Literacy is the ability to read fluently and comprehend text in such a way that the information acquired through reading can be used in different life situations. Researchers in the field of reading highlight five critical components that are important for reading development: phonological awareness, making an automatic connection between sounds and letters, adequate vocabulary, reading fluency, and adequate text comprehension. Pupils with dyslexia have difficulties in all these areas. Dyslexia, the most common reading disorder, is a specific learning difficulty of neurobiological origin that negatively affects the acquisition of reading, writing and spelling skills. To successfully overcome these difficulties, students with dyslexia need different interventions. In this master's thesis, we sought to improve the reading automation and reading awareness of a pupil with dyslexia through short-term intensive reading training that included the use of the mobile app KOBI. Research shows that intensive interventions that require student activity and take place in an individual situation have a positive impact on the reading skills of pupils with dyslexia. Research also points to the positive impact of using assistive technology in the delivery of reading instruction and the positive effects of technology use on students' reading motivation. Studies confirm the effectiveness of adjusting the size, font, colour and shape of text in a simple and accessible way for children. The KOBI application provides these adjustments.
A pupil with dyslexia in grade 4 of primary school participated in intensive reading intervention training, which took place three times a week for 30 to 45 minutes over a period of ten weeks. The aim of the reading intervention training was to improve phonological awareness, reading speed and accuracy as well as reading comprehension with the help of the application KOBI, which enabled text adaptation during the training. Assessments of reading skills in the areas of phonological awareness, decoding, reading speed, vocabulary and reading comprehension were conducted before, after and two months after the training. The pupil recorded her feelings about reading after each training session using an informal questionnaire. The results were evaluated using quantitative and qualitative research methods.
The results showed that the reading intervention training contributed to an improvement in reading scores in all areas covered by the training. The most significant improvement was observed in phonological awareness, which is one of the key components for the development of reading skills. An improvement in reading speed and decoding ability was also noted, but the pupil did not achieve average results in these two areas even after the training. Despite the difficulties in reading speed and decoding accuracy, progress was noted in reading comprehension. An increase in reading motivation and a sense of achievement in reading was also noted. The strategies that the pupil learned during the reading intervention training are an important foundation for further reading skills training, which can be developed with additional professional help.
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