Developing an early literacy mobile app: design process and testing the app with children with special needs

Abstract Early literacy skills are critical for reading success, and the potential effectiveness of technology-based interventions in supporting these skills has been highlighted in previous research. This study aims to develop a comprehensive early literacy support mobile app for children at risk of reading difficulties. The research was conducted following the design and development research model. A brief experimental study was carried out to assess the effectiveness of phonological awareness activities. The study included a total of 32 participants, with 16 children with special needs in the experimental group and 16 typically developing children in the control group. The findings indicated that teachers and parents have distinct expectations from educational technologies. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data revealed three primary themes: Content & Usability, Visual Features, and Concerns & Suggestions. Results from the experimental study demonstrated that the early literacy mobile app significantly enhanced phonological awareness among children with special needs, with children in the experimental group achieving notably higher posttest scores than their pretest scores. Although the average posttest scores for children with special needs improved significantly, they remained lower than those of children in the control group. The integration of educational technologies into lesson plans aimed at early literacy objectives has the potential to enhance instructional quality. These findings are discussed in relation to the literature.