Development and Evaluation of a Mobile App to Support Reading Education
Pages 58 - 63
Abstract
We report on the design, development and evaluation of an app to support teachers in the teaching of reading at primary level. The app was developed with two main features: book levelling, where a book photograph, OCR and a simple machine learning model was used to suggest the appropriate reading age; and pedagogical tips, giving the teacher suggestions for how to structure reading sessions with learners. We conducted evaluation with in- and pre-service teachers in three Districts in KwaZulu-Natal using survey and focus group sessions. Participants found the app useful for planning and delivering teaching. The pedagogical advice was more widely used than the reading age prediction function. Barriers to accessibility were encountered in terms of device signal and compatibility. We discuss the outcome of the prototype development and evaluation and how the app might be integrated into digital support environments for literacy educators.
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Published In
November 2023
343 pages
ISBN:9798400708879
DOI:10.1145/3628096
Copyright © 2023 ACM.
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Published: 30 January 2024
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AfriCHI 2023
AfriCHI 2023: 4th African Human Computer Interaction Conference
November 27 - December 1, 2023
East London, South Africa
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