IJIET 2026 Vol.16(2): 527-537
doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2026.16.2.2524
doi: 10.18178/ijiet.2026.16.2.2524
Exploring the Effects of Emergent Literacy in Mathematics (ELM) Software on Students’ Achievement, Emotional Engagement, and Social-Emotional Learning Abilities in China
Wei Lin1, Xintong Lai2, Xin Guo3,*, and Sihan Wang4
1. Teacher Education Department, Guangdong University of Education, Guangzhou, China
2. School of Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
3. School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, China
4. Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK
Email: lwei18@gdei.edu.cn (W.L.); 2987327372@qq.com (X.L.); guoxin@cuhk.edu.cn (X.G.); 2774369319@qq.com (S.W.)
*Corresponding author
2. School of Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
3. School of Humanities and Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), Shenzhen, China
4. Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK
Email: lwei18@gdei.edu.cn (W.L.); 2987327372@qq.com (X.L.); guoxin@cuhk.edu.cn (X.G.); 2774369319@qq.com (S.W.)
*Corresponding author
Manuscript received August 11, 2025; revised September 5, 2025; accepted October 23, 2025; published February 17, 2026
Abstract—This quasi-experimental study investigates the impact of the Emergent Literacy in Mathematics (ELM) software on the mathematical achievement, emotional engagement, and social-emotional learning abilities of secondgrade students in China. Participants were divided into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. Over five months, pre-intervention and post-intervention assessments were conducted to evaluate changes in mathematical performance, emotional responses, and social learning skills. Results indicated that there was no significant difference in students’ mathematics achievement (ES = 2.66, p > 0.05) through ELM-assisted teaching, while students’ mathematics affects (ES = 2.15, p < 0.00) and social emotional learning (ES = 0.88, p < 0.00) were significantly improved. Furthermore, an SEM analysis of the relationship between students’ math affects and social-emotional learning has shown that students’ mathematical motivation as well as enjoyment level contribute positively to the enhancement of their social-emotional learning abilities in an ELM-assisted teaching environment. These findings underscore the efficacy of integrating instructional software like ELM in enhancing students’ mathematics cognitive and emotional performances differently, offering valuable insights for educational practices and policy development.
Keywords—Emergent Literacy in Mathematics (ELM), mathematics achievement, mathematics affects, socialemotional learning
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).
Keywords—Emergent Literacy in Mathematics (ELM), mathematics achievement, mathematics affects, socialemotional learning
Cite: Wei Lin, Xintong Lai, Xin Guo, and Sihan Wang, "Exploring the Effects of Emergent Literacy in Mathematics (ELM) Software on Students’ Achievement, Emotional Engagement, and Social-Emotional Learning Abilities in China," International Journal of Information and Education Technology, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 527-537, 2026.
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).