Supplementary file 1_Concrete reading theory: embodied anchors for early literacy in digital contexts.docx

The accelerating digital transformation of early childhood has compounded this problem by replacing hands-on, material engagement with screen-mediated interaction, raising urgent questions about the sensorimotor foundations of orthographic learning.</p>Hypothesis/theory<p>We propose Concrete Reading Theory (CRT), a neurocognitive framework positing that durable literacy acquisition is hypothesised to depend on functional anchors—multisensory, affectively charged cognitive structures that bind abstract orthographic symbols to concrete sensorimotor networks. “Concrete” refers not to physical materials alone but to the neurocognitive act of concretising: grounding arbitrary symbols in embodied experience.

CRT extends existing embodied cognition frameworks by generating a falsifiable neurophysiological prediction: that multisensory convergence during early orthographic learning may manifest as gamma-band synchrony (30–100 Hz) in temporo-parietal circuits. Where gamma measurement is not feasible in young child populations, complementary electrophysiological markers—specifically the N170 and P200 event-related potential components—and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) connectivity offer more accessible validation targets at the current stage of research.</p>Methods<p>CRT is operationalised through the Juthur Applied Model, a four-phase tactile scaffolding intervention piloted in Arabic-speaking early childhood classrooms (ages 4–8; N = 142 children across six classrooms).