Embodied cognition and movement-integration (MI) in classroom settings attract the interest of researchers and practitioners. The purpose of this six-week pilot study was to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of a MI approach (PunMoves) focusing on the comprehension of punctuation marks in reading, which was implemented in 12…

Longitudinal studies on mainstream children and training studies in the dyslexic population suggest that visual attention span (VAS) abilities contribute to reading acquisition. We evaluated to what extent VAS training in beginning readers might enhance later literacy skills. A large cohort of 453 children was followed from the beginning to the…

Background: Learning which letters correspond to which speech sounds is fundamental for learning to read. Based on previous experimental studies, we developed a serious game aiming to boost letter-speech sound (L-SS) correspondences in a motivational game environment. Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine the efficacy of this game in…

The Interactive Strategy Training for Active Reading and Thinking (iSTART) game-based intelligent tutoring system (ITS) was developed with a foundation of comprehension theory and principles of learning science to improve students' comprehension of complex scientific texts. iSTART has been shown to improve reading comprehension for learners from…

Gamification is becoming increasingly popular in primary education due to the widespread use of digital technology. However, gamified reading is new, and there is little empirical evidence regarding its effectiveness. The sustainability of the effects of gamification pedagogy is also in doubt as some scholars think that such effects are short-term…

This study investigates the effectiveness of digital games designed specifically for the formation of correct reading skills in the learning of the Latin alphabet by learners with special educational needs in primary school. Learners participating in the study (N = 36) were randomly selected from primary school with inclusive education. During an…

In this paper, we present iSTART-Early, an intelligent tutoring system that provides automated instruction and practice on higher-order reading comprehension strategies to 3rd and 4th grade students. iSTART-Early provides personalized, interactive, game-based strategy instruction and practice on comprehension strategies (i.e., Ask It, Reword It,…

Literacy influences all aspects of life. Unfortunately, a rising number of students struggle with reading and spelling, which can result in enormous educational barriers. Difficulties in literacy accompanied by learning-related problem behavior can create additional risk factors. Effective interventions for these students should consider…

This study investigated the effectiveness of My Reading Academy, a digital learning program designed to develop foundational reading skills in early childhood education. The research examined whether the implementation of this adaptive game-based curriculum could strengthen early reading skills and increase student interest in learning to read…

Foundational literacy is a key lever for achieving higher levels of learning and societal wellbeing. However, with an enrolment of over 250 million children in schools, India is currently challenged by learning deprivation. Growing uptake of English-medium education along with less-than-optimal English literacy instruction practices present an…

Playing games on mobile devices has become an integral part of younger generations' lives. Mobile games foster, among other things, deep concentration. This paper reports on design guidelines derived from observations of six elementary school pupils' engagement over a six-week period during an after-school reading club program. Each meeting…

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…

This study investigated the effectiveness of ABRACADABRA (ABRA), a web-based literacy program, developed by the Center for the Study of Learning and Performance at Concordia University, in facilitating the literacy attainment of third-grade primary school students in an area of rural China. Researchers shared the experiences of localizing ABRA to…

In the present study, a 5-week tablet-based word reading efficiency game intervention (Reading Turbo) was integrated in a comprehensive phonics-based reading curriculum. The aims of the study were to examine whether the game would advance children's word reading efficiency, and to determine the extent to which pre-reading capacities and in-game…

The ability to read adequately is one of the most important skills for students to achieve during their school career. Unfortunately, a large number of children do not have adequate reading skills and thus may face problems in many respects throughout their lives. Children with learning disabilities (LD) and behavioral problems are particularly…