WWC review of this study

Improving Student Learning and Engagement through Gamified Instruction: Evaluation of iPersonalize

Klute, Mary; Yanoski, David; Rhoads, Christopher; Norford, Jennifer; Joyce, Jeanette; Serdiouk, Marina (2019). Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED602069

  • Randomized Controlled Trial
     examining 
    1,256
     Students
    , grade
    6

Reviewed: May 2021

No statistically significant positive
findings
Meets WWC standards with reservations
General Literacy Achievement outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

i-Ready Diagnostic

iPersonalize vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
1,256 students

590.93

585.33

No

--
Show Supplemental Findings

i-Ready Diagnostic

iPersonalize vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Male;
622 students

586.68

583.13

No

--
Writing Quality outcomes—Indeterminate effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

MY Access! School Edition

iPersonalize vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Full sample;
1,157 students

3.79

3.64

No

--
Show Supplemental Findings

MY Access! School Edition

iPersonalize vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Male;
563 students

3.75

3.53

No

--

MY Access! School Edition

iPersonalize vs. Business as usual

0 Days

Female;
594 students

3.85

3.75

No

--


Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.

Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.


  • 24% English language learners

  • Female: 51%
    Male: 49%

  • Urban
    • B
    • A
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F
    • G
    • I
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    • J
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    • V
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    • W
    • X
    • Z
    • Y
    • a
    • h
    • i
    • b
    • d
    • e
    • f
    • c
    • g
    • j
    • k
    • l
    • m
    • n
    • o
    • p
    • q
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    • t
    • u
    • x
    • w
    • y

    California
  • Race
    Asian
    31%
    Other or unknown
    55%
    White
    14%
  • Ethnicity
    Hispanic    
    52%
    Not Hispanic or Latino    
    48%

Setting

The study was conducted across 15 schools from one California school district (Fullerton School District). The intervention was administered during English language arts class.

Study sample

The largest analytic sample in the study included 37 English language arts teachers and 1,256 students in their sixth-grade classrooms. A majority of the students were Hispanic (52 percent), about one-third were Asian or Pacific Islander (31 percent), 14 percent were White, and race or ethnicity was not reported for the remaining 3 percent. Fifty-one percent were female, 24 percent were English learners, 11 percent were eligible for special education services, and 49 percent were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

Intervention Group

iPersonalize is an online application that incorporates computer game elements into tailored learning activities designed to meet students’ individual learning goals and improve student’s literacy achievement. Students received instruction using a unit of the iPersonalize program called “Agents of Change,” that centered on projects designed around students’ personal interests and strengths. Students engaged in research, reading, and writing to complete the projects and earned badges for completing learning goals. The iPersonalize online learning management system provided students with tailored activities and assessments. Students also completed traditional classroom activities. The intervention was implemented during the first trimester of one school year. On average, intervention students logged on to the learning management system 106 times, attempted 22 quests, and completed 18 quests.

Comparison Group

The study authors intended for the comparison group students to receive business-as-usual English language arts instruction; however, the comparison group also received most of the features of the iPersonalize intervention with the following two differences: 1) because comparison students did not have access to the iPersonalize online learning management system, they completed assessments and activities on other online platforms and 2) comparison students received tangible rewards rather than online badges.

Support for implementation

The school district provided a training on the iPersonalize system to teachers in June before the start of the study. The study authors did not specify if only intervention teachers attended the training.

 

Your export should download shortly as a zip archive.

This download will include data files for study and findings review data and a data dictionary.

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