IPAD INSTRUCTION TO SUPPORT STRUGGLING READERS 1

Group Proposal Assignment 3

iPad Instruction to Support Struggling Readers in Grade Two

Danielle Peters, Nicole Moxey, and Natalie Roberts

ETEC 500 65C

UBC MET Vancouver

Sunah Cho

April 8, 2017

Word Count: 1813 (plus abstract)

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Abstract:

This study examines the implementation of iPad apps into a grade two Intensive

Literacy Program for struggling readers over the course of one school year. Observing and

examining the implementation of iPad apps will provide necessary information about the

potential benefits of supporting reading improvement, including increasing student

motivation and engagement. ​Since many students already use technology, there is an

increasing need to understand if and how apps can improve students’ reading level. iPad apps

are accessible in and outside the classroom, further promoting student ownership over their

individualized learning. This increases student motivation and engagement, and empowers

students to take initiative in the learning process. iPad literacy apps make learning visible,

allowing parents, students, and teachers to see progress over time.

Keywords: iPad, digital technology, struggling readers, reading intervention, primary-aged

students, differentiated learning, PM Benchmarks, Mixed-Methods

Purpose of the study

The integration of technology into classrooms has provided increased opportunities

for struggling readers to improve their reading level. With the shift in education towards

individualized, student-centered learning, technology, including iPads and apps, can provide

differentiated and engaging instruction to develop each child’s personalized learning needs.

Recent studies show that the number of students who read for enjoyment is declining, and as

a result, today’s children are having a harder time learning how to read. According to the

National Center for Education Statistics 20ll, 51% of African American, 49% of Hispanic,

and 53% of Native American fourth-grade students were reading below basic level (as cited
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in Musti-Rao, Lo, & Plati, 2015). Knowing that the building blocks of literacy are developed

in the early years (Brown, 2014), it is imperative that children are receiving effective literacy

intervention as soon as possible. The purpose of our research is to investigate whether

literacy intervention using iPad apps with grade two students has an effect on improving

struggling readers’ performance benchmarks over one school year.

Theoretical framework and literature review

Before conducting this study, we consulted and analyzed articles and did an extensive

review of the literature on the use of iPads to support struggling readers in primary grades.

From our review of the literature, there are very few research studies that address reading

interventions using technology with Canadian primary students. “There is a critical need,

according to national policy statements in the United States, to integrate information and

communication technologies into instruction, and yet research about the effect of such

integration on the literacy learning of at-risk populations is scant” (D'Agostino, Rodgers,

Harmey, & Brownfield, 2016). Since many students are turning to technology, there is an

increasing need to understand if and how apps can improve students’ reading level.

One of the challenges associated with assisting struggling readers is increasing

student motivation and engagement when using traditional literacy interventions. While not

specifically looking at iPads, the research study by Blachowicz, Bates and Berne (2009),

demonstrated that in first grade classrooms, students displayed increased motivation and on

task behaviours when utilizing technology during reading interventions. These measures also

resulted in increased student performance scores on the Dynamic Indicators of Early Literacy

Skills. More recent research using iPads with struggling readers in grade one classrooms

conducted by Musti-Rao et al. (2015), discovered that, ​“​the apps provide students with
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multiple opportunities to practice the skills (i.e., repetition), and have the capability to

provide immediate feedback and reinforcement. Specifically, research examining the

effectiveness of engaging with these iPad apps over more traditional methods of instruction is

warranted.”

Through our review of the literature, one commonality is that technology supporting

struggling readers has a positive effect on improving students’ reading level in the primary

grades. According to Leu at al. 2004, “children need to become proficient in the new

literacies of today’s technologies in order to become fully literate” (as cited in D’Agostino et

al., 2015). However, based on the literature review, it is evident that more information

regarding the direct impact of iPad application use with struggling readers in primary grades

is needed.

Description of Methods

A quasi-experimental mixed-method research design will be used with both

qualitative and quantitative data. The qualitative aspect will provide in-depth details from

one-on-one interviews, participant observations, and focus-group interviews about student

experience. The PM Benchmarks pre-reading and post-reading assessments will provide the

quantitative data. These results will show any improvements in reading level that each

student makes during the Intensive Literacy Program. The Intensive Literacy Program is a

self-contained classroom which exists in an elementary school within the Surrey School

District.
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Participants

Fifty-six grade two students identified by their classroom teacher and Surrey School

Board criteria as reading below grade level, and referred to the Intensive Literacy Program in

the Surrey School District. The students in these classrooms receive an adapted program that

delivers core curricular content in each subject area according to the BC Ministry of

Education. Following ethical considerations, parents or guardians will provide consent for

their child’s participation during the referral process. There will be four classes, capped at 14

students in each, with one specialist teacher and an educational assistant in each room.

Students will be assigned to the control and experimental groups using the matching

pretest-posttest control group design based on their scores from the Surrey School Board

reading criteria. All four classes will receive explicit instruction in phonemic awareness,

phonemic decoding, fluency, vocabulary and reading comprehension. However, two classes

will receive traditional instructional methods and two classes will receive instructional

methods using specific iPad apps provided by the school. The method of instruction is the

independent variable.

Data Collection and Analysis

Three types of data will be collected for analysis: (1) observations (2) PM

Benchmarks, and (3) Motivation Reading Questionnaire.

Qualitative data will be gathered through observations, interviews with teachers and

students, field notes, and reading one-on-one with individual students. The researcher will go

directly to the Intensive Literacy classroom to collect the data as it naturally occurs.

Researchers will examine the reading performance of the students using traditional methods

compared to iPad instruction. Student engagement and their response to technology will be
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observed, and it will be noted whether students react positively or negatively to iPad

instructional intervention. The data collected includes, attitudes, feelings, behaviours, and

facial expressions in response to technology. Additional data collection will occur in March

with the possible revision of the research questions after the analysis of quantitative and

qualitative data.

Quantitative data will be gathered from administering the Nelson PM Benchmark

pre-reading and post-reading summative assessments, with ongoing reading assessments

throughout the year based on the needs of the students. PM Benchmarks allow the teacher to

assess students’ instructional and independent reading levels using unfamiliar texts. Since

these students would be presented with a different text each time, there would be no

sensitization. The results gathered will show any improvements in reading level that each

student makes during the Intensive Literacy Program. PM Benchmarks are based on a 1-30

reading level scale that correspond to the different grade levels. For example, students at a

grade two level should be reading at level 11 at the beginning of the year and progress to

level 22 by the end of the year. The teacher will decide if and when a student will be moved

up to a higher level text based on their scores on their running record. Students who score

96-100% accuracy are identified as reading at an “easy” level and will be moved up to a

higher-text level. Those students reading at 90-95% accuracy are reading texts at an

“instructional” level and will continue reading at this level until their accuracy reaches 96%

or higher. Scores on the PM Benchmark assessments are the dependent variable.

Further quantitative data will be gathered from a Motivation Reading Questionnaire

(MRQ) that will be administered orally to the students in the Intensive Literacy Program at

the beginning of the year (September), halfway through the year (March) and at the end of

the school year (June). This questionnaire assesses students’ efficacy, challenges, curiosity,
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and involvement with reading. The categories in the MRQ are based on a 4 point scale; 1 =

very different from me to 4 = a lot like me. The results of the questionnaire are tabulated and

averaged to obtain a reading motivational score for each student. Scores on the Motivation

Reading Questionnaire are the dependent variable.

Timeline
The following timeline will help guide the progress of the research:

May 2017 ● Seek permission from Surrey School District

● Identify students participating in the Intensive
Literacy Program
● Gain consent from parent/guardians for the
students participating

June 2017 ● Assign control and experimental groups based on

Surrey School District reading criteria

September 2017 ● Administer the MRQ to each student

● Assess students’ reading level using the PM
Benchmarks (pre-test)
● Begin qualitative data collection

October 2017 - February 2018 ● Continue collecting qualitative data

● Continue assessing students reading level using
the PM Benchmarks

March 2018 ● Administer the MRQ to each student

● Continue assessing students reading level using
the PM Benchmarks

April - May 2018 ● Continue collecting qualitative data

● Continue assessing students reading level using
the PM Benchmarks

June 2018 ● Administer the MRQ to each student

● Assess students’ reading level using the PM
Benchmarks (post-test)
● Final reading assessments complete
● Qualitative data collection complete

September 2018 ● Analysis of data complete

● Paper summarizing results complete
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Threats to Validity
Due to the quasi-experimental research of this study, there are threats to both internal
and external validity that need to be considered. Maturation is a potential threat because
participants may undergo physiological changes that produce differential effects on the
dependent variable. For example, they may become better readers over the course of the year
due to natural physiological changes. The history of students, including socio-economic
status and exposure to outside reading support over the year, could have an affect on their
reading development. Differential selection of participants is a potential threat since they
were not selected randomly. This could affect the generalizability of the study since random
assignment of students is not practical. Testing pre-test sensitization would not be a factor
since the pre and post-test reading assessments administered would use different texts.
Instrumentation would be controlled because observational procedures would not change.
Statistical regression is only a potential threat because students are moved to a higher reading
level based on very controlled running record guidelines. Attrition factors such as low
attendance, illness, students moving away and unpunctual students could have an impact on
the results. Selection maturation could be a factor since some students might mature over the
school year and make natural gains in their reading level.

Results/and or Conclusion
The expected results of our study are unknown. Previous research lacks experimental
research design and numerical data to better understand if implementation of iPads to support
struggling readers is beneficial. Taking student motivation and learning style into account,
iPads provide the ability to create individualized instruction for students utilizing differing
modalities, and provide kinesthetic, auditory, and visual experiences. More research is
required to examine underlying factors contributing to potential student gains.

Educational significance

Reading is one of the most foundational life skills and is essential for students to
become functional members of society. If the results from this study are in favour of using
iPads to support struggling readers, there are vast resources available both at school and at
home. iPads are a common educational tool which are readily available, easy to use, and
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affordable to most school districts. Educators of primary-aged students, parents, district

personnel, and the students themselves, could positively benefit from the results of this study.
Through our research, we hope to provide evidence that supports the use of iPads to help
create opportunities for struggling readers; this would create opportunities for students to
work at their own pace, take ownership over their progress and learning goals, and promote
individualized learning.
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References

Blachowicz, C., Bates, A., & Berne, J. (2009). Technology and at-risk young readers and
their

classrooms. ​Reading Psychology,​ ​30​(5), 387-411.

Brown, C. S. (2014). Language and literacy development in the early years: Foundational

skills that support emergent readers.​ Language and Literacy Spectrum​, ​24​, 35-49.

D'Agostino, J. V., Rodgers, E., Harmey, S., & Brownfield, K. (2016). Introducing an iPad

App into Literacy Instruction for Struggling Readers: Teacher Perceptions and Student

Outcomes. ​Journal Of Early Childhood Literacy​, ​16​(4), 522-548.

Musti-Rao, S., Lo, Y., & Plati, E. (2015). Using an iPad® app to improve sight word reading

fluency for at-risk first graders.​ Remedial and Special Education, 36​(3), 154-166.