WWC review of this study

The effects of an Internet-based program on the early reading and oral language skills of at-risk preschool students and their teachers’ perceptions of the program.

Huffstetter, M. (2005). Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of South Florida, Tampa. (68813195).

  •  examining 
    62
     Students
    , grade
    PK

Reviewed: October 2009

At least one finding shows promising evidence of effectiveness
At least one statistically significant positive finding
Meets WWC standards without reservations
Oral language outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Test of Language Development-Primary III (TOLD-PIII)

Headsprout Early Reading vs. Millie's Math House

Posttest

4-year-olds;
62 students

11.00

2.29

Yes

 
 
22
 
Print knowledge outcomes—Statistically significant positive effect found for the domain
Outcome
measure
Comparison Period Sample Intervention
mean
Comparison
mean
Significant? Improvement
    index
Evidence
tier

Test of Early Reading Ability III (TERA-III)

Headsprout Early Reading vs. Millie's Math House

Posttest

4-year-olds;
62 students

9.55

0.84

Yes

 
 
22
 


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.


  • Female: 45%
    Male: 55%
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    Florida
  • Race
    Black
    84%
  • Ethnicity
    Hispanic    
    13%
    Not Hispanic or Latino    
    87%

Setting

This study took place in a city on the east coast of Florida.

Study sample

This investigation was conducted with 4-year-old children in two Head Start preschool centers in a city on the east coast of Florida. The two Head Start centers were randomly chosen from the five Head Start centers in the Florida city. Parental consent was obtained for 62 children, who were randomly assigned to either the treatment group or the comparison group using a table of random numbers. There were 31 children in the experimental group and 31 children in the control group. In the sample, 84 percent of the children were African-American, 55 percent were male, and 52 percent spoke English as a second language.

Intervention Group

The experimental group received 30 minutes of daily instruction in the Headsprout Reading Basics™ program for an 8-week period. The computers were housed in the mobile computer lab.

Comparison Group

The control group received 30 minutes of daily instruction in Millie’s Math House® for an 8-week period. Millie’s Math House® is software that uses cartoon characters to build math skills, such as counting, addition, and subtraction

Outcome descriptions

Children were pre- and posttested on two tests; one on oral language competency and the other on print knowledge. For a more detailed description of these outcome measures, see Appendices A2.1–2.2.

Support for implementation

Prior to the intervention, the study’s principal investigator trained teachers and assistant teachers on two separate days at the two sites. The training consisted of oral explanations, modeling, and guided teacher practice. Teachers also were given access to the Headsprout Reading Basics™ episodes and the Millie’s Math House® software for review prior to their students reaching each episode. Teachers were trained to respond to technology issues (e.g., volume adjustments), to access and decipher reports, and to intervene and redirect (i.e., use a minimum amount of gesturing or gentle physical guidance to return student to engagement in task) when necessary. For reference purposes, teachers and teachers’ assistants also were given a copy of the implementation checklists that were used to monitor implementation integrity.

 

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