Now showing 1 - 10 of 120
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Music Education with Artificial Intelligence for Inclusive and Sustainable Early Childhood Learning

2025 , Margarita Roldan-Cardona , Marcos Chacón-Castro , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Luis Salvador-Ullauri , Patricia Acosta-Vargas

This study aims to evaluate the impact of a didactic strategy that incorporates generative artificial intelligence (AI) into music education, supporting oral language development in preschool children and promoting inclusive and sustainable early childhood learning. Using an action-research approach, a mixed-methods design was applied to assess the performance of 15 children aged 3 to 6 years, divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in AI-supported activities using tools such as Genially, Educaplay, and Wordwall, whereas the control group employed traditional methods. Quantitative data from pre-and post-tests, as well as qualitative observations, revealed that AI-enhanced sessions improved motivation, pronunciation, and engagement, particularly among children aged 5 and 6 years old. Although statistical tests showed no significant differences between groups, the intervention demonstrated pedagogical effectiveness by increasing interest and participation. The novelty of this work lies in applying generative AI in early music education to personalize learning and reduce inequality, aligning with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 3, 4, 9, and 10). The findings offer valuable insights into designing inclusive educational experiences through the integration of ICT and AI, highlighting the need to enhance teacher training in emerging digital pedagogies and promote accessible music-based learning in diverse educational settings.

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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Behavioral Report from Professors and Self-Report from University Students

2018 , Ramos-Galarza C. , Fiallo-Karolys X. , Ramos V. , Jadán Guerrero, Janio

In this article, we analyze the internal consistency of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th ed. (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria for attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the adult population, in addition, we analyze the correlation between the teacher's report and the student's own, the prevalence of the disorder and the risk of presenting it according to gender. The sample was composed by 175 university students aged between 16 and 36 years old (M = 21.49, SD = 3.22) that belonged to the private higher education system of Quito, Ecuador. As measurement instruments, two scales were used based on the 18 items of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD described in the DSM-5. As a result, it was determined that the scales used present adequate internal consistency coefficients (attention deficit α = .77 & α = .90; hyperactivity/impulsivity α = .74 & α = .91 & the total scale α = .83 & α = .92 filled by the student and the professor, respectively), all scales correlated significantly between .15 and .88. As far as the ADHD prevalence percentage in university students, findings showed that the subtypes would be present between 7.42% and 26.85% of the time. As a risk factor, it was found that men present more probability to have ADHD than women. The article concludes pointing out the importance to implement intervention programs for university students that could present ADHD, since the condition could influence negatively the spheres in which the students with the disorder perform. © 2018 American Psychological Association.

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Understanding Bullying and Cyberbullying Through Video Clips on Social Media Platforms

2023 , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Acosta-Vargas P.

Bullying and cyberbullying are widely recognized as complex problems that have serious negative repercussions for the health and society of children and adolescents. Bullying can take place in-person at school, home or work, irrespective of age, gender, or role. Cyberbullying can take place on messaging platforms, social media platforms, gaming platforms, or marketing platforms. For example, posting embarrassing photos or videos of someone on social media sending hurtful or spreading lies, as well as abusive or threatening messages, images, or videos through messaging platforms. Offenders impersonate someone and send malicious messages to others in their name or through fake accounts. In this sense, the use of short videos based on the principles of microlearning is scented as a proposal to understand and prevent bullying and cyberbullying. The objective of this article is to analyze how video clips are used on social platforms to raise awareness of bullying and cyberbullying and to propose the creation of new video clips as resources for an awareness-raising MOOC. The methodology followed a phase of analysis of videos on the TikTok and YouTube networks, in order to have a baseline prior to the creation of new video clips by twelve students of the Digital Design and Multimedia career. The content of the videos was evaluated by a psychologist to finally select the appropriate ones for a marketing campaign of an awareness MOOC. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Technology in Favor of Disability: Prevalence Study in Ecuador

2021 , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Acosta-Rodas P. , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Ramos Galarza, Carlos

People with disabilities and special needs are very important part of the society, their needs have not been covered over time. Globalization and technological development helped identify the importance of various groups with disabilities. In Ecuador, this identification allows this social group to be visible and particularly people with visual disabilities, who represent approximately 11% of the population with disabilities. The objective of this research is to identify Ecuador’s cities that maintain a higher prevalence of people with disabilities. To comply with the study, a descriptive analysis was conducted from public information about people registered by the authorized government control body. Obtaining this information makes it possible to establish a baseline of attention with real data, which allows getting a greater focus on the development of this social group and the attention they should receive. © 2021, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Cognitive Interventions Based on Technology: A Systematic Literature Review

2021 , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Cóndor-Herrera, Omar , Arias Flores, Hugo Patricio , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Bolaños-Pasquel M. , Cedillo P.

This article reports a systematic review of research done about the positive impact of cognitive treatment for people with some type of brain disorder through the use of inclusive technologies. The article collected 21 publications of high impact magazines uncovering that countries such as Spain, France, and Russia have a significant number of contributions on this topic. Inclusive technological innovations which are intended for work on brain functions such as attention, memory, verbal fluency, problem-solving and behavior regulation have been mainly developed in devices such as Tablets and Robots. The data discussed highlights the need to continue in this line of research to determine the effect of this type of intervention, as well as the future projection of developing new technological devices facilitating human brain functions. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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A Systematic Literature Review on Human-Computer Interaction to Support Older Adults’ Physical and Cognitive Health

2025 , Priscila Cedillo , Paúl Cárdenas-Delgado , Andrea Paulina Rodríguez Zúñiga , Lorena Encalada-Torres , Ramos Galarza, Carlos , Jadán Guerrero, Janio

Emerging hardware and software technologies have increased the development of technological solutions for people, particularly those focused on older adults' healthcare. Human-computer interaction is a research area that uses motion capture devices as input interaction devices, e.g., touch screen devices, wearables, eye trackers, and more. Numerous primary studies have provided support and training tools for older people with physical and cognitive diseases. However, there is a need for more secondary studies that systematically summarize and evidence these solutions. To address this gap, a systematic literature review was conducted to identify and interpret all studies from 2006 to 2023 that present human-computer techniques, motion capture devices, tools, and methodologies for older adults' physical and cognitive training and support. The review aims to answer the research question: "What devices and applications of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) can be used to support the neuropsychological and motor condition of older adults?". The review identified 1140 potential papers from automatic searches in three digital libraries and manual searches in specialized journals and conferences. Three domain experts (computer engineer, electronics engineer, and psychologist) reviewed the papers based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and selected 79 papers for the review. Additionally, Fleiss' kappa measure was used to achieve agreement between raters. The results provide a comprehensive overview of the state of research in this area, which can assist researchers in identifying weaknesses, directing research efforts, and new research lines. Additionally, the results can serve as a reference guide for professionals in technical and health areas who can contribute to creating better and innovative solutions to aid the older population's physical and cognitive training and support.

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Interactive Storytelling Books for Fostering Inclusion of Children with Special Needs

2020 , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Sanchez-Gordon S. , Acosta-Vargas P. , Alvites-Huamaní C.G. , Nunes I.L.

Children with Special Needs may have difficulty understanding the content of a book or associating words and sentences with their meaning. Teachers use the storytelling as a powerful literacy tool which engage children in making connections between academic content and pedagogy. This strategy is also useful to integrate the diversity of the classroom. Increasing or varying the types of materials available to children is another way to make the classroom more inclusive. This paper proposes a new approach for fostering interaction and inclusion development during shared reading. We sought to increase the interactivity of traditional tale books by incorporating elements of technology and storytelling. To develop prototypes we recruited 30 teachers divided into six groups. Each group worked with two challenges: (1) to incorporate technology into a traditional storybook and (2) create an interactive storytelling book for left-handed children. During five work sessions each group developed two proposals: The first proposal was designed with QR codes and the second with NFC tags and augmented reality patterns to facilitate left-handed activities among teachers and children. The proposals were evaluated in the classroom and with experts’ reviews, finding interesting results. © 2020, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Identification of Areas for Improvement in Digital Pedagogical Competencies through Information Technologies, Communication, and Artificial Intelligence: An Innovative Approach in Teacher Training

2025 , Paola Andrea Arciniegas García , Marcos Chacón-Castro , Elizabeth Durán Romero , Jose Gerardo Chacon Rangel , Jadán Guerrero, Janio

Technological advances pose challenges for teachers at different educational levels, where the application of ICT strategies requires training and strengthening of digital skills, so it is essential to constantly update teachers to improve teaching in the long term. Thus, the objective of this research is to identify the areas of improvement regarding the digital competencies of educators for the optimization of their teaching practices through a training program mediated by ICT. Regarding the applied methodology, it was carried out under a sample of 27 secondary education teachers by means of a descriptive non-experimental design through a complementary mixed method that was developed in four phases: a) characterization of the digital competencies of the trainers. B) design of the strategy and training in digital competencies. C) implementation of the training strategy. And d) evaluation of the strategy. Among the findings, 74% of the sample reached satisfactory levels with respect to the training program, affirming that training in digital competencies, based on instructional design and evaluation models, achieves positive results, presenting a significant improvement in the digital competencies of teachers.

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Examining the usability of touchscreen gestures for adults with DS

2021 , Cáliz D. , Ravivanpong P. , Schankin A. , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Caraguay W. , Arellano L.

This document is part of a global investigation that aims to establish best practices in usability testing of mobile applications, that fit the specific needs of persons with cognitive disabilities. The motivating factor is to improve the quality of life of people with special needs. As a first step, we want to discover what are the skills of people with DS (DS) when using a mobile device. Thanks to its direct manipulation interaction style, multi-touch technology is the ideal mechanism for learning activities with a view to the social inclusion of people with DS. This paper investigates the most common touchscreen gestures on commercial existing software. A commercial analysis was carried out to discover the touch screen gestures used by 103 free software Apps running on a mobile touch screen tablet of 11 where the applications run”. The commercial analysis showed that most applications support tap and drag operations on multi-touch technology. Additionally, the research sought to discover the adults with DS (19–54 years of age) ability to perform other gestures on multi-touch surfaces. A DS user skill study was performed to assess the ability of this user segment to interact with multi-touch surfaces. The analysis involved 53 participants, aged between 19 and 54 years, from two vocational training centers attended by people with DS in Madrid. Authors used the Gesture Games App for experimenting with multi-touch gestures such as tap, double tap, long press, drag, scale up, scale down, and one-finger rotation. Tap, double tap, and drag were the three gestures that the most participant could use. In contrast, participants had difficulty performing one-finger rotation and long press gesture. Our statistical analysis showed that the ability to perform each gesture was independent of gender, age group, and previous experience with touchscreen of a participant. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG part of Springer Nature.

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Accessibility assessment in mobile applications for android

2020 , Acosta-Vargas, P. , Salvador-Ullauri, L. , Jadán Guerrero, Janio , Guevara Maldonado, César Byron , Sanchez-Gordon, S. , Calle-Jimenez, T. , Lara Álvarez, Patricio , Medina, A. , Nunes, I.L.

At present, the lack of adequate methods to test whether a mobile application is accessible has become a major challenge for accessibility experts. This study was applied to ten mobile applications, the most popular according to PCMAG. We propose to use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 through manual review and automatic review with the Google Play Store Accessibility Scanner validator for the Android. The evaluation results of the mobile applications indicate that the applications are not accessible because they do not comply with the minimum required level proposed by WCAG 2.1. The research proposes suggestions to improve and raise awareness among the designers of mobile applications, in such a way that more inclusive mobile applications accessible to all types of users are built. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020.