Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2018

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education

Advisor

Roslyn Doctorow

Committee Member

Anne Joslin

Keywords

reading achievement, early reading, computer assisted instruction, teacher guidance

Abstract

This applied dissertation was designed to evaluate the I-station adaptive reading program and determine its impact on reading proficiency of third-grade students. The school of study was a Title I school with proficiency rates for third-grade students of about 40% annually. The district recommendation for student usage mirrored the recommended minutes per week established by Imagination Station, the I-station parent company.

The program evaluation utilized the context-input-process-product model components, measuring process and product. There were two research questions underpinning the study: 1. Process: Is the I-station program being used with fidelity at the school of study to achieve program intended outcome of student reading remediation? 2. Product: Is there measurable growth in the I-station reading scores of third-grade students as measured by the I-Station indicators of progress beginning-of-year, mid-year, and end-of-year test results during 2016-2017 school year?

An analysis of the data revealed that third-grade students did not demonstrate a consistent improvement in reading across the three assessment periods despite average to slightly below average grade-level usage of the program throughout the year. The researcher recommends that the school reassess the use of the program and its impact on reading proficiency and conduct additional research to examine best practices that reinforce more teacher-directed instruction of reading.

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