Computer-assisted reading intervention in a secondary school: an evaluation study

This article evaluates the effectiveness of the RITA computer-assisted intervention for secondary school education. The RITA system is a computer-based literacy support system that assists, rather than replaces, the teacher in providing support tailored to each child's profile of reading attainments. The study consists of 8 students who were initially very seriously disadvantaged in terms of literacy skills. The RITA intervention over a 10 week period led to effective and cost-effective literacy gains. Significant overall improvements were made in the skills targeted, including reading standard scores, and reading speed, accuracy and comprehension. All children reached positively to the RITA lessons, and most made good progress towards their Individual Educational Plans. The authors suggested that computer-assisted reading support can be effective in supporting the majority of children with reading failure, even in secondary school. The RITA system was unsatisfactory for the children with English as a second language. The authors argue that if a child is in need of extensive support in secondary school, computer-assisted support may prove more effective than purely traditional methods.