THE USE OF DIGITAL GAMES BY KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS TO ENHANCE EARLY LITERACY SKILLS
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Date
2018-07-10
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Johns Hopkins University
Abstract
The present work reviewed the literature associated with the low levels of student achievement in literacy among early grade students in Brazil, the problem of practice. Under an ecological systems theory perspective, I identified that the usage of assessments, phonological awareness instruction, and quality learning materials could be key factors within the Brazilian context. An empirical needs assessment revealed that teachers did not use assessments, did not provide adequate phonological awareness instruction and lacked quality learning materials. Based on evidence found in the literature, this work proposed the adoption of digital games that can scaffold students’ phonological awareness, word reading and writing development as a way to increase their early literacy skills. Additionally, it argued that games can provide learning analytics that can be employed as a cost-effective assessment method. The empirical work assessed the impact of the phonological awareness games in early literacy skills, determined if learning analytics could predict student achievement according to standardized assessments and identified potential barriers to the widespread adoption of the program. Using a mixed methods design, I conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial with 749 students from 62 classrooms from 17 schools in Brazil. Quantitative pre- and post-testing procedures using standardized instruments were employed. Qualitative data about teachers’ perceptions about the program were also collected. The results indicate that the experimental classrooms which used the games gained 68% in their reading scores than control classrooms. They also gained 48% more in the writing scores. The regression analysis revealed a model which used students’ scores in two games to predict their reading scores in the standardized assessment, explaining 99% of the variance. Another game can also be used to predict the reading score explaining 90% of the variance. Based on the teachers’ perceptions, the conclusions demonstrate that using digital games to develop phonological awareness activities is a viable option for the Brazilian schools. Beyond the beneficial effect of the digital program in reading and writing gains, the experiment revealed that the games can be a reliable, cost-effective and unstressful tool for assessing PreK students’ word reading and writing skills.
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Keywords
phonological awareness, early literacy, educational games, learning games, reading, writing, learning analytics, consciência fonológica, educação infantil, jogos educacionais, leitura, escrita, alfabetização