New approaches in education and health sciences management

New approaches in education and health sciences management

Development and Validation of a Cognitive Empowerment Package Based on Visual, Auditory, and Verbal Processing in Students with Specific Learning Disorder with Impairment in Reading

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Department of Clinical and Educational Psychology, CT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Introduction and Objective: Specific Learning Disorder with impairment in reading is associated with deficits in cognitive processes, including visual, auditory, and verbal processing, which can adversely affect students’ academic performance. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop and validate a cognitive empowerment package based on visual, auditory, and verbal processing for students with Specific Learning Disorder with impairment in reading.

Methods: This study employed a qualitative approach using thematic analysis. Participants were selected through purposive sampling, and ten university experts participated in the validation process. Based on the findings of the thematic analysis, an educational program grounded in cognitive computer games was designed to improve attention, working memory, and visual processing in students with reading disabilities. The content validity of the program was evaluated and confirmed using the Content Validity Ratio (CVR).

Results: The findings indicated that the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and Content Validity Index (CVI) values for all sessions of the cognitive empowerment package based on visual, auditory, and verbal processing were at acceptable levels. Accordingly, all components and session contents were evaluated by experts as essential, relevant, and appropriate, confirming the content validity of the educational package.

Conclusion: Given the confirmation of the package’s content validity by experts, the proposed cognitive empowerment package can be considered a valid educational framework for strengthening reading-related cognitive processes in students with Specific Learning Disorder with impairment in reading. Nevertheless, further experimental studies are recommended to examine its effectiveness.
Keywords

1.         Liu Y, Luo C, Zheng J, Liang J, Ding N. Working memory asymmetrically modulates auditory and linguistic processing of speech. Neuroimage. 2022;264:119698 . doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119698
2. Poole BJ, Phillips NL, Stewart E, Harris IM, Lah S. Working Memory in Pediatric Epilepsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Neuropsychol Rev. 2021;31(4):569-609. doi: 10.1007/s11065-021-09491-7
3.         Ortiz-Mantilla S, Cantiani C, Shafer VL, Benasich AA. Minimally-verbal children with autism show deficits in theta and gamma oscillations during processing of semantically-related visual information. Sci Rep. 2019;9(1):5072. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-41511-8
4.         Qiao Q, Jiang Y. The influence of college students' aesthetic cognitions on aesthetic behaviours: The Chain mediation effect. PLoS One. 2023;18(12):e0289666. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289666
5.         Shafiee, E., Ghasemzadeh, S., Arjmandnia, A. A., Hasanzadeh, S., Gholamali Lavasani, M. Investigating the Effectiveness of the Rehabilitation Package on the Cognitive Flexibility and Social Interaction of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder Based on Executive Functions. Journal of Applied Psychological Research, 2024; 15(4): 51-68. doi: 10.22059/japr.2024.362805.644690
6.         Robinson CW, Moore RL Jr, Crook TA. Bimodal Presentation Speeds up Auditory Processing and Slows Down Visual Processing. Front Psychol. 2018;9:2454. doi: 10.1007/s11948-020-00210-8
7.         Voinea C, Vică C, Mihailov E, Savulescu J. The Internet as Cognitive Enhancement. Sci Eng Ethics. 2020;26(4):2345-2362. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02454
8.         Shafiepoor Motlagh, F., Naderi, Z., Naghsh, S. Identifying the Dimensions of Psychological Empowerment for the Purpose of Coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Applied Psychological Research, 2021; 11(4): 245-261. doi: 10.22059/japr.2021.302093.643511
9.         Lardier DT Jr, Opara I, Garcia-Reid P, Reid RJ. The Cognitive Empowerment Scale: Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis Among Youth of Color. Child Adolesc Social Work J. 2020;37(2):179-193. doi: 10.1007/s10560-019-00647-2
10.       Li PWC, Yu DSF, Wong CWY. An empowerment-based cognitive behavioural therapy for persons with mild cognitive impairment and insomnia: Protocol for a mixed-method pilot study. J Adv Nurs. 2021;77(4):2054-2063. doi: 10.1111/jan.14740
11.       Pierce SR, Skorup J, Paremski AC, Prosser LA. The relationship between family empowerment and fine motor, gross motor and cognitive skills in young children with cerebral palsy. Child Care Health Dev. 2023;49(4):778-783. doi: 10.1111/cch.13091
12.       Kimpah J, Rothmann S, Ibrahim HI, Jaaffar AH, Vinahapsari CA, Wider W, et al. Individual cognitive empowerment and in-role performance: a matched-pair study. Front Psychol. 2024;15:1402029. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1402029
13.       Oh W, Park H, Hallett M, You JSH. The Effectiveness of a Multimodal Brain Empowerment Program in Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Single-Blind, Quasi-Randomized Experimental Study. J Clin Med. 2023;12(15):4895. doi: 10.3390/jcm12154895
14.       Bravo P, Edwards A, Barr PJ, Scholl I, Elwyn G, McAllister M; Cochrane Healthcare Quality Research Group, Cardiff University. Conceptualising patient empowerment: a mixed methods study. BMC Health Serv Res. 2015;15:252. doi: 10.1186/s12913-015-0907-z
15.       Aller M, Økland HS, MacGregor LJ, Blank H, Davis MH. Differential Auditory and Visual Phase-Locking Are Observed during Audio-Visual Benefit and Silent Lip-Reading for Speech Perception. J Neurosci. 2022;42(31):6108-6120. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2476-21.2022
16.       van Ede F, Nobre AC. Turning Attention Inside Out: How Working Memory Serves Behavior. Annu Rev Psychol. 2023;74:137-165. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-021422-041757
17.       Sahrabani A., Hajizad M., modanlou Y. Modeling the Structural Relationships between E-Learning and Aggression with the Mediating Role of Mental Health Of High School Students in Behshahr. Educational Management - Health Sciences, 2024; 1(3): 1-12. doi: 10.22034/edus.2025.545976.1013
18.       Speer PW, Peterson NA, Christens BD, Reid RJ. Youth Cognitive Empowerment: Development and Evaluation of an Instrument. Am J Community Psychol. 2019 Dec;64(3-4):528-540. doi: 10.1002/ajcp.12339
19.       Ludyga S, Gerber M, Kamijo K. Exercise types and working memory components during development. Trends Cogn Sci. 2022;26(3):191-203. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.12.004
20.       Buschman TJ. Balancing Flexibility and Interference in Working Memory. Annu Rev Vis Sci. 2021;7:367-388. doi: 10.1146/annurev-vision-100419-104831
21.       Alhamdan AA, Murphy MJ, Pickering HE, Crewther SG. The Contribution of Visual and Auditory Working Memory and Non-Verbal IQ to Motor Multisensory Processing in Elementary School Children. Brain Sci. 2023;13(2):270. doi: 10.3390/brainsci13020270
22.       Ravizza SM, Conn KM. Gotcha: Working memory prioritization from automatic attentional biases. Psychon Bull Rev. 2022;29(2):415-429. doi: 10.3758/s13423-021-01958-1
23.       Beukers AO, Buschman TJ, Cohen JD, Norman KA. Is Activity Silent Working Memory Simply Episodic Memory? Trends Cogn Sci. 2021;25(4):284-293. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2021.01.003
24.       Lin RSY, Yu DSF, Chau PH, Li PWC. Effects of an empowerment-based educative psycho-behavioral program on neuropsychiatric symptoms among persons with mild cognitive impairment: A mixed methods study. Int J Nurs Stud. 2023;137:104381. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2022.104381
Volume 3, Issue 2
July 2026
Summer 2026
Pages 64-79

  • Receive Date 25 February 2026
  • Revise Date 10 May 2026
  • Accept Date 18 June 2026