Learning to Read Using Computers: A Longitudinal Study from Grade 1 to Grade 3 in Four Swedish Schools

Abstract

The article is based on a longitudinal study in a municipality that decided to organise a projectincluding the use of computers and extra remedial education in initial reading and writing instructionfrom the first to the third grade. The study may be regarded as quasi-experimental with 110students in two project schools and 59 students in two control schools. To explore the extent towhich the use of computers in reading instruction made a difference, we followed students in thefour schools from Grade 1 to Grade 3. The students’ language skills were tested regularly withdifferent test instruments. In addition to the tests, the students answered a questionnaire, andteachers and principals were interviewed. It was not possible to conclude that the teaching methodsin the control schools yielded better reading and writing development than the project schools orvice versa. The results were ambiguous, the control schools performed slightly better in one test ingrade 3 and the project schools on another test, when accounting for linguistic awareness in grade1 and other factors.