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Outputs (20)

Expert perspectives on how educational technology may support autonomous learning for remote out-of-school children in low-income contexts (2023)
Journal Article
Huntington, B., Goulding, J., & Pitchford, N. J. (2023). Expert perspectives on how educational technology may support autonomous learning for remote out-of-school children in low-income contexts. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 5, Article 100263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2023.100263

Across Sub-Saharan African, 98 million children are illiterate and innumerate and do not attend school. Educational technologies (EdTech) that promote autonomous learning may ameliorate this learning poverty. Yet, little is known if or how these tech... Read More about Expert perspectives on how educational technology may support autonomous learning for remote out-of-school children in low-income contexts.

Introduction of an EdTech intervention to support learning of foundational skills in Sierra Leone: policy, teacher, and community perspectives (2023)
Journal Article
Lurvink, A. F., & Pitchford, N. (2023). Introduction of an EdTech intervention to support learning of foundational skills in Sierra Leone: policy, teacher, and community perspectives. Frontiers in Education, 8, Article 1069857. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1069857

Background: Like many other countries, Sierra Leone faces significant challenges with primary education resulting in many children leaving primary school without acquiring basic foundational skills. To address these challenges, an educational technol... Read More about Introduction of an EdTech intervention to support learning of foundational skills in Sierra Leone: policy, teacher, and community perspectives.

Pedagogical features of interactive apps for effective learning of foundational skills (2023)
Journal Article
Huntington, B., Goulding, J., & Pitchford, N. J. (2023). Pedagogical features of interactive apps for effective learning of foundational skills. British Journal of Educational Technology, 54(5), 1273-1291. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13317

Interactive apps are commonly used to support the acquisition of foundational skills. Yet little is known about how pedagogical features of such apps affect learning outcomes, attainment and motivation—particularly when deployed in lower‐income conte... Read More about Pedagogical features of interactive apps for effective learning of foundational skills.

Language Counts when Learning Mathematics with Interactive Apps (2020)
Journal Article
Outhwaite, L., Gulliford, A., & Pitchford, N. (2020). Language Counts when Learning Mathematics with Interactive Apps. British Journal of Educational Technology, 51(6), 2326-2339. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12912

When available in multiple languages, educational apps can deliver the same mathematics instruction in the child’s first language or different language of instruction. This pilot study examined the feasibility of efficacy of a maths app intervention... Read More about Language Counts when Learning Mathematics with Interactive Apps.

Secondary Benefits to Attentional Processing Through Intervention with an Interactive Maths App (2019)
Journal Article
Pitchford, N. J., & Outhwaite, L. A. (2019). Secondary Benefits to Attentional Processing Through Intervention with an Interactive Maths App. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 2633. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02633

Previous research has shown that a specific interactive app, designed to support the development of early mathematical skills and delivered on hand-held tablets, is effective at raising mathematical attainment in young children in low-and high-income... Read More about Secondary Benefits to Attentional Processing Through Intervention with an Interactive Maths App.

A New Methodological Approach for Evaluating the Impact of Educational Intervention Implementation on Learning Outcomes (2019)
Journal Article
Pitchford, N. (2019). A New Methodological Approach for Evaluating the Impact of Educational Intervention Implementation on Learning Outcomes. International Journal of Research and Method in Education, https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2019.1657081

Randomised control trials (RCTs) are commonly regarded as the 'gold standard' for evaluating educational interventions. While this experimental design is valuable in establishing causal relationships between the tested intervention and outcomes, reli... Read More about A New Methodological Approach for Evaluating the Impact of Educational Intervention Implementation on Learning Outcomes.

Interactive apps prevent gender discrepancies in early grade mathematics in a low‐income country in Sub‐Sahara Africa (2019)
Journal Article
Pitchford, N. J., Chigeda, A., & Hubber, P. J. (2019). Interactive apps prevent gender discrepancies in early grade mathematics in a low‐income country in Sub‐Sahara Africa. Developmental Science, 22(5), Article e12864. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12864

Globally, gender differences are reported in the early acquisition of reading and mathematics as girls tend to outperform boys in reading whereas boys tend to outperform girls in mathematics. This can have long‐term impact resulting in an under repre... Read More about Interactive apps prevent gender discrepancies in early grade mathematics in a low‐income country in Sub‐Sahara Africa.

High variability phonetic training in adaptive adverse conditions is rapid, effective, and sustained (2018)
Journal Article
Leong, C. X. R., Price, J. M., Pitchford, N. J., & van Heuven, W. J. (2018). High variability phonetic training in adaptive adverse conditions is rapid, effective, and sustained. PLoS ONE, 13(10), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204888

This paper evaluates a novel high variability phonetic training paradigm that involves presenting spoken words in adverse conditions. The effectiveness, generalizability, and longevity of this high variability phonetic training in adverse conditions... Read More about High variability phonetic training in adaptive adverse conditions is rapid, effective, and sustained.

Raising early achievement in math with interactive apps: a randomized control trial (2018)
Journal Article
Outhwaite, L. A., Faulder, M., Gulliford, A., & Pitchford, N. J. (2019). Raising early achievement in math with interactive apps: a randomized control trial. Journal of Educational Psychology, 111(2), 284-298. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000286

Improving provision and raising achievement in early math for young children is of national importance. Child-centered apps offer an opportunity to develop strong foundations in learning math as they deliver one-to-one instruction. Reported here is t... Read More about Raising early achievement in math with interactive apps: a randomized control trial.

Interactive apps promote learning of basic mathematics in children with special educational needs and disabilities (2018)
Journal Article
Pitchford, N. J., Kamchedzera, E., Hubber, P. J., & Chigeda, A. (2018). Interactive apps promote learning of basic mathematics in children with special educational needs and disabilities. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 262. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00262

Interactive apps delivered on touch-screen tablets can be effective at supporting the acquisition of basic skills in mainstream primary school children. This technology may also be beneficial for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabiliti... Read More about Interactive apps promote learning of basic mathematics in children with special educational needs and disabilities.

New insights into the role of motion and form vision in neurodevelopmental disorders (2017)
Journal Article
Johnston, R., Pitchford, N. J., Roach, N. W., & Ledgeway, T. (2017). New insights into the role of motion and form vision in neurodevelopmental disorders. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 83, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.09.031

A selective deficit in processing the global (overall) motion, but not form, of spatially extensive objects in the visual scene is frequently associated with several neurodevelopmental disorders, including preterm birth. Existing theories that propos... Read More about New insights into the role of motion and form vision in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Closing the gap: efficacy of a tablet intervention to support the development of early mathematical skills in UK primary school children (2017)
Journal Article
Outhwaite, L. A., Gulliford, A., & Pitchford, N. J. (2017). Closing the gap: efficacy of a tablet intervention to support the development of early mathematical skills in UK primary school children. Computers and Education, 108, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2017.01.011

The efficacy of a hand-held tablet technology intervention with learner-centred interactive software aimed at supporting the development of early maths skills was evaluated in four studies conducted in three UK primary schools. Immediate and sustaine... Read More about Closing the gap: efficacy of a tablet intervention to support the development of early mathematical skills in UK primary school children.

Can Touch Screen Tablets be Used to Assess Cognitive and Motor Skills in Early Years Primary School Children? A Cross-Cultural Study (2016)
Journal Article
Pitchford, N. J., & Outhwaite, L. A. (in press). Can Touch Screen Tablets be Used to Assess Cognitive and Motor Skills in Early Years Primary School Children? A Cross-Cultural Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01666

Assessment of cognitive and motor functions is fundamental for developmental and neuropsychological profiling. Assessments are usually conducted on an individual basis, with a trained examiner, using standardized paper and pencil tests, and can take... Read More about Can Touch Screen Tablets be Used to Assess Cognitive and Motor Skills in Early Years Primary School Children? A Cross-Cultural Study.

Why is the processing of global motion impaired in adults with developmental dyslexia? (2016)
Journal Article
Johnston, R., Pitchford, N. J., Roach, N. W., & Ledgeway, T. (2016). Why is the processing of global motion impaired in adults with developmental dyslexia?. Brain and Cognition, 108, 20-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandc.2016.07.004

Individuals with dyslexia are purported to have a selective dorsal stream impairment that manifests as a deficit in perceiving visual global motion relative to global form. However, the underlying nature of the visual deficit in readers with dyslexia... Read More about Why is the processing of global motion impaired in adults with developmental dyslexia?.

Fine motor skills predict maths ability better than they predict reading ability in the early primary school years (2016)
Journal Article
Pitchford, N. J., Papini, C., Outhwaite, L. A., & Gulliford, A. (2016). Fine motor skills predict maths ability better than they predict reading ability in the early primary school years. Frontiers in Psychology, 7(MAY), Article 783. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00783

Fine motor skills have long been recognised as an important foundation for development in other domains. However, more precise insights into the role of fine motor skills, and their relationships to other skills in mediating early educational achieve... Read More about Fine motor skills predict maths ability better than they predict reading ability in the early primary school years.

Development of early mathematical skills with a tablet intervention: a randomized control trial in Malawi (2015)
Journal Article
Pitchford, N. J. (in press). Development of early mathematical skills with a tablet intervention: a randomized control trial in Malawi. Frontiers in Psychology, 6(485), https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00485

Evaluation of educational interventions is necessary prior to wide-scale rollout. Yet very few rigorous studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of tablet-based interventions, especially in the early years and in developing countries. This st... Read More about Development of early mathematical skills with a tablet intervention: a randomized control trial in Malawi.

Recommendations for assessing cognitive risks in young children treated for ependymoma for clinical and research protocols: evidence from a systematic literature review (2014)
Journal Article
Morrall, M. C., Pitchford, N. J., Waters, E. C., Ablett, K. L., Stocks, H., Walker, D., & Grundy, R. G. (2014). Recommendations for assessing cognitive risks in young children treated for ependymoma for clinical and research protocols: evidence from a systematic literature review. Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, 2(1), https://doi.org/10.14205/2309-3021.2014.02.01.4

Background: Current treatment approaches for pediatric ependymoma differ between North American and European studies. Post-surgical adjuvant irradiation is used in children aged

Is the masked priming same-different task a pure measure of prelexical processing? (2013)
Journal Article
Kelly, A. N., van Heuven, W. J., Pitchford, N. J., & Ledgeway, T. (2013). Is the masked priming same-different task a pure measure of prelexical processing?. PLoS ONE, 8(9), Article e72888. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0072888

To study prelexical processes involved in visual word recognition a task is needed that only operates at the level of abstract letter identities. The masked priming same-different task has been purported to do this, as the same pattern of priming is... Read More about Is the masked priming same-different task a pure measure of prelexical processing?.

Baby knows best? The impact of weaning style on food preferences and body mass index in early childhood in a case–controlled sample (2012)
Journal Article
Townsend, E., & Pitchford, N. J. (2012). Baby knows best? The impact of weaning style on food preferences and body mass index in early childhood in a case–controlled sample. BMJ Open, 2(1), Article e000298. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2011-000298

Objective The impact of different weaning methods on food preferences and body mass index (BMI) in early childhood is not known. Here, we examine if weaning method—baby-led weaning versus traditional spoon feeding—influences food preferences and heal... Read More about Baby knows best? The impact of weaning style on food preferences and body mass index in early childhood in a case–controlled sample.