Keywords
Bilingual Learning Resources (English–Hindi)
Hearing-Impaired Students
Low-Income Communities and Education
Inclusive Learning Technologies
How to Cite
Abstract
Background: In many developing countries the digital divide continues to obstruct equitable access to education, and it falls hardest on children from low-income families. In urban India the problem is deepened by a shortage of affordable, good-quality learning material in students' own languages.
Objective: This study asks whether a free, artificial intelligence-assisted digital learning platform can improve English vocabulary and digital literacy among economically disadvantaged students, and it documents a supplementary accessibility provision developed for hearing-impaired learners.
Methods: A quasi-experimental, single-group pre-post design was carried out over nine months with 31 students aged 10 to 16 in Delhi, India. Under human supervision, generative AI tools were used to prepare bilingual English–Hindi vocabulary sets, grammar exercises, and mathematics case studies, delivered through interactive quizzes with immediate feedback. Vocabulary attainment was the primary outcome and digital literacy a secondary one. Analysis combined descriptive statistics, a paired-samples t-test, Cohen's d, 95% confidence intervals, and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test, together with automated engagement logs and focus-group discussions.
Results: Every participant improved on the vocabulary measure, with a mean gain of 24.39 marks (t(30)=43.27, p<0.001; d=8.40; 95% CI [23.22, 25.56]), a result confirmed by the Wilcoxon test. Average accuracy rose from 33% to 93%, and the narrowing of score variance indicated that lower-performing students gained the most. About half of the participants reached working fluency in common office applications. Bilingual materials in English and Mathematics were also made available to about 40 hearing-impaired learners, though no formal outcome data were collected for that group.
Conclusion: A freely accessible, bilingual, AI-assisted platform was associated with substantial gains for underserved learners. Because the design included no control group, these findings should be read as promising rather than conclusive, and sustaining such gains will depend on investment in connectivity, devices, and continued adaptation for vulnerable populations.
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