rating the efficacy of Reading Doctor published in a scientific journal (The Australian Journal of Teacher Education).
According to the authors:
"Overall, the findings show the efficacy of (supplementary) computer-assisted instruction with ReadingDoctor in children with reading difficulties, improving phonological and, more specifically, phonemic awareness as well as basic word reading skills in terms of reading (decoding) nonwords and the efficiency of sight word reading." (Winn et al., 2020, p. 17)
"The findings of the present study show that regular use of a computer software program designed to increase phonemic awareness, grapheme naming and decoding skills significantly improves reading skills in primary school children with reading difficulties." (Winn et al., 2020, p. 19)
"This study adds to previous research by demonstrating that this particular software program, ReadingDoctor, is an effective tool for improving phonemic awareness and reading skills, including sight word reading." (Winn et al., 2020, p. 19)
Details:
Abstract
This paper addresses a gap in research regarding the efficacy of software programs to help children with reading difficulties. Forty-two children aged 5-13 years identified as poor readers participated in a study over twelve weeks using ReadingDoctor, a software program targeting phonemic awareness, orthographic-phonemic mappings, decoding ability and sight word recognition. Measures were taken using the Sutherland Phonological Awareness Test - Revised (SPAT-R), the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (TOWRE), and the graphemes and decoding subtests of the Phonological Awareness Test 2 (PAT-2). A quasi-experimental one group study with three multiple baseline measures was used. The dependent variables/measures were assessed seven times over a period of 32 weeks, allowing the research to be completed in the school-allocated timeframe. Significant improvements were found on all three measures of phonological/phonemic awareness and word-reading efficiency. These improvements were maintained when assessed three months later, during which time the software program was not used.
Access the full article here:
https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol45/iss12/1/
The full citation:
Winn, T., Miller, J., & van Steenbrugge, W. (2020). The Efficacy of a Computer Program for Increasing Phonemic Awareness and Decoding Skills in a Primary School Setting for Children with Reading Difficulties. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 45(12).