Hybrid technological literacy intervention during COVID-19: impact on kindergarteners' language abilities
摘要
The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a technology-integrated hybrid literacy program on children's language abilities. One hundred fifty-nine kindergarteners from low SES backgrounds participated in the study. The intervention combined face-to-face and online lessons, delivered to 27 kindergarteners during the COVID-19 isolation period. Their results were compared to those of 71 children who learned in a face-to-face program before the pandemic. The performance of each intervention group, technology-integrated hybrid and face-to-face, was compared with that of a control group matched by demographic background and method of learning (27 for the technology-integrated hybrid, and 34 for the face-to-face). The findings indicated no significant differences in the positive changes observed in the language abilities of the technology-integrated hybrid and the face-to-face intervention programs. However, the score change in the examined language abilities of the comparison group was greater when the program was delivered face-to-face than in the technology-integrated hybrid program. Educational implications regarding the effectiveness of tailored intervention programs development, that take into account the use of technological tools, on children’s language development, are discussed.