A scoping review on the use of speech-to-text technology for adolescents with learning difficulties in secondary
Marianne Engen Matre1, David Lansing Cameron1
1Department of Education, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway.
Purpose:
To identify and describe the aims, methodological approaches, and major findings of studies on the use of STT among secondary pupils (age 12-18) with learning difficulties published from January 2000 to April 2022.
Materials And Method:
This scoping review includes empirical studies published in peer-reviewed journals and grey literature between January 2000 and April 2022. Searches were conducted in April 2022 in three databases: ERIC, PsycINFO and Scopus. In addition, related reviews were manually screened for relevant papers.
Results:
Eight peer-revied studies and five publications of grey literature were found to meet the inclusion criteria; two studies employed experimental designs, four employed quasi-experimental designs and seven employed explorative designs. Six studies described STT as an assistive technology (a compensatory aid for poor writing performance); two assessed STT as an instructional technology to determine whether it improves overall writing and related skills (e.g., reading). Results suggest that STT may increase pupils' abilities to produce texts with fewer errors, provide help with spelling and improve reading comprehension and word recognition. To date, there is a paucity of high-quality research on the use of STT among adolescents with LD.
Conclusion:
The scoping review shows that very little research has been conducted on the use of STT for adolescents with learning difficulties in secondary education. Findings from the studies identified five areas of interest: writing related skills, text assessment, writing processes, accuracy of the technology, and participants' experiences. Findings indicate that writing performance among students with learning difficulties improves when using STT. Parents, teachers, and pupils report positive experiences with the technology, particularly for students with severe reading and writing difficulties.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThere is a great need for more robust research on the use of speech-to-text technology (STT) in educational settings, especially on its effect on writing skillsStudies describe STT as either an assistive (a compensatory aid for poor writing performance) or instructional technology (aiming to improve learning in general). It is important that practitioners are aware of the different aims and possible consequences of introducing STT to learners with writing difficulties.STT provides both opportunities and challenges for writers with learning difficulties in secondary education. Findings indicate that writing performance among students with learning difficulties improves when using STT, yet inaccuracy of the technology was presented as one of the main challenges.Parents, teachers, and pupils report positive experiences with the technology, particularly for students with severe reading and writing difficulties.
