“Almost one in five apps were rated as poor quality, with expert reviewers recommending only 27 per cent of the apps for their potential to support the development of foundational reading skills,” says Dr Furlong.
“While many apps are aesthetically pleasing and entertaining, our research found the majority lack the educational rigour required to teach phonics and phonological awareness effectively.”
The study, published in the Early Childhood Education Journal, also found no significant correlation between consumer star ratings and the expert evaluations.
“Apps that scored highly with consumers tended to be those with high engagement, aesthetics or functionality – rather than those with real potential to support children’s reading development,” Dr Furlong explains.
The research highlights a major gap between consumer perceptions and educational quality.
“Parents and educators often rely on star ratings and user reviews when selecting apps – but our findings show these metrics are not reliable indicators of educational value.”
In fact, the research showed that the majority of apps failed to provide explicit instruction, lacked a structured and sequenced approach to teaching letter-sound associations, and did not provide corrective feedback.
Many included incorrect modelling of the target skills, mispronunciations of letter sounds and inappropriate word choices for reading tasks – issues that could actively hinder children’s learning.
With app stores remaining largely unregulated, these findings raise serious concerns for children, parents and educators who rely on digital tools to support literacy development.
“There is a great need for stronger regulation and more robust certification processes.”
“Clearer labelling and disclosures are essential to ensure that children are engaging with tools that genuinely support their learning,” says Dr Furlong.
She also points to issues at the development stage. Despite increased advocacy around the science of reading, many app developers are not responding with tools that reflect best practice.
“We urgently need more investment in high quality, evidence-informed educational apps.”
Without an established track record of grant funding, Dr Furlong says it can be difficult for early career researchers to deliver this kind of real-world impact.
She is grateful for the community’s support for Flinders Early Career Research Seed Funding grants, which made this important research possible.
“Thanks to the Seed Funding support, I gained expertise in the quality appraisal of mobile apps, strengthened my project and people management skills, and raised my national profile through extensive media coverage on the study results.”
Dr Furlong says that investing in emerging researchers provides real benefits for the community by driving innovation and sustaining the future of scientific discovery.
“Thank you to the donors who supported this project. Their contribution provided a critical step in my research and my career, and I am deeply appreciative of their recognition of the research’s value and importance.”
Dr Furlong continues to evaluate and provide advice to parents and educators on the effectiveness of mobile apps in supporting early reading development. She now has plans to explore the development of her own evidence-based app designed to deliver real impact.
