GraphoGame™ is a child-friendly computer game that helps children to learn the basic letters and their sounds. This skill is vital for learning to read. Our aim is to provide GraphoGame™ for children in Chile during the year 2014.
The University of Jyväskylä has a joint research project “Predicting and supporting reading acquisition via computer games for children at risk for dyslexia” with the Chilean colleagues from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Centro de Desarrollo de Tecnologías de Inclusión (CeDeTI) with the lead of Professor Ricardo Rosas. The joint project that is ending this year is funded by the Academy of Finland and CONICYT.
– We are today pleased to announce preliminary results from the Chilean version of GraphoGame, says professor Heikki Lyytinen from University of Jyväskylä.
Professor Lyytinen is currently visiting Santiago de Chile on a ministerial delegation, led by Minister of Education and Culture of Finland, Ms Krista Kiuru.
The results show that children who played GraphoGame™ Chile improved significantly their basic skills for reading in comparison to children who did not get to play the game. After six hours of playing their letter sound recognition skills were significantly better.
– These children are from public schools and have a relatively low socioeconomical background. Their parents have maximum of 9 years of education and monthly salary is about 332-500 US dollars, says professor Ulla Richardson from the University of Jyväskylä.
The game was developed in Finland in the interdisciplinary Agora Human Technology Center of the University of Jyväskylä in collaboration with the Niilo Mäki Institute. It is based on the scientific follow-up study of Finnish children at familial risk for dyslexia from birth to reading age which professor Heikki Lyytinen started in the early 1990´s.
Research on the efficiency and validation of new language versions continues in several countries.
More info:
Professor Heikki Lyytinen
Dept.of Psychology & Agora Center
University of Jyväskylä
email: heikki.j.lyytinen at jyu.fi
phone: +358 50 5524892
Professor Ulla Richardson
University of Jyväskylä, Agora Center
email: ulla.a.richardson at jyu.fi
phone: +358 400 247398
https://agoracenter.jyu.fi/projects/chile
http://www.okm.fi/OPM/Tiedotteet/2013/10/Latinalaisen_Amerikan_matka.html?lang=fi