Drs. Cheung and Slavin (2012) have found in their review of reading research that training using the Captain’s Log MindPower exercises improved the reading skills of students more than specific reading software. Students in the Captain’s Log group scored higher than the control groups on two measures of reading skills with a medium strength effect size of +0.40. The reading software had a non-significant comparative effect size of +0.12.
The MindPower treatment exercises based on the Captain’s Log were selected to specifically target the training of attention skills.
This analysis by the Johns Hopkins University researchers was based on the Rabiner, et al (2010) study which also found that 6 out of 10 students that were identified as having significant attention problems had only 0 or 1 attention deficits at 6 months follow-up after receiving attention training using the Captain’s Log MindPower Builder.
Sources:
Cheung, A.C., Slavin, R.E. Effects of Educational Technology Applications on Reading Outcomes for Struggling Readers: A Best Evidence Synthesis. Best Evidence Encyclopedia. July 2012. Link to paper
Rabiner, D. L., Murray, D. W., Skinner, A. T., & Malone, P. S. (2010). Randomized trial of two promising computer-based interventions for students with attention difficulties. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 38(1), 131-142. Link to abstract