The digital environment, GraphoLearn, for supporting reading (AllRead)
Main funder
Funder's project number: 6066
Funds granted by main funder (€)
- 774 118,00
Funding program
Project timetable
Project start date: 01/09/2017
Project end date: 31/07/2022
Summary
Nearly 1/3 of children globally and as much as 1/5 in Europe according the EU HLG literacy report face serious challenges in reading and they cannot understand simple texts. The situation is made worse by the fact that children suffering from learning disabilities (~15%) do not receive adequate help on developing literacy skills early enough, which sets these children in disadvantaged position for later content learning. The need for both an efficient early screening system and reading support is especially urgent not only for children with learning difficulties but also for children with multilingual backgrounds. The proposed extensive research project aims to provide a scientifically solid, evidence-based, cost effective, efficient and timely technological solution to the problem of insufficient/impaired reading skills. We believe that we will be able to tackle such an ambitious challenge by basing our approach solidly on our previous research experience over 25 years with significant scientific breakthroughs in dyslexia studies combined to our activities in developing and investigating technology-enhanced tools (GraphoGame; info.graphogame.com) for reading support and the long-standing expertise in examining neural underpinnings of reading acquisition and impairments of our partners in Switzerland. Here, we significantly extend knowledge on reading skills with our multidisciplinary approach by directly applying new research findings in the development and validate of a new dynamic gamelike technology-enhanced learning tool moving from technical accuracy training to training reading skills for retrieving meaning of a written text (effortless, speedy fluent reading). The game will provide individually adaptive learning environment which provides the right level of challenge for each learner and targets the difficulties efficiently, provides instant feedback, a sufficient amount of repetitions in a motivating game environment. Despite some commercial software products aiming to support reading skills, to the best of our knowledge no evidence-based efficient gamelike solutions exist apart from our approach, GraphoGame. The concrete objectives of the project: 1) Develop scientifically sound, extensive mobile GraphoGame versions for German, Finnish and English for learners from preschool to the third grade for supporting learning to read for all different types of learners (native, non-native learners; learners with learning difficulties) 2) Develop within GraphoGame reliable screening and assessment tasks for providing information for both learners and instructors 3) Investigate the effectiveness of training and skill assessments on a behavioral and neural basis 4) Determine neurocognitive profiles of response to intervention 5) If and when the method has been shown to be effective, investigate a sustainable and effective delivery method of GraphoGame 6) Create a basis on which many different types of language versions can be effectively developed to help children to learn to read all over Europe and eventually worldwide.
Impact: provide significant and crucial support in learning to read for German, English and Finnish speaking children in the first grades of school (targeting potentially tens of thousands of children); the tool would be beneficial for teachers freeing their attention to teaching subject matters rather than basic reading skills, also significantly facilitating identification of learners who need specific support in learning.
Impact: provide significant and crucial support in learning to read for German, English and Finnish speaking children in the first grades of school (targeting potentially tens of thousands of children); the tool would be beneficial for teachers freeing their attention to teaching subject matters rather than basic reading skills, also significantly facilitating identification of learners who need specific support in learning.
Principal Investigator
Primary responsible unit
Internal follow-up group
Profiling area: School of Wellbeing (University of Jyväskylä JYU) JYU.Well
Related publications and other outputs
- Etnologin sukellus monitieteisen tutkimustiimin jäseneksi (2023) Väkeväinen, Nina; O4; OA
- Opettajat innoissaan taitoihin mukautuvasta Lukukupla-pelistä (2022) Nieminen, Lea; et al.; D1; OA
- Assessing and validating early grade teachers' knowledge of vowel letter sounds of transparent Zambian Bantu languages using computer based GraphoLearn technology (2020) Yalukanda, Christopher Kyakukaisha; G4; OA; 978-951-39-8129-7
- Game learning analytics for understanding reading skills in transparent writing system (2020) Niemelä, Marko, Kärkkäinen, Tommi; et al.; A1; OA
Related research datasets
- AllRead: The digital environment, GraphoLearn, for supporting reading development (2027) Richardson, Ulla; et al.
- AllRead: The digital environment, GraphoLearn, for supporting reading development - data from pilot studies (2022) Richardson, Ulla; et al.
- Co-design focused, participatory approach to exploring a digital literacy support serious game with Finnish language and literacy teachers of adult migrants with limited/interrupted formal education experience: research data (2023) Malessa, Eva
