Evaluating the Efficacy of a Serious Game in Enhancing Word Reading Speed

This study evaluates Tachistoscopio, a tablet-based serious game that gamifies tachistoscopic reading, a technique in which words are shown briefly and must be reproduced by the reader, with the goal of improving word reading speed in children. The work addresses three aims: whether the game distinguishes children of different reading proficiency, whether it is usable and appealing to young players, and whether short-term training produces measurable gains in reading speed. The game was co-designed with stakeholders, uses a calibration phase to set presentation timing, and adapts difficulty dynamically based on the child's accuracy and speed.

In an early testing phase with 28 second and third graders, the game proved sensitive to grade-level differences, with third graders showing significantly higher accuracy and reading speed (second grade averaging 1.30 syllables/second versus 2.24 for third grade, p<0.001). Usability was rated excellent, with a Pictorial System Usability Scale score of 86.2, and children found the game highly enjoyable and not boring. No significant gender differences were observed.

A subsequent training study enrolled 36 second graders, randomly split into a trained group that played the game for three weeks and a control group that received no specific training. Reading speed gains did not differ significantly between groups in a t-test (p=0.074), but non-overlapping 95% confidence intervals for the speed increment (training: [0.11; 0.33], control: [-0.10; 0.05]) were interpreted as evidence of a group effect. Within the trained group, time per character decreased significantly across sessions (rho = -0.974, p<0.001). The authors note that the small sample and the statistical inconsistency between the t-test and the interval estimates limit firm conclusions, and they propose that longer training or a larger sample, along with trials involving dyslexic children, would be needed to confirm these results.