Mobile Application to Exercise Oral Language From a Systems Approach

Introduction

The primary means of communication of human beings is language, with this reference is made to the set of sounds and signs that human beings have used since its creation until today to communicate with other individuals of the same species (RAE, 2019), to which it manifests both what it feels and what it thinks about any tangible or intangible social issue, natural or abstract; hence, as a species, human language is the most developed.

According to the theory of language from the perspective of linguistics, language composed of language (language, a general and constant model of a linguistic collectivity that integrates a community) and speech (momentary materialization of that resource, individual and voluntary action carried out through phonation and writing) (Saussere, 2016).

In technical terms three dimensions are recognized within language: form (phonology, morphology, and syntax), content (semantics) and use (pragmatics) and therefore different types of languages developed (cult, technical, colloquial, so forth). Thus, language is a gradual process that first goes through a pre-language stage and then develops its capacities extensively (Saussure, 2016). The pre-language is a rudimentary system of communication that becomes evident during the first years of life, and that implies capacities of neurophysiological and psychological characteristics, such as perception, motricity, imitation, and memory (Koerner, 1982). Therefore, this is an essential stage for children to be able to interact with their environment and begin to establish relationships with the individuals around them.

In this sense, when children have language problems it is crucial that they have support to develop their ability to speak through language, mainly because it is not the same for all children, for example when Intellectual Disability (ID) causes the child to learn and develop more slowly than children of the same age, which manifested in the fact that they may need more time to learn to speak, walk, dress or eat without the help of their parents, and of course they have learning problems in school.

The Mexican Academy of Pediatrics (2019), establishes some standards to determine reasonable progress or if you may need additional help. For example, children with speech disorders may have trouble producing sounds correctly; they may hesitate or stutter when speaking. While children with language disorders may have trouble understanding what others are saying or may have difficulty communicating their thoughts.

This need for help has led in recent years to a broadening of the scope from computing and software development to education at different stages, primarily in early education, and particularly concerning educational language support software. The traditional options that incorporate technology range from websites with webinars, online courses for parents and educators, mobile download applications (app), virtual didactic games, and others (API, 2019).

A recurrent modality presented as entertaining and eye-catching didactic games, which try to help children learn to read and write, develop cognitive and communication skills, acquire vocabulary, improve memory and concentration and awaken the imagination, among others (Saalem, 2019).

Although according to the Horizont Report (2017) there are successful developments and others with essential limitations in proposals that incorporate mobile devices, it is clear that it shares the same limitations of any technological application if care not taken in its design and a model not contemplated that allows to evaluate that each phase of the development of the application fulfills the requirements of the final user, in addition, a defined instructional design is necessary to reach a concrete educational objective, to support the development of language processes in children, with or without language problems.