

2020

Serious games are designed to improve learning instead of providing only entertainment. Serious games analytics can be used for understanding and enhancing the quality of learning with serious games. One challenge in developing computerized support for learning is that learning of skills varies between players. Appropriate algorithms are needed for analyzing the performance of individual players. This paper presents a novel clustering-based profiling method for analyzing serious games learners. GraphoLearn, a game for training connections between speech sounds and letters, serves as the game-based learning environment. The proposed clustering method was designed to group the learners into p…

Onko lukuteatteri tehokas tapa harjoitella lukemista? : pilottitutkimuksen tuloksia ReadDrama -hankkeesta

2020

Digitaalisen oppimispelin motivoivuus : havaintoja Ekapeliä pelanneista lapsista

2012

ReadDrama-hanke tuottaa tietoa draamakasvatuksellisen lukuteatterin vaikuttavuudesta

2020

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. nonPeerReviewed

Dyslexia : early Identification and Prevention: Highlights from the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia

2015

Over two decades of Finnish research, monitoring children born with risk for dyslexia has been carried out in the Jyväskylä Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia (JLD). Two hundred children, half at risk, have been assessed from birth to puberty on hundreds of measures. The aims were to identify measures of prediction of later reading difficulty and to instigate appropriate and earliest diagnosis and intervention. We can identify at-risk children from newborn electroencephalographic brain recordings (Guttorm et al., J Neural Transm 110:1059–1074, 2003). Predictors are also apparent from late-talking infants who have familial background of dyslexia (Lyytinen and Lyytinen, Appl Psycolinguistics 25:3…

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

2021

acceptedVersion nonPeerReviewed