Fluent reading requires not only decoding words and sentences, but also targeted eye movements and the use of working memory. In order to specifically train these skills, the researchers led by Angela Pasqualotto from the University of Trento developed an action video game suitable for children.
“The universe of this game is an alternative world in which the child, accompanied by his Raku, a flying creature, must complete various missions to save planets and advance in the game,” Pasqualotto said in a statement from the University of Geneva.
The Raku would fly through a meteor shower, for example, which it would have to dodge or aim at an object to soften the impact. Each task must be completed within a certain time limit.
To test the effectiveness of the game, the researchers conducted an experiment with 151 Italian school children between the ages of 8 and 12. They reported on the results in the journal “Nature Human Behaviour”.
For the study, the children were divided into two groups. The first played the Raku game two hours a week. The control group let the researchers play “scratch”, which requires planning, logical thinking and problem solving.
It was shown that the raku group showed a seven-fold improvement in attentional control compared to the control group after the six-week training phase. And while the action game doesn’t require direct reading, it significantly improved kids’ reading speed and accuracy. The researchers found no changes in the control group.
The reading ability gained was also sustainable, as tests showed after 6, 12 and 18 months. The children’s Italian grades also improved.
The researchers now want to adapt the action game for German, French and English and check whether the positive effects will also unfold in these languages.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-021-01254-x