A Comparative Study of the Effects of Computer-Assisted Instruction on the Reading Achievement of First Graders

With reading proficiently by the end of third grade as a common goal, many school districts are exploring options to enhance early reading instruction. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the supplemental, computer-assisted reading program i-Ready would significantly affect first grade students’ reading achievement. Participants (n=159) were first graders at two elementary schools - treatment (n= 82) and comparison n= 77). An independent samples t-test was used to compare the mid-year reading achievement scores of the treatment and comparison groups and found no statistically significant differences between groups. Following 10 weeks of twice-weekly 45-minute sessions of i-Ready reading instruction for the treatment group, an independent samples t-test showed that no statistically significant differences in reading achievement existed between the treatment and comparison groups. Several possibilities for this finding are discussed.