zReader: a mobile game suite for improving children’s reading skills and behavior.

Abstract

This work describes an empirical, educational and technological research conducted within the context of Brazilian formal literacy education problems. The main purpose of the research was to address the question of whether research-specific software for mobile devices could improve disadvantaged children reading related variables, namely reading comprehension and reading frequency, and still provide a good user experience. In this regard, zReader, a mobile game suite for reading and storytelling, was developed and validated by means of an experiment with children attending the so called alphabetizing cycle – 1st , 2nd and 3rd elementary grades – in Brazilian public schools. Results include positive inferential findings for children’s reading skills improvement and book reading frequency, as well as for children’s user experience. In 2nd and 3rd grades, children using zReader performed better in reading skills tests, with a moderate effect size. Greater overall book reading frequency, in 3rd grade, was also observed, with a huge effect size. Still in 3rd grade, considering only zReader users, children read more zReader books than paper books. For 1st graders, a greater paper book reading frequency was associated with children using zReader (with a moderate effect size) and, across all grades, zReader provided a good user experience for children – specially with regards to enjoyment, ease of use and frequency of use.