Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Barbara Christina

Committee Member

Roslyn Doctorow

Committee Member

Kimberly Durham

Keywords

AI reading tools, alphabetic principle, Amira, assessment, early intervention, emergent literacy, i-Ready, oral language, primary education, quasi-experimental research, reading acquisition, reading development, reading growth, reading intervention, reading skills, student achievement, vocabulary development

Abstract

This research study was undertaken because emergent literacy skills are crucial in helping children develop their reading abilities. Research suggests that early intervention is a key strategy for closing the achievement gap, and that early literacy skills develop as early as when children begin to communicate verbally and nonverbally. Studies show that the larger a child's vocabulary is, the quicker they learn to read.This study examined the significance of reading development and a child’s ability to acquire reading skills across the stages of reading acquisition.

This study compared student scores in the experimental and control groups to determine whether the interventions produced significant differences in reading growth. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest quantitative design was used to compare student performance across three testing windows. This testing window spanned 10 months during the 2024-2025 school year, while differentiation and interventions were continuously implemented. The research revealed that growth in the control group was greater than in the intervention group; however, all students showed growth except one. The results indicated a statistically significant improvement in reading scores for students in the control group compared to those in the intervention group.

The researcher used student test data to determine whether there was a significant improvement in student scores after the intervention compared with the control group. This study examined the impact of a reading intervention on young children's reading acquisition and the use of test data for evaluation throughout the school year at different intervals. Using a quasi-experimental design with primary-aged children, the study compared reading skills using the i-Ready reading platform and an AI reading resource, such as Amira. The participants’ growth in the control group was compared to that of the intervention/experimental group. The results demonstrated a significant positive impact of the intervention on early literacy skills. All students showed growth in their scores except one, but the data showed that students in the control group were reading on grade level overall, whereas those in the intervention group were not. These findings suggest that using programs such as Amira and i-Ready to target skills essential for a child’s reading acquisition is an effective strategy for growth, combined with three assessment windows to show gains, demonstrate progress, and promote early reading development.

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