Evaluating a Website on Learning Disorders for Parents and Learning Therapists: Observational Mixed Methods Study

Between 5% and 15% of children worldwide have a specific learning disorder. This creates a substantial demand for information among both parents and professionals. LONDI (londi.de) is a German-language website that (1) provides evidence-based information on learning disorders and (2) offers a tool to search for relevant diagnostics and intervention measures for professionals (Help System). This paper reports the results of an evaluation study of the website.

The aim of the study was to (1) evaluate the website and (2) inform existing theories on technology acceptance and user satisfaction. The study was conducted using the RE-AIM framework for evaluating public health impact and the information system continuance intention framework.

This mixed methods observational study was conducted online from February 2023 to August 2023 in Germany. Parents of children with learning difficulties and learning therapists participated in a 1.5-hour online session in which they were guided through the website. A pre-post design was used to assess changes in participants' knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy. Additionally, two path models assessing the predicting factors of the intention to further use (ie, continuance intention) and the intention to recommend the website were tested. The first model was based on the widely used information system continuance intention framework and tested expectations confirmation, perceived usefulness, and website satisfaction as predictors of the continuance intention and the intention to recommend the website. The second model focused on usability, content perception, visual aesthetics, and satisfaction as predictors of the same outcome variables.

A total of 77 parents and 73 learning therapists participated in the study. In the sample of learning therapists, age correlated negatively with usability opinion and website satisfaction. A 2-tailed t test revealed a significant increase in knowledge about learning disorders in both groups (parents: t₇₆=12.02, P<.001; learning therapists: t₇₁=7.03, P<.001). There was no change in attitudes and self-efficacy in parents (F_1,76=2.04, P=.14; Wilks lambda=0.95), but there was a significant change for learning therapists (F_1,68=15.83, P<.001; Wilks lambda=0.68) after using the website. A path analysis revealed that the intention to recommend the website can be included as an additional variable in the information system continuance intention framework. For the informational pages, content perception and visual aesthetics significantly predicted website satisfaction (R²=0.59, F_3,143=69.06, P<.001), and content perception significantly predicted continuance intention (R²=0.45, F_3,143=39.74, P<.001). For the Help System, usability was the only significant predictor of website satisfaction (R²=0.45, F_2,67=28.16, P<.001), continuance intention (R²=0.34, F_1,68=34.57, P<.001), and intention to recommend (R²=0.21, F_1,68=19.02, P<.001).

The website has been evaluated positively and has proven useful for the target audience. Predictors of website acceptance and further use are contextual and depend on the website type.