A Study of the Effect of iPad Use for Reading Intervention at the Kindergarten Level

This study explored the effect of utilizing technology for implementing reading interventions at the kindergarten level. Student achievement data from the AIMSweb Test of Early Literacy areas letter naming fluency, letter sound fluency, and phoneme segmentation fluency were analyzed throughout the study. In this study, 58 kindergarten students were identified as at-risk in the area of reading, which qualified them for Response to Intervention (RTI) services. In 2014, the control group of 29 RTI-qualified students received reading interventions through a direct-instruction model from January through May for 60 minutes per week. The group was compared to a group of 29 RTI students who received interventions through 30 minutes per week of direct instruction, as well as 30 minutes per week of iPad utilization, from January through May of 2015. Analysis of data determined that utilizing the iPad for reading interventions at the kindergarten level had a statistically significant effect on students in the area of letter naming fluency and letter sound fluency. However, the implementation of the iPad did not have a statistically significant effect in the area of phoneme segmentation fluency.