Interactive Apps Promote Learning of Basic Mathematics in Children With Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Abstract

Interactive apps delivered on touch-screen tablets can be effective at supporting the acquisition of basic skills in mainstream primary school children. This technology may also be beneficial for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as it can promote high levels of engagement with the learning task and an inclusive learning environment. However, few studies have measured extent of learning for SEND pupils when using interactive apps, so it has yet to be determined if this technology is effective at raising attainment for these pupils. We report the first observational study of a group of 33 pupils with SEND from two primary schools in Malawi that are implementing a new digital technology intervention which uses touch-screen tablets to deliver interactive apps designed to teach basic mathematical skills. The apps contain topics that align to the national curriculum. To assess learning gains, rate of progress (minutes per topic) for each pupil was determined by calculating the average time taken to complete a topic. Progress rate was then correlated with teacher ratings of extent of disability and independent ratings of pupil engagement with the apps. Results showed SEND pupils could interact with the apps and all pupils passed at least one topic. Average progress rate for SEND pupils was twice as long as mainstream peers. Stepwise regression revealed extent of disability significantly predicted progress rate. Further exploratory correlations revealed pupils with moderate to severe difficulties with hearing and/or language made slower progress through the apps than those with greater functionality in these two domains because the use of verbal instructions within the apps limited their capacity to learn. This original quantitative analysis demonstrates that interactive apps can raise learning standards in pupils with SEND but may have limited utility for pupils with severe difficulties. Software modifications are needed to address specific areas of difficulty preventing pupils from progressing.

A Systematic Review of Behavioral Intervention Technologies for Youth With Chronic Health Conditions and Physical and Intellectual Disabilities: Implications for Adolescents and Young Adults With Spina Bifida

“…Given the frequent use of content delivery elements (e.g., electronically delivered lesson modules), passive data collection elements, interactive elements (e.g., quizzes), and visualizations, it is likely that users with AYA-SB would require a variety of elements to cover multiple treatment goals in the context of their varied symptom profile. Indeed, variable levels of impairment in hearing, vision, coordination, visuospatial processing, and motor dexterity in AYA-SB implicate a high number of possible BIT elements and a multisensory, multimethod approach (Pitchford, Kamchedzera, Hubber, & Chigeda, 2018). However, using a "kitchen sink" approach to element selection in response to these needs would be inappropriate.…”

How the Psychology of Education Contributes to Research With a Social Impact on the Education of Students With Special Needs: The Case of Successful Educational Actions

“…There are also specific studies about reading and literacy programs and their success with students with special needs (Holliman and Hurry, 2013) and/or with students at risk for reading disabilities (Lovett et al, 2017). Strategies to promote the learning of mathematics in children with special educational needs and disabilities have also been studied (Pitchford et al, 2018), and programs based on these strategies have been developed (Montague et al, 2014).…”

Secondary Benefits to Attentional Processing Through Intervention With an Interactive Maths App

“…Previous research has demonstrated the effectiveness of a specific educational maths app for improving domain-specific mathematical skills in Malawi (Pitchford, 2015;Pitchford et al, 2018Pitchford et al, , 2019, the UK (Outhwaite et al, 2017(Outhwaite et al, , 2019 and Brazil (Outhwaite et al, under review). Alongside this empirical evidence, teachers have anecdotally reported secondary benefits to children's attention after using the maths app intervention.…”

“…In particular, a randomized control trial (RCT) conducted in Malawi found children in the first 3 years of primary school made significantly greater mathematical learning gains when using hand-held touch-screen tablets with an interactive, child-centered maths app, compared to standard teacher-led mathematical practice (Pitchford, 2015). Expansion of this program within Malawi has shown that the same app is also beneficial for children with special educational needs (Pitchford et al, 2018) and girls make just as much progress compared to their male peers (Pitchford et al, 2019). When implemented at the start of primary school, this app can prevent a gender discrepancy in early mathematical attainment from emerging (Pitchford et al, 2019).…”