Difficulties in reading and writing are current causes of academic failure, with social and emotional repercussions that can persist throughout life. Although research has explored reading improvement in these students, few scientifically validated programs address writing in Spanish, and many do not adopt an all-in-one approach.
In this context, CIMCYC researchers validated an intervention program for the improvement of writing skills in children from the 3rd to 6th grades of primary school with learning difficulties.
What is that about “all-in-one”?
An all-in-one perspective integrates all those areas of learning, effective strategies, and methods identified by research, with the aim of offering a comprehensive and multifaceted solution. This includes considering various dimensions (cognitive, emotional, social, etc.) and approaches for strengthening the interrelated areas that reading and writing share.
Specifically, it has been shown that instruction based on meta-cognitive and multisensory strategies facilitates learning in children with learning difficulties. This implies that instruction should be designed to incorporate techniques that encourage reflection on the learning process itself and that stimulate various sensory channels (auditory, visual, kinesthetic, etc.). Other aspects to consider are explicit and systematic instruction (the teaching process should be clear, structured, and direct, ensuring that the learner understands what to do at each step of the learning process), as well as repeated practice.
Moreover, game-based learning plays a highly relevant role in the effectiveness of interventions, as it contributes to the maintenance of motivation and engagement and the establishment of a less stressful and challenging learning environment. Considering all this, an all-in-one perspective would address all these aspects for the design of a psychoeducational intervention program.
How does this program work?
This intervention program was implemented in a sample of 43 children with learning difficulties in reading and writing. This group was compared with 58 children with difficulties, who received the intervention later, and 66 children without learning difficulties (who did not receive the intervention). The program lasted 4 weeks (4 consecutive weekly sessions of 40-50 minutes) and was implemented in 11 schools in Granada. The intervention included decoding, phonology, spelling, morphology, prosody, sight vocabulary, sentence construction activities, and reading.
Results showed that children who received the intervention improved their writing skills compared to those who did not receive it at that time and achieved similar results to their peers without difficulties in phonological and prosodic tasks. These findings reinforce the relationship between phonological and prosodic training and writing development. The study also suggests that meta-cognitive and multisensory strategies with explicit instruction may be key in teaching writing to children with difficulties.
This study, published in January 2025 in Reading and Writing, was conducted by the Mind, Brain, and Behavior Research Center researchers: María Carmona (Dept. of Developmental and Educational Psychology), Macarena de los Santos-Roig (Dept. of Behavioural Sciences Methodology), Sara Mara (Dept. of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment) and Francisca Serrano (Dept. of Developmental and Educational Psychology).
In conclusion, this research underlines the importance of an all-in-one perspective in intervention programs, with structured game-based methodologies, to support children with learning difficulties, reduce the academic gap, and improve their learning opportunities, providing a broad and comprehensive response to the specific needs of learners.
Reference
Carmona, M., De los Santos-Roig, M., Mata, S., & Serrano, F. (2025). Effectiveness of a comprehensive game-based intervention for writing skills. Reading & Writing. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-025-10636-w
Contact
María Carmona - mcarmonar@ugr.es