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Articles
DOI: 10.14254/1795-6889.2025.21-3.4
Submitted: 2024-08-30
Published: 2025-12-30

How serious are serious game assessments of reading and reading-related skills?

Niilo Mäki Institute
Niilo Mäki Institute
Centre for Applied Language Studies, University of Jyväskylä; Jyväskylän kenttäurheilijat (JKU)
Centre for Applied Language Studies, University of Jyväskylä
Pirha - The Wellbeing Services County of Pirkanmaa
Niilo Mäki Institute
Centre for Applied Language Studies, University of Jyväskylä
reading fluency digital serious game assessment assessment of reading and reading-related skills transparent orthography GraphoLearn

Abstract

Purpose: This study examined the validity of serious game–based assessments (SGAs) for measuring Finnish primary school children’s (Grades 1–4; n = 735) reading, spelling, and related cognitive skills. Methods: Performance in the digital SGAs was compared with corresponding paper-and-pencil tasks assessing word and pseudoword reading, sentence reading fluency, spelling, and underlying skills including phonological processing, rapid automatized naming, short-term memory, receptive vocabulary, and associative learning. Results: The SGAs showed good concurrent and construct validity for reading fluency, reading accuracy, spelling, rapid automatized naming, and vocabulary. The SGA tasks explained 72–80% of the variance in traditional reading fluency measures and 51–66% in reading accuracy. Conclusions: The findings indicate that serious game–based assessments provide a valid and engaging alternative to traditional literacy assessment tools. Implications for digital assessment and intervention in reading development are discussed.

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How to Cite

Heikkilä, R., Hautala, J. ., Rantanen, V., Nieminen, L. ., Pocknell, M., Latvala, J.-M., & Richardson, U. . (2025). How serious are serious game assessments of reading and reading-related skills?. Human Technology, 21(3), 548–575. https://doi.org/10.14254/1795-6889.2025.21-3.4