Abstract

Following the disruption to education as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a detrimental impact on Welsh language reading comprehension skills among pupils in one school in South Wales. This is typical of reading comprehension skills across Wales (Estyn, 2022). The aim of the study was to compare the impact of reading intervention using text-to-speech (TTS) software with a traditional intervention (teacher-led reading) on 10 underachieving Year 6 pupils. A treatment group (TTS) and a control group (reading done by the researcher) were used, and reading achievement and enjoyment were measured through a series of reading comprehension books, ‘Ditectif Geiriau’ (‘Word Detective’) (Canolfan Peniarth, 2015) and online questionnaires. The results show that some pupils perform better with TTS, although levels of reading enjoyment vary. This research could benefit Welsh language educators, suggesting the potential of TTS as a supportive tool for pupils experiencing reading comprehension difficulties.

How to Cite:

Howe, S., (2026) “Exploring the use of text-to-speech technology to support reading comprehension in Welsh: a case study”, Focus on Practice (Wales Journal of Education), doi: https://doi.org/10.16922/focus19