A Comparison of Reading Achievement Between Computer-Assisted Instruction and Traditional Instruction

This causal-comparative study investigated whether there was a difference in reading achievement (vocabulary, comprehension, and reading rate) between students who had computer-assisted instruction (CAI) and those who had traditional instruction. Subjects were the students who enrolled in a college reading and study skills course at a Midwestern university from fall 1996 to summer 1998 (n=642). The CAI group had a 50 minute lecture and 100-minute lab activities with two computer programs, Queue Reading Series and Quantum Reading Series per week. The traditional instruction group had a 50-minute lecture and 100-minute lab activities mainly with the Reading Accelerator and timed reading per week. The Nelson-Denny Reading Test was used as a measurement of reading achievement. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance and two-way analysis of variance. The results showed significant (although small) differences on vocabulary and comprehension scores between the two groups. However, the difference in reading rate was both significant and large enough to be of practical value. All of these differences favored the traditional instruction group. There was no significant difference by gender or due to interaction between gender and groups