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Improved Language and Literacy Skills in State Primary Schools in Western Australia
Current Issue
Volume 3, 2015
Issue 5 (October)
Pages: 32-37   |   Vol. 3, No. 5, October 2015   |   Follow on         
Paper in PDF Downloads: 254   Since Sep. 29, 2015 Views: 4043   Since Sep. 29, 2015
Authors
[1]
Claire Corbitt, Sonic Learning, North Perth, Western Australia.
[2]
Brad Hutchinson, Sonic Learning, North Perth, Western Australia.
[3]
Carole Hutchinson, Sonic Learning, North Perth, Western Australia.
[4]
Lauren Parsons, Sonic Learning, North Perth, Western Australia.
[5]
Tina Pickford, Sonic Learning, North Perth, Western Australia.
Abstract
This study investigated the effectiveness of Fast ForWord (a suite of computer-based intervention programs) on the language and literacy skills of academically struggling students from Western Australia. Half of the participants used the program between February and April or between May and July, while the other half served as a comparison group. Before and after Fast For Word participation, the language and literacy skills of the students were evaluated. On average, Western Australian students with academic difficulties who participated in Fast ForWord made significantly better gains on a battery of language and literacy tests than the comparison group who received the standard interventions alone. On average, students who participated in Fast ForWord improved from the 12th percentile to the 25th percentile in Literacy skills, from the 12th percentile to the 21st percentile in Receptive Language skills, and from the 10th to the 18th percentile in Expressive Language skills.
Keywords
Randomised Control Trial (RCT), Fast ForWord, Australia, Expressive Language, Receptive Language, Phonological Awareness, Reading, Dyslexia
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