Learner Analysis

While we had originally started our project with the intent on designing a solution for students who ranged from 3K (3 year old kindergarten programs) to 5th Grade, we realized that the scope of our learners was far too wide. We now had to consider what age range we should focus on in order to best support the learners.

We decided to pivot to focus primarily on 2nd grade students. Designing a solution that served a wider range of students, while a valuable and worthy endeavor, would likely require a lot of resources and a much wider scope to our solution; we hope that a more targeted solution at a younger age will have sufficient long-term effects. This was primarily based on three things we uncovered in our research:

• Our interview with the SME revealed that in many schools, reading specialists were only available up to a certain grade. At the school we interviewed, it was only for students up to 1st grade. Students who had not progressed enough at the end of the year were in danger of losing necessary support.

• The achievement gap, caused by COVID and other environmental factors, is most evident in younger children, whose key academic skills - reading, writing, and calculation - are not "automatized" and are still in need of support.  (Poletti, 2021) The earlier we can intervene to continue supporting those skills, the better.

• Schools in underserved communities, particularly those that serve Black and Brown students, often have fewer resources, outdated curricula, and less access to effective reading interventions. (Hempenstall, 2013) Although we are primarily focused on overall literacy solutions, we want to keep in mind our underserved communities and create a solution that does not overly tax resources.

Our learners are both extrinsically and intrinsically motivated:

• Students are motivated by personal success and positive praise. They like knowing how much they have improved, and need validation that they are on the right path.

• They are also motivated by prizes and rewards, like candy, stickers or points.

• They also like talking about books with their friends, having another point of commonality. Social reading activities like partner reading are very enjoyable for them.

• Choosing what they read and finding books they like improve students' motivation to continue reading, where they may otherwise give up.

The most common challenges they face are:

• Low confidence in their reading ability

• Lack of stamina and the resulting shorter attention span

• Being afraid to take risks and try to solve problems themselves before turning to a teacher

• Lack of resources outside of school

• The impact of technology on their comfort with reading and writing

Hempenstall, K. (2013). A history of disputes about reading instruction. RMIT University.

Poletti M. (2020). Hey teachers! Do not leave them kids alone! Envisioning schools during and after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Trends in neuroscience and education, 20, 100140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tine.2020.100140