Assessing the effectiveness of a game‐based phonics intervention for first and second grade English language learners in India: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

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 randomly allocated to play either GL or a control math game over a 5-week intervention period. Students were pre-and post-tested on various English literacy skills using tasks built into the GL software as well as through oral and paper-based tasks.Results and Conclusions: Students who played GL showed significantly greater and faster development on in-game measures of letter-sound knowledge, rime unit recognition, and word recognition as compared to students who did not play GL. In addition, GL resulted in greater effects on these measures for students with stronger English literacy skills prior to the start of the intervention. No differences were found between groups on the oral and paper-based tasks.Implications: GL was able to quickly and effectively teach critical sub-skills for reading. However, a lack of effects on the out-of-game measures opens the door for further discussion on the successful implementation of such interventions.

Applying game-based learning to a primary school class in computer science terminology learning

“…The success of their implementation is not only promptly evaluated and rewarded, but also determines the achievement of the final result -the receipt of a new spaceship (in the presence of a large number of errors, the player eventually sees an old destroyed spaceship). In the future, with the proper cooperation of teachers and programmers, the content of such games could fully meet the requirements of the educational program 10.3389/feduc.2023.1100275 Frontiers in Education 03 frontiersin.org being implemented, covering specific sections, which would increase their relevance in practice (Patel et al, 2022). For many practical teachers who have a need to introduce innovative teaching methods into the educational process, a computer game seems to be an effective way to improve the quality and productivity of learning (Liberona et al, 2021).…”

Digital skills critical for education: Video analysis of students' technology use in Norwegian secondary English classrooms

“…Digital skill research among secondary‐school students is measured using self‐reports, performance tests or interventions (Erstad et al, 2021; Hatlevik et al, 2021; ITU, 2018; Livingstone et al, 2021). Teacher and student self‐reports include surveys and interviews (Bhutoria & Aljabri, 2022; Egeberg et al, 2011; Fütterer et al, 2022; Juuti et al, 2022; Kaarakainen & Saikkonen, 2021; Kongsgården & Krumsvik, 2016; Konstantinidou & Scherer, 2022; Kurt & Bensen, 2017; Scolari, 2019; Wasson & Hansen, 2014; Xu & Peng, 2022), whereas trials and interventions tend to be case‐based (Amendum et al, 2018; Fütterer et al, 2022; Levine, 2014; Patel et al, 2022; Wu, 2018).…”

Understanding the role of cross-language transfer of phonological awareness in emergent Hindi–English biliteracy acquisition

“…The data for this study was collected as part of a larger study (see Patel et al, 2021) which included 143 students in Grades 1 (n = 70; M age = 5.73, SD = 0.45) and 2 (n = 73; M age = 6.68, SD = 0.47) who were attending an English-medium government school in Delhi, India. Prior to the start of the study, parents/guardians were invited to the school and taken through a consent form provided to them in both Hindi and English to ensure they were fully informed of their child's participation.…”