Poster #236 - Lexia® PowerUp Literacy™: An Evaluation of a Blended Learning Program for Non-Proficient Readers

• In Event: 1-169 - Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Section - Technology, Media & Child Development

Integrative Statement

Introduction:

Over 60% of American 8th-grade students are unable to read proficiently (NAEP, 2018). According to the Simple View of Reading (Gough & Tunmer, 1986), reading difficulties typically result from poor decoding (efficiently mapping letters onto sounds) and/or weaknesses in language comprehension (e.g., academic vocabulary, background knowledge, grammatical awareness). Scholars have identified a need to better support students in gaining these skills, particularly language comprehension (Hogan et al., 2014).

Past research demonstrates well-designed educational technology can strengthen secondary students’ literacy skills (Cheung & Slavin, 2011). To that end, the blended learning program Lexia® PowerUp Literacy™ (PowerUp) recently was created, providing online student-driven instruction and offline teacher-delivered lessons to support non-proficient secondary readers. Aligned with the Simple View of Reading, PowerUp promotes decoding through a Word Study strand; grammar through a Grammar strand; and listening and reading comprehension through a Comprehension strand. PowerUp also includes motivating game-like elements (Ryan, Rigby, & Przybylski, 2006). The present study aimed to assess PowerUp’s effectiveness.

Method:

The research study took place at an Ohio middle school. Students in the present analyses (N = 33) scored in the non-proficient range on the Ohio State ELA test at the end of 7th grade (Spring 2017); were not flagged as having a disability; and completed the Ohio State ELA test at the end of 8th grade (Spring 2018).

All participants had access to PowerUp throughout the 2017-2018 school year. They used PowerUp for an average of 11.30 weeks. Each week, they averaged 23.39 minutes in the online Word Study strand, 23.21 minutes in Grammar, and 20.85 minutes in Comprehension.

The Ohio State ELA test assessed proficiency in: Reading for Information (max. score 23), Reading for Literature (max. score 18), and Writing (max. score 20). Students received separate scores in each domain, along with an overall weighted scale score.

Results:

Students’ scaled ELA scores increased significantly from 2017 to 2018, t(32) = 2.20, p = .035, partial η2 = .123. Eleven of the 33 students improved to such a degree that they were no longer scoring in the non-proficient range.

Students’ activity in PowerUp was related to their state test performance. Every additional 15-minutes students spent weekly in PowerUp's online Comprehension strand was associated with a 1.82 point increase in Reading for Information (F(1,28) = 8.71, p = .006, partial η2 = .237) and with a (marginally significant) .98 point increase in Writing (F(1,28) = 4.16, p = .051, partial η2 = .129). Every additional 15-minutes in the Grammar strand also was associated with a .93 point increase in Writing (F(1,28) = 8.70, p = .006, partial η2 = .237).

Discussion:

These findings suggest PowerUp can help support non-proficient 8th-grade readers. Presumably, engaging with informational text while using the Comprehension strand supported students in understanding and responding to texts used, respectively, in the Reading for Information and Writing subdomains. Time in Grammar may have helped students structure their ideas in writing, supporting Writing test performance. Future research should continue assessing the effectiveness of PowerUp in different contexts.

Authors

• Lisa B Hurwitz, Lexia Learning
  Non-Presenting Author

• Peggy Coyne, Lexia Learning
  Non-Presenting Author

• Rachel L Schechter, Lexia Learning
  Presenting Author