Does Abracadabra Help Improve the English Reading Ability of Chinese Elementary School Students? A Quasi-Natural Experimental Study

Abstract

ABRACADABRA (abbreviated as ABRA) is a software developed by Concordia University in Canada that focuses on natural spelling and aims to improve English reading ability. This research is based on 129 first graders, 213 second graders, and 275 third graders in the elementary school of Lianyungang Ganyu Huajie Bilingual School. We carried out a one-semester pre-and post-test and quasi-natural experimental research design to explore the effect of ABRA on students of different grades. The study results showed that ABRA improved students’ abilities in all grades to varying degrees, but the impact of the first graders got the most significant. The results of classroom observations and interviews with teachers showed that teachers needed to apply systematic teaching strategies and the control of class attention play a key role in it. To improve students’ English ability, teachers need to effectively improve their ability to apply information technology, especially in English class. Particularly in low-grade classrooms, attention should be paid to the management of class discipline to maintain its efficiency.