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iPad 2 Applications and Emergent Literacy: Do They Have an Impact on the Acquisition of Early Literacy Skills?

Cubelic, Cathleen J.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1370348007

Abstract Details

2013, Doctor of Education (Educational Leadership), Youngstown State University, Department of Teacher Education and Leadership Studies.
Within the walls of our schools lies the future of our society. The contributions and achievements of the next generations will determine the course of our country and the world. The responsibility for preparing and educating this population falls on our school systems and the teachers within them. The demands and expectations placed on our educational systems are ever-changing. One of the most significant of these changes has been an increase in the level of accountability for the achievement and growth of every student. Teachers in the primary grades, working with our youngest students, are the first to see the disparity of skills and readiness they demonstrate. Charged with developing not only academic skills, but also social, emotional and interpersonal skills, this first experience to structured education lays a critical foundation. Kindergarten is the time during which students begin to develop their knowledge base, as well as their perception of themselves as learners. Reading readiness and the acquisition of its component skills, form the scaffold upon which all later skills will be layered. Dr. Seuss said, “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn the more places you'll go” (Seuss, 1990). While it is clear that literacy skills are critical elements of early instruction, it is not clear in what format or with which approach, these skills are most appropriately taught. Additionally challenging in the instructional process is keeping students motivated and engaged in the learning process. Effective means by which to achieve these outcomes are also not universally accepted. Teacher education organizations, as well as researchers in the field identify the use of technology as a tool for thinking, decision-making and learning (Couse & Chen, 2010). This study looks to examine the impact of the use of iPad 2 literacy based applications on the acquisition of emergent literacy skills in the areas of phonemic awareness and alphabetic principle. iPad use occurs for kindergarten students in a learning center structure for 30 minute periods twice each week. Students progress in their development of these skills through an independent learning center format. Centers are designed around identified literacy applications that reinforce skills presented through core instruction. Achievement data is to be collected using the kindergarten level Dibels Next measure. Data from students in the intervention and control groups will be examined to determine the impact of the use of technology. Specific demographic student information will be analyzed to explore if there are trends or characteristics that may be correlated to achievement and/or growth. Student information gathered at the time of assignment will include gender, district demographic, socio economic status and baseline score from the initial benchmark DIBELS assessment. Additional information will be explored in relation to the kindergarten teachers who are part of the study. Both age and teaching experience with kindergarten students will be examined as potential variables in the degree of both achievement and growth. iPad 2 applications that are used as part of the remediation process, including their order and frequency, will be the final variable considered in relationship to the achievement and growth experienced by the students in the intervention group.
Karen Larwin, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Robert Beebe, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Amy Camardese, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Gail Saunders-Smith, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
133 p.
Early Childhood Education; Literacy; Technology
iPad2; DIBELS Next; Digital Native; Learning Centers; No Child Left Behind Act of 2001; Urban Area; Suburban Area; Rural Area; Nonsense Word Fluency; First Sound Fluency; Phoneme Segmentation Fluency

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Citations

  • Cubelic, C. J. (2013). iPad 2 Applications and Emergent Literacy: Do They Have an Impact on the Acquisition of Early Literacy Skills? [Doctoral dissertation, Youngstown State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1370348007

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Cubelic, Cathleen. iPad 2 Applications and Emergent Literacy: Do They Have an Impact on the Acquisition of Early Literacy Skills? 2013. Youngstown State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1370348007.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Cubelic, Cathleen. "iPad 2 Applications and Emergent Literacy: Do They Have an Impact on the Acquisition of Early Literacy Skills?" Doctoral dissertation, Youngstown State University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1370348007

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ysu1370348007
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© 2013, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Youngstown State University and OhioLINK.