Background: "Screen inferiority" refers to a well-established phenomenon observed among adults and teenagers, wherein they demonstrate higher reading comprehension when reading from paper compared to screens. However, there is limited research focusing on readers in the initial stages of reading development. The current study aims to…

Background: Digital literacy instruction is increasingly common in contemporary practices and can accommodate learners with a range of needs. This systematic review explores the use and effects of technology during reading comprehension instruction involving school-aged children learning English as an additional language (EAL). Our aim was to…

Background: A cost-effective method to address reading delays is to use computer-assisted learning, but these techniques are not always effective. Methods: We evaluated a commercially available computer system that uses visual mnemonics, in a randomised controlled trial with 78 English-speaking children (mean age 7 years) who their schools…

The growing number of students whose primary language does not match the language of their schools and a steadily growing performance gap has prompted widespread attention to support emergent literacy gains for those students. This study randomly assigned schools in a Southwestern U.S. state with English language learners (ELLs) in kindergarten…

The present study examines the effect of activating the connection between meaning and phonology in spelling exercises in second-grade spellers (n=41; 8 years and 3 months). In computer-based exercises in a within-subject design, semantic and neutral descriptions were contrasted and provided either before the process of spelling or in feedback.…

There are many established reading strategy training programmes, which explicitly teach strategic and meta-cognitive knowledge to improve reading comprehension. Although instruction in strategy knowledge leads to improvements in meta-cognitive skills, the effects do not always transfer to reading comprehension. Therefore, to investigate…

Research on expert performance suggests that deliberate practice provides optimal opportunities for expertise development. This study examined whether the provision of computer-based scaffolding (CBS) guiding deliberate practice facilitates students' development of writing expertise. A CBS environment "escribo" was designed to externally…

The paper reports the results of a randomised control trial investigating the use of computer-aided instruction (CAI) for practising phonological awareness skills with beginning readers. Two intervention groups followed the same phonological awareness programme: one group undertook practice exercises using a computer and the other group undertook…

Describes one aspect of a year-long study of primary level teacher's and children's use of the language arts component of SuccessMaker, an Integrated Learning System (ILS). Documents areas where the curricula embedded in the ILS were congruent with teacher's normal curricula and pedagogical practices. Raises issues about the appropriate…

Draws attention to design issues that are likely to affect the way that children interact with screen-based information texts. Presents information based on the findings of the Interactive Multimedia in Primary Schools (IMPS) project funded by the British Library. Summarizes the design-related aspects of the project, highlighting those issues that…

Reviews all randomized controlled trials of the effectiveness of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on spelling. Suggests that the teaching of spelling by using computer software may be as effective as conventional teaching of spelling, although the possibility of computer-taught spelling being inferior or superior cannot be…

This study evaluated a computerised program for training spelling in 8- to 13-year-olds with receptive language impairments. The training program involved children typing words corresponding to pictured items whose names were spoken. If the child made an error or requested help, the program gave phonological and orthographic cues to build up the…

Examines how high school students use diagrams and summaries during reading and the roles of verbal and spatial ability. Finds a significant direct effect of verbal ability on the recall but no effect of spatial ability on recall. Finds more inspections of diagrams in the first few sentences followed by a random inspection pattern. Discusses…

Evaluates the effectiveness in enhancing young children's reading attainment by a computer system that gave prerecorded speech prompts on request. Finds that the intervention group made significantly higher gains on three measures of sight vocabulary than the control group. Suggests that some effective practice in reading can be given by a…

Present studies using the RITA (Readers' Interactive Teaching Assistant) computer-based literacy support system. Notes that the RITA system assists, rather than replaces, the teacher in providing support tailored to each child's profile of reading attainments. Suggests that computer-assisted reading support can be effective in supporting children…