Patrick C. Kennedy

In this study, the researchers will evaluate the impact of a widely used supplemental digital reading program (Boost Reading) in grades 2 through 5. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in use of educational technology programs to accelerate learning, particularly in reading. However, there is limited research on the efficacy of these programs in general and for subgroups of underserved students. Additionally, there is little research on the variability of effects based on...

The use of education technologies is generating large quantities of data at unprecedented speed. These data (e.g., the prose in digital instructional materials, social media data, clickstreams from e-learning platforms) are largely unstructured or noisy, meaning that they are not arranged according to a preset data model and/or have many complicated attributes. The features of these data make it difficult to use conventional analytic tools and techniques. This training program will prepare e...

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the validity of 8th Edition of Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS 8) as a screener for dyslexia. As of 2020, 47 states require that students be screened for dyslexia in early elementary school, and state education agencies recognize DIBELS for this purpose more than any other test. However, evidence for the use of DIBELS for this purpose is limited. In this project, researchers will investigate the associations between DIBELS ...

This project will develop and refine a computer-adaptive version of MOCCA (Multiple-choice Online Cloze Comprehension Assessment), an existing reading comprehension measure for third- through fifth-grade readers. MOCCA helps distinguish between students who make one of two common comprehension errors. Students with weak comprehension skills tend either to paraphrase (rephrase prior information from the text but do not generate missing information) or to make lateral connections (make an elab...

The purpose of this project is to investigate the effects of an intervention focused on technology instruction on students' proximal and distal knowledge, perceptions, engagement and academic performance related to STEM disciplines and, secondarily, teachers' and computer coders' perceptions and confidence related to coding and teaching.