Using Interactive Mobile Applications to Teach Reading Skills to Female Students with Hearing Impairments

The purpose of the study was to investigate the use of mobile applications to teach word reading to three students with hearing impairments aged 9-12. Instruction was conducted using four mobile applications (Chalkboard, Expeditions, Phonto, and Words Seller) that combined interactive multimedia features such as text, images, videos, and interactive content. A multiple probe design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the applications in teaching reading skills. Results indicated that the use of these mobile applications was effective on the acquisition of the reading skills. Results also showed that all students performed at or above criterion on maintenance probe sessions. Additionally, students were able to generalize the acquired reading skills to read new words. Implications for practice and suggestions for future research are discussed. Keywords: Hearing impairments, interactive multimedia, mobile applications, reading skills, multiple probe design