Developing Adaptive Serious Games for Children With Specific Learning Difficulties: A Two-phase Usability and...

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Special Education
• Game-Based Learning

Background:

• Specific learning difficulties (SpLD) encompass dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia, often requiring specialized educational support.
• Current educational materials for SpLD typically focus on a single disorder, limiting comprehensive intervention.
• There is a need for integrated, multi-faceted training resources for diverse SpLD profiles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop comprehensive serious games for various SpLD types, addressing different cognitive and academic skills.
• To evaluate the impact of adaptive difficulty adjustments on user experience and technology acceptance.
• To gather and integrate user feedback from children with SpLD and their educators for iterative game refinement.

Main Methods:

• Five distinct serious games were developed, targeting different aspects of SpLD.
• Prototypes were tested by 10 SpLD educators and 23 children with SpLD using think-aloud protocols.
• Participants completed System Usability Scale and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) questionnaires, providing detailed feedback.

Main Results:

• Analysis included game performance metrics (playtime, errors) and qualitative interview data.
• Educators reported high technology acceptance (average 8.41/10, then 8.71/10) and usability.
• Children with SpLD also reported high acceptance (average 9.07/10).

Conclusions:

• The serious games were well-received by both children with SpLD and educators, who provided valuable feedback for improvement.
• The adaptive difficulty feature enhances the games' effectiveness as personalized training tools for diverse SpLD.
• These games are poised to become valuable supplementary curriculum materials for special education centers.