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A study was undertaken by Angus Council (a UK school district) throughout eight of its elementary schools to investigate the impact of using Clicker to support writing. Clicker was used to support children across the ability spectrum, including those who usually had no additional support, and those who had significant levels of additional support.
The study analyzed work produced by the children and found that students experienced significant benefits from using Clicker, throughout all eight schools. This was consistent for students of differing abilities and differing levels of experience using the software.
The study analyzed work produced by the children and found that students experienced significant benefits from using Clicker, throughout all eight schools. This was consistent for students of differing abilities and differing levels of experience using the software.
Some of the key findings include:
- Use of Clicker resulted in almost three times the number of words being written, with more than twice the number of multi-syllabic words used.
- students requiring significant or average support took over a third less time to complete their work when using Clicker, and with over four times less help from teachers / TAs needed.
- Overall, students required help or prompting 6.5 times less when using Clicker to support their writing; highlighting the significance of Clicker in encouraging independent work.
This study was overseen by Katrina Hands, an Assistive Technology Teacher for Angus Council. You can read her report in full here.
Katrina has been working as an ASN teacher for 12 years and also has experience of teaching in all stages of the primary school. Additionally, she has a computing background, having worked in the School of Computing at the University of Dundee. While her main focus is using assistive technology to help pupils with additional support needs, some software, in particular Clicker, are proving beneficial for pupils of all ages and abilities within the primary school setting.