The Effectiveness of Software Intervention in Improving the Cognitive Variables, Viz., Attention, Memory, Reasoning and Language

The digital children live today with an ever-changing influx of new computer-based technologies. Advances in computer technology can help students over-come their reading abilities. This study was conducted to a, develop a software; b, find out the effectiveness of software intervention in improving the cognitive variables, viz., attention, memory, reasoning and language skills. The design of this study was two-group randomized design using Talland Letter Cancellation Test and Binet-Kamat Test. Study participants were two hundred learning disability children from four special schools in Chennai, India. The researcher had developed software based on information processing approach and Human-Environment/Technology Interaction Application. The reliability of the software was found to be 1. Attention 0.816; 2. Memory 0.816; 3. Reasoning 0.883 and 4. Language 0.851. Once the reliability was found, the students were enrolled in computer-assisted cognitive skills training group and a study hall control group for three months intervention. Before and after software intervention, students had their cognitive skills, as well as language skills, evaluated with a battery of tests:Talland Letter Cancellation Test and Binet-Kamat Test. A significant increase in cognitive skills(p<.01)was found only in experimental group. This is an indication of the possible benefits of a computerized cognitive skills training program focused on training attention, memory, reasoning and language skills. Replication of this study could hold far-reaching implications for future educational curricula.