Can the Use of Text-to-Speech Software Improve the Reading Proficiency of Struggling High School Readers?

• In Event: Roundtable Session 26
  In Roundtable Session: The Effects of Technology Integration in Literacy Instruction and Assessment

Abstract

Although struggling readers have experienced increased opportunities of using assistive technologies, such as text to speech software, scientific research on the effects is limited. An experimental study was conducted to examine the effects of text-to-speech software use in the classroom upon the unaided reading performance, measured while not using the software, and the academic outcomes of 164 ninth grade struggling readers. Results indicated that after one semester of the software use, the unaided reading comprehension and vocabulary gains of the intervention group surpassed the reading comprehension and vocabulary gains of the control group. This finding will contribute to advancing the scientific evidence-base on the use of a computer-assisted program to improve the reading performance of secondary struggling readers.

Authors

• Kelly Drew Roberts, University of Hawaii - Manoa

• Hye Jin Park, University of Hawaii

• Kiriko Takahashi, University of Hawaii

• Robert A. Stodden, University of Hawaii