Last week, we met with the guardians of students at Grankulla Grundskola who are now part of a unique research study in collaboration with the University of Helsinki.
How did this start?
We have been collaborating with Grankulla for over a year with strong results among the students. Cecilia Alameri-Nordgren, project manager for the study and a class teacher for one of the participating groups, also trained with Imvi herself for her dyslexia. The combination of the positive school results and her own impressive development led her to initiate this research study, which is now being conducted by independent researchers from the University of Helsinki.
What makes the study special?
The researchers are following two student groups:
- Grade 3 (16 students) – trains at school under teacher supervision
- Grade 7 (17 students) – trains at home after an initial joint setup
What will the study investigate?
The study is long-term and in-depth:
✓ How does Imvi affect reading motivation and engagement?
✓ Does context matter? (home vs. school)
✓ How do teachers perceive the changes?
✓ What happens in the long term with reading ability?
The researchers from the University of Helsinki will interview both students and staff at the start and after the training is completed, analyze reading tests, and follow up on the results even next academic year.
Why is this important?
This is our first formal research study in a school environment in collaboration with a university in Finland. While we have previously gathered experience from hundreds of students, researchers from the University of Helsinki are now following students longitudinally – from inception to follow-up next academic year. This provides us with deep, evidence-based knowledge about where and how vision training works best for children of different ages and contexts.
A big thank you to Cecilia for your commitment and initiative, to Principal Catharina Sunesdotter, and to the researchers from the University of Helsinki for making this possible!
Here we go – we look forward to following the students' journey!
