HCI: Adaptive learning For Dyslexic users

Al-Dawsari, Hadeel Mohammed A. (2023). HCI: Adaptive learning For Dyslexic users. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

AlDawsari2023PhD_Redacted.pdf
Text - Redacted Version
Restricted to Repository staff only until 31 December 2025.
Available under License All rights reserved.
Download (13MB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Dyslexia is a lifelong reading difficulty that exists everywhere regardless of an individual's language or culture. They face various difficulties in reading, writing and spelling. Whilst it is impossible to find two individuals with dyslexia with exactly the same difficulties, most current research treated them similarly. Further, the manifestation of dyslexia is affected by the language's structure and orthography. Because of the lack of research on Arabic dyslexia, especially on the benefits of adaptive e-learning in this domain, this research aimed to understand the impact of adapting the e-training material to the characteristics of a learner with Arabic dyslexia on their reading performance, satisfaction and behaviour. The focus was on Arabic dyslexia types as the learner's characteristic because they reflect the reading difficulties they face with reading being their main problem.
We first analysed the literature on Arabic dyslexia and current e-learning systems that support individuals with dyslexia to understand dyslexia and to identify the weaknesses in these systems. Next, we conducted two controlled experiments to understand the effect of matching the training material to one of the Arabic dyslexia types on the learner's reading performance, satisfaction and behaviour and to validate the developed system and tools. Because each experiment focused on vowel letter dyslexia and short vowel dyslexia, we designed a dyslexia diagnostic test to determine the Arabic dyslexia type that a learner with Arabic dyslexia has. In each experiment, we measured reading improvement and learner satisfaction and observed the learner's behaviour. The findings showed that the reading of learners with Arabic vowel letter dyslexia and short vowel dyslexia improved similarly and that all learners were highly satisfied with the system.
From these two experiments, we discovered a new common Arabic dyslexia reading difficulty named short vowel dyslexia. Therefore, we noticed that the literature and practice were inconsistent. So, we designed a questionnaire to understand dyslexia in practice from the perspective of special education teachers. We found that visual dyslexia is also common among learners with Arabic dyslexia. Therefore, the final experiment targeted vowel letter dyslexia and visual dyslexia taking into account lessons learned from the first two experiments. In this experiment, the training material was adapted to the learner's Arabic dyslexia type (vowel letter dyslexia and visual dyslexia). We can conclude that adapting training material to learner's Arabic dyslexia type improved their reading and the learners were highly satisfied in both conditions and no opportunity to discriminate between them. On the other hand, we cannot conclude that what has been learned can be generalised to other words with similar features. Finally, learners were happy and engaged as they learned and they followed some good practices to improve their learning.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):