Learning to read is a prerequisite to participate in our knowledge
society. Developing reading skills requires intensive practice with
individual evaluation and guidance by teachers, which is not always
feasible in traditional classroom instruction. Automatic Speech Recognition
(ASR) technology could offer a solution, but so far it has been mostly
used to follow children while reading and to provide correct word forms
through text-to-speech technology. However, ASR could possibly be employed
at earlier stages of learning to read when children are still in the
process of developing decoding skills. Early evaluation through ASR
and individualized feedback could help achieve more personalized and
possibly more effective guidance, thus preventing reading problems
and improving the process of reading development.
In this paper we report
on an explorative study in which an ASR-based system equipped with
logging capabilities was developed and employed to evaluate decoding
skills in Dutch first graders reading aloud, and to provide them with
detailed, individualized feedback. The results indicate that ASR-based
feedback leads to improved reading accuracy and speed and that the
log-files provide useful information to enhance practice and feedback,
thus paving the way for more personalized, technology-enriched approaches
to reading instruction.