A symbolic annotation of vowel sounds for emerging readers

Research on educational technologies for reading instruction is disproportionate to the myriad applications in the marketplace. Here we assess a web-based reading tool, Sound it Out, that assists struggling readers in decoding by annotating vowels with small icons indicating the associate phoneme. Created as a collaboration between researchers and technology developers, the phonemic-image cue was designed to scaffold letter-sound correspondence. Study 1 examined whether Sound it Out provides an immediate benefit to reading performance in thirty struggling readers (ages 8-10) randomly assigned to counterbalanced groups in a single-session. Results showed that, without a period of practice, children were not able to capitalize on the cues for improved text reading. Study 2 utilized a repeated measures randomized controlled trial design to determine if an extended practice period (1 month) produced gains and whether a caregiver supervised practice (“dyadic reading”) enhanced benefits. Seventy-six struggling readers (ages 7-13) were randomly assigned to two intervention groups (independent and dyadic reading) and one control group. Results showed significant, dose-response benefits to decoding accuracy and passage reading accuracy for the combined intervention groups in comparison to controls. Moreover, supervised dyadic reading enhanced the effect of practice. These results highlight the potential for an evidenced-based supplemental learning technology to support both independent and shared reading for struggling readers.