Description:

Video Demonstration of the Phase I Prototype: Readorium-YouTube

Purpose: Prior research indicates that reading difficulties in childhood become more problematic as students move to middle and high school where increasingly challenging material must be learned. Although some older students still struggle with decoding, many more have difficulty constructing meaning from text. Despite research that has identified strategies for teaching students to comprehend what they read, many teachers do not have the training or resources to utilize such techniques. The purpose of this project was to develop a web-based product to support struggling readers in understanding nonfiction text in the area of science.

Project Activities: In the Phase I portion of the project completed in 2010, the researchers developed and field tested the prototype in seven middle school science classrooms. Data from the field test showed that teachers and students were engaged while using the new technology.

In Phase II, the team fully developed the product through an iterative design, feedback, and refinement process. Features that were strengthened included an avatar that provides formative feedback and a recall function to store data and replay lessons at any time. In addition, the researchers expanded the content to include 19 topics and refined the teacher management component. To assess implementation feasibility and usability of the technology, and to gather data on the promise of the product to improve reading comprehension, researchers from the University of Connecticut conducted a randomized study in 2012. The sample included 294 students who used Readorium over 8 weeks, and 224 students who continued with the business-as-usual curriculum. The Diagnostic Online Reading Assessment (DORA) by Let's Go Learn was used as a pre and post assessment measure. Results demonstrated no significant differences between students in the treatment and control groups—all students increased in DORA. In subgroup analyses, positive outcomes in the DORA scores correlated with the number of Readorium books that students completed. On average, the 138 students who read 10 books or more books during the 2-month pilot study gained a full year in reading comprehension on the DORA.

Product: Readorium is a web-based product for middle school students to improve reading comprehension of science content. The product includes an avatar to explain all functions and guide learning. Through the intake assessment, students are assigned to the appropriate level of challenge. Customized science articles are populated the site and serve as the basis for instruction. Students are engaged through game-like features such as earning virtual money for correct answers and purchasing hints. A final test measures overall progress. Teachers have access to strategy lessons and to individual and class-level reports to guide further instruction. The product supplements middle school science curricula.

Related IES Projects: Readorium: Smart Software for Reading Comprehension (EDIES10P0112); Readorium Rising Reader: Smart Nonfiction Comprehension Software For Students In Grades 3-5 (EDIES13C0030)