title: A randomized controlled trial of an early-intervention, computer-based literacy program to boost phonological skills in 4- to 6-year-old children.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many school-based interventions are being delivered in the absence of evidence of effectiveness (Snowling & Hulme, 2011, Br. J. Educ. Psychol., 81, 1).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to address this oversight by evaluating the effectiveness of the commonly used the Lexia Reading Core5 intervention, with 4- to 6-year-old pupils in Northern Ireland.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 126 primary school pupils in year 1 and year 2 were screened on the Phonological Assessment Battery 2nd Edition (PhAB-2). Children were recruited from the equivalent year groups to Reception and Year 1 in England and Wales, and Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten in North America.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 98 below-average pupils were randomized (T0) to either an 8-week block (x¯ = 647.51 min, SD = 158.21) of daily access to Lexia Reading Core5 (n = 49) or a waiting-list control group (n = 49). Assessment of phonological skills was completed at post-intervention (T1) and at 2-month follow-up (T2) for the intervention group only.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of covariance which controlled for baseline scores found that the Lexia Reading Core5 intervention group made significantly greater gains in blending, F(1, 95) = 6.50, p = .012, partial η2= .064 (small effect size) and non-word reading, F(1, 95) = 7.20, p = .009, partial η2= .070 (small effect size). Analysis of the 2-month follow-up of the intervention group found that all group treatment gains were maintained. However, improvements were not uniform among the intervention group with 35% failing to make progress despite access to support. Post-hoc analysis revealed that higher T0 phonological working memory scores predicted improvements made in phonological skills.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An early-intervention, computer-based literacy program can be effective in boosting the phonological skills of 4- to 6-year-olds, particularly if these literacy difficulties are not linked to phonological working memory deficits.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, UK.|Education Authority, Southern Region, Dungannon Educational Psychology Office, UK.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5678-7277
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Callaghan
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: Aimee
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McIvor
authors.affiliation: SEN Literacy Unit, Stranmillis University College, Belfast, Co. Antrim, UK.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McVeigh
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rushe
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods*; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D000067010:Literacy; D008297:Male; D010700:Phonetics; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011932:Reading
keywords: computer-based intervention; early intervention; literacy; phonological assessment; working memory