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About this paper symposium
| Panel information |
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| Panel 24. Technology, Media & Child Development |
| Paper #1 | |
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| Boosting Early Math Mastery with Interactive Digital Journeys | |
| Author information | Role |
| Linlin Li, Ph.D., WestEd, United States | Presenting author |
| Mingyu Feng, WestEd, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Natalie Brezack, WestEd, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Hee Jin Bang, Age of Learning, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Introduction Developmental and cognitive theories highlight the crucial role of early mathematics skills and knowledge in preparing for later academic success and 21st-century STEM careers (Chu, et al., 2016). With only 37% of students proficient in math by fourth grade, the U.S. faces an acute need to scale innovative approaches to help boost math performance (NCES, 2022). Highly engaging educational technology innovations targeting early elementary students, such as PROGRAM, have the potential to support teachers and prepare students for success in mathematics. PROGRAM is a personalized mastery-based learning ecosystem that leverages current approaches in game-based learning and uses evidence-centered design (Mislevy, et al., 2003) to enable learners to master math concepts through playful experiences. PROGRAM consists of game-based activities with adaptive learning trajectories, performance dashboards that help teachers support students’ learning, and offline activities that extend in-game learning experiences. Within the adaptive learning activities, students engage in game-based learning activities through story contexts. Storylines help all students, including struggling readers, gain access to the math and make sense of math problems in a story context. The educator dashboards allow educators to monitor individual and group progress and assign learning activities for additional reinforcement of specific concepts. Hypotheses We predict that greater student and teacher engagement in PROGRAM would correlate with higher learning outcome. Study population The sample included 753 students and 36 kindergarten teachers in 14 schools from 5 public school districts in the USA. Methods The study used a multi-site cluster randomized, experimental design, which randomly assigned 14 schools to a treatment or control group. Seven schools with 21 classrooms (n=429 students) were randomly assigned to the treatment group that implemented PROGRAM; seven schools with 15 classrooms (n=324 students) were randomly assigned to the control group that implemented their usual math activities. PROGRAM system data that collects real-time student game play usage were used to understand students’ in-game behaviors and progress on grade-level activities. Pre- and Post- student math assessments were conducted to determine students’ learning outcome. Teacher logs, surveys, and interviews were administered to understand to what extent PROGRAM empower teachers and support student engagement and learning. Results Preliminary results indicated that PROGRAM could be flexibly implemented either with the whole class or in small groups. Teachers implemented PROGRAM for 20 – 26 weeks with students’ engagement in PROGRAM for at least 25 minutes each week. Though many teachers requested additional support to use the data and instructional resources offered in the educator dashboards, most felt that PROGRAM supported students’ math learning. In particular, most teachers thought that PROGRAM was beneficial for differentiated learning, providing support to struggling learners and enrichment opportunities for students who were more advanced. Ongoing analyses include the impact of PROGRAM on student math learning; examination of in-game behaviors and their relationship to learning gains; subgroup analyses by student demographics (e.g., locations, socio-economic status); and correlation analysis of teacher activities (e.g., use of teacher dashboard for instructional decisions) and student learning. Insights from these analyses and implications for practice and policy will be shared. |
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| Paper #2 | |
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| Improving Early Literacy: A Game-Based Learning Program to Support English Learners | |
| Author information | Role |
| Jessica Triant, WestEd, United States | Presenting author |
| Bryan Matlen, WestEd, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Chun-Kai Wang, KooApps, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Elli Suzuki, KooApps, Japan | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Research has shown that children reading below grade level at the end of 3rd grade are four times more likely to drop out of school (Hernandez, 2011). However, in the United States, one out of 10 children in classrooms are English learners (ELs), and they are one of the fastest growing segments of the K-12 student population (NCES, 2022). [Program] is an app that supports the vocabulary development of K-5 students, including English Learners. The program is guided by a working theory that supports students’ vocabulary development through engaging word puzzles, game-based learning, student-adaptive personalization, and tailored educational content. At its core, the [program] is a set of fun and engaging word puzzles that support student vocabulary development. It uses puzzle mechanics to facilitate different aspects of students’ vocabulary development and offers personalized content in its Playground Mode. It uses machine learning to predict where each student, including ELs, will have difficulties and determines the next puzzle to show to achieve the desired learning outcome. It provides puzzles that will be more contextually appropriate to a student's struggles, accounting for mechanical linguistic differences among puzzle words. The [program] also uses machine learning to respond to shifts in student play patterns in a way that will keep each learner engaged in the long-term. The present work describes a randomized control trial designed to explore the evidence of promise of the [program]’s ability to affect students’, including ELs’, knowledge of vocabulary and spelling, their attitudes towards vocabulary learning, as well as evidence of the usability, feasibility, and fidelity of implementation of [program]. Teachers were randomly assigned to either a treatment of implementing [program] in their classes or continuing their business-as-usual practices. There were a total of 264 third grade students across thirteen teacher’s classrooms from California and New York in the final analytic sample (Tx n = 133 and Cx n = 131) and 82 were classified as ELs. Teachers received training at the start of the pilot study on how to complete study tasks and treatment teachers received additional training on how to integrate the [program] into their normal instruction. Treatment teachers were asked to incorporate the [program] into their existing English language instruction at least three times a week for 10 weeks and support students with 30-minutes of individual [program] usage. We ran a 2-level hierarchical model on our researcher developed proximal assessment, accounting for nesting of students within teachers (a random effect), and including fixed effects for condition and pre-test. The model estimates that going from the control to the treatment condition results in a 0.91 change in post-test score, which is statistically significant at p < .05 and corresponds to an effect size (Hedges’ g) of 0.34. These results provide evidence that the [program] improves student vocabulary development through its core product features. |
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| Paper #3 | |
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| Supporting elementary music education access and creative development through an online platform | |
| Author information | Role |
| Eunice Chow, WestEd, United States | Presenting author |
| Sharon Herpin, WestEd, United States | Non-presenting author |
| An Tran, WestEd, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Jacob Zax, Edify Technologies, United States | Non-presenting author |
| Abstract | |
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Music education in the U.S. has declined over the past 40 years. A 2011 National Endowment for the Arts study found a 30% drop in childhood music learning from 1982 to 2008 (Rabkin 2011). A national survey found that one in six parents reported their child received no music education at school (NAMM 2015). The Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) recognizes music as a key part of a "well-rounded education" and highlights its roles in student success. However, despite the importance of a music education in developing the whole child, many underfunded schools nationwide still struggle to provide access to music education. In response, [REDACTED] developed [PROGRAM], an online platform for elementary music education. [PROGRAM] offers lessons on different musical topics for students, a “song builder”, and a teacher dashboard – all intended for use at schools without formal music programs. This pilot study, conducted in the Winter / Spring of 2024 by [REDACTED] and funded by the US Department of Education, explored whether use of [PROGRAM] impacted elementary students’ musical skills and knowledge; whether use of [PROGRAM] impacted elementary students’ attitudes towards music, the arts, or a career in the arts; and how [PROGRAM] is implemented in 4th grade classrooms. The study utilized a randomized control trial design. Thirty-eight elementary teachers were randomized into treatment and control groups. Ten teachers attrited over the study period, leaving a total of 28 participating teachers with 14 in each condition. The teachers represented 532 students who were included in the sample. However, some parents opted their child out of the study and some students did not assent to their data being used. Thus, usable data were obtained from 491 students. Treatment teachers received training and were asked to assign 10 [PROGRAM] lessons to their students over 10 weeks. Control teachers were asked to continue with their business-as-usual instruction. Treatment teachers logged each lesson, completed a post-survey, and a subset participated in virtual classroom observations and interviews. [REDACTED] also received usage data for students in this group. Control teachers continued regular instruction without supplemental music education, and most control classrooms had no music education. Control teachers also completed a post-survey after the study. Both groups' students completed surveys and assessments at the study's start and end. Key findings indicated that treatment students showed significant gains in music knowledge, attitudes toward music, and musical confidence. Treatment students had a statistically significant higher post-test score relative to the control group (p <0.05) at an effect size of 0.298. Teachers also observed evidence of student learning and most indicated that [PROGRAM] had a positive impact on both student music knowledge (92.9%) and skills (92.4%). An analysis of the student attitudinal survey also found a statistically significant effect of the treatment on treatment students’ post survey overall score and post confidence subscale score. The promising findings from this study add color to ways that current EdTech tools are leveraged to support holistic development for varied learners in the classroom setting. |
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Integrating Developmental Research to Enhance Educational Technology Interventions for Early Learners
Submission Type
Paper Symposium
Description
| Session Title | Integrating Developmental Research to Enhance Educational Technology Interventions for Early Learners |