IMPROVING SPEECH DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN WITH HEARING IMPAIRMENT THROUGH ADAPTIVE EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE: EVIDENCE FROM A PEDAGOGICAL EXPERIMENT

Abstract

Digital technologies are becoming an integral component of contemporary special education; however, evidence regarding their effectiveness in supporting speech development among children with hearing impairment remains limited. This study evaluated the pedagogical effectiveness of adaptive educational software developed to facilitate speech development through systematic correctional instruction. A quasi-experimental study involving 174 children aged 7–8 years from seven specialized educational institutions in Uzbekistan was conducted using experimental and control groups. Participants were assessed before and after the intervention using a comprehensive framework covering four domains of speech development: non-speech auditory perception, speech sound perception, pronunciation accuracy, and communicative vocabulary. The experimental groups participated in correctional sessions supported by adaptive educational software, whereas the control groups received conventional speech development instruction. The findings demonstrated consistently higher learning outcomes among pupils in the experimental groups across all assessed domains. Statistical analysis confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed pedagogical approach, with effectiveness coefficients ranging from 1.11 to 1.14, indicating stable positive changes in children’s speech development. The findings suggest that adaptive educational software can enhance speech development when integrated into a structured correctional and pedagogical methodology. The proposed approach may be recommended for implementation in specialized educational institutions and other educational settings supporting children with hearing impairment.