12/5/2024
Effects of Individualized Literacy Interventions Featuring PowerUp on Students’ Reading Gains and Self-Efficacy
PURPOSE: Many middle and high school students in the U.S. struggle to reach proficiency in reading, and their struggles result in far-reaching consequences. Literacy interventions are vital to address the skills deficiencies and related challenges facing these students. This study asked whether individualized literacy interventions featuring Lexia® PowerUp Literacy® can support reading skills development and self-efficacy among students in grade 8.
METHOD: A group of 19 students in grade 8 from a small Midwestern school district were provided with individualized literacy interventions during a two-month period. A key component of the interventions was the use of PowerUp, which was implemented in groups of five or fewer students. In addition to the literacy interventions, half of the students were randomly selected to engage in 1-on-1 conversations with the researcher about reaching personal literacy goals. STAR Reading was used to measure gains in reading skills, and the Self-Efficacy Formative Questionnaire was administered to examine changes in literacy-related self-efficacy.
KEY FINDINGS
- Students who received PowerUp coupled with 1-on-1 conversations showed a mean grade equivalency gain of .55 on STAR Reading during a two-month period.
- Students who received PowerUp coupled with 1-on-1 conversations also showed evidence of improved literacy-related self-efficacy.
- Students provided with PowerUp without 1-on-1 conversations made more modest gains.
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