Unlocking inclusive education: A quality assessment of software design in applications for children with autism

IF 3.7 2区计算机科学 Q1 COMPUTER SCIENCE, SOFTWARE ENGINEERING

Journal of Systems and Software Pub Date : 2024-07-31 DOI:10.1016/j.jss.2024.112164

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Digital technologies are an essential resource for maximizing education opportunities, yet the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed learning inequities, particularly among underrepresented groups such as children with autism. In this study, we have evaluated the quality of a distinctive dataset of multiplatform software applications, encompassing both assistive and mainstream software, first-hand acquired from special education professionals and families of children with autism. Through a heuristic evaluation based on a system indicators, and an in-depth analysis, we aimed to (1) assess the quality and effectiveness of assistive technologies in supporting the education of children with autism; (2) determine the adaptability of mainstream applications to the unique educational needs of children with autism; and (3) explore the features and constraints of applications targeting children with ASD, categorized according to the needs they cover. The resulting quality ranking, organized by cognitive domains, provides insights into the engagement and effectiveness of applications supporting the learning of children with autism. Furthermore, the findings delineating the functionalities and limitations of these applications contribute to the identification of necessary software engineering best practices. These practices align with user-centered design principles and drive the development of accessible software, thereby fostering high-quality inclusive education for children with autism.

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开启全纳教育：自闭症儿童应用软件设计质量评估

数字技术是实现教育机会最大化的重要资源，然而 COVID-19 的流行暴露了学习上的不公平，尤其是在自闭症儿童等代表性不足的群体中。在这项研究中，我们从特殊教育专业人员和自闭症儿童家庭那里获得第一手资料，评估了多平台软件应用程序的独特数据集的质量，其中包括辅助软件和主流软件。通过基于系统指标的启发式评估和深入分析，我们的目标是：(1) 评估辅助技术在支持自闭症儿童教育方面的质量和有效性；(2) 确定主流应用软件对自闭症儿童独特教育需求的适应性；(3) 探索针对自闭症儿童的应用软件的特点和制约因素，并根据其涵盖的需求进行分类。由此得出的质量排名按认知领域划分，有助于深入了解支持自闭症儿童学习的应用程序的参与度和有效性。此外，对这些应用程序的功能和局限性进行描述的研究结果有助于确定必要的软件工程最佳实践。这些实践符合以用户为中心的设计原则，推动了无障碍软件的开发，从而促进了针对自闭症儿童的高质量全纳教育。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Systems and Software 工程技术-计算机：理论方法

CiteScore

8.60

自引率

5.70%

发文量

193

审稿时长

16 weeks

期刊介绍： The Journal of Systems and Software publishes papers covering all aspects of software engineering and related hardware-software-systems issues. All articles should include a validation of the idea presented, e.g. through case studies, experiments, or systematic comparisons with other approaches already in practice. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: • Methods and tools for, and empirical studies on, software requirements, design, architecture, verification and validation, maintenance and evolution • Agile, model-driven, service-oriented, open source and global software development • Approaches for mobile, multiprocessing, real-time, distributed, cloud-based, dependable and virtualized systems • Human factors and management concerns of software development • Data management and big data issues of software systems • Metrics and evaluation, data mining of software development resources • Business and economic aspects of software development processes The journal welcomes state-of-the-art surveys and reports of practical experience for all of these topics.