Effectiveness
DaisyQuest was found to have positive effects on phonological processing.
Program Description
DaisyQuest is a software bundle that offers computer-assisted instruction in phonological awareness, targeting children aged three to seven years (or preschool to second grade). The instructional activities, framed in a fairy tale involving a search for a friendly dragon named Daisy, teach children how to recognize words that rhyme; words that have the same beginning, middle, and ending sounds; and words that can be formed from a series of phonemes presented separately, as well as how to count the number of sounds in words. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) also reviewed the effects of DaisyQuest on the beginning reading skills of children in kindergarten through third grade and the findings are reported in a separate WWC intervention report.
Research
Two studies of DaisyQuest met the WWC evidence standards. Together these studies included 68 preschool children from Tallahassee, Florida, and Orem, Utah, and examined intervention effects on phonological processing. The children studied were from families with low to middle socioeconomic status. This report focuses on immediate posttest findings to determine the effectiveness of the intervention.
