DaisyQuest

Guide to Effective Programs
for Children and Youth

DaisyQuest

OVERVIEW

DaisyQuest is a software package that that provides training on phonological awareness. Skills taught include recognizing words that rhyme, words that have the same beginning, middle, and ending sounds, and how to combine phonemes to create words. DaisyQuest also teaches children how to count the number of sounds in a word. The program uses a storyline to teach children skills. Several evaluations of DaisyQuest have been conducted and found mixed results. Some studies have shown that DaisyQuest participants gained a phonological awareness; however other studies have found that these differences only hold for some tests of phonological awareness and not others.

DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAM

Target population: The program is designed for children ages 3 through 7 (preschool to second grade).

Developed in 1992, the DaisyQuest program provides training on phonological awareness. Skills taught include recognizing words that rhyme, words that have the same beginning, middle, and ending sounds, and how to combine phonemes to create words. DaisyQuest also teaches children how to count the number of sounds in a word. Material in the program is presented using digitized and synthetic speech.The software program can be run independently and does not require additional curricular materials. The program is structured on a story line and includes three software programs: DaisyQuest and Daisy’s Castle are the original and follow-up programs. Undersea Challenge is a computer adaptive test allowing for assessment of children. The DaisyQuest program teaches skills to children and then tests their mastery of skills using multiple choice questions and keeps track of children’s responses throughout for the purposes of generating statistical reports on children’s performance.

EVALUATION(S) OF PROGRAM

Barker, T., & Torgensen, J.K. (1995). An evaluation of computer-assisted instruction in phonological awareness with below average readers. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 13(1), 89-103.

Evaluated population: 54 at-risk first graders (approximately 6 – 7 years old) from 2 elementary schools. Participants were considered eligible if they scored below the 40^th percentile on the Woodcock-Johnson Word Identification Subtest and below the 50^th percentile on a sound categorization measure.

Approach: Participants’ were randomly assigned to either the DaisyQuest program, or one of two control groups. Because of attrition, 49 students were in the final sample. The first control group used an alphabetic decoding program that focused on vowel sounds (Hint and Hunt) while the other control group used computer based math programs. All three groups used computers for the same amount of time. DaisyQuest students used the program in a school psychologist’s office in groups of 3 – 4 students. Participants used the software 4 times a week for 25 minutes over 8 weeks. Children were given measures of phonological awareness and phonics at pre- and post-test including the Woodcock-Johnson Reading Mastery Word Identification subtest, a sound categorization measure, Undersea Challenge, Woodcock-Johnson Reading Mastery Word Analysis subtest, a phenome ellison task, a production test of segmentation, a production test of blending, experimental non-word reading, and an analog reading test.

Results: At post-test, DaisyQuest participants scored higher than the Hint and Hunt comparison group on two measures of phonological awareness: the Undersea Challenge, and the production test of segmenting. However, DaisyQuest participants did not differ from the Hint and Hunt Group overall on phonological awareness nor did they differ on any of the phonics measures. Similarly, when compared with the math program comparison group, participants in DaisyQuest scored higher on the production test of segmenting and on overall phonological awareness but did not differ on phonics measures.

Foster, K.C., Erickson, G.C., Foster, D.F., Brinkman, D., & Torgesen, J.K. (1994). Computer administered instruction in phonological awareness: Evaluation of the DaisyQuest program. Journal of Research and Development in Education, 27(2), 126-137.

Experiment 1: Preschool

Evaluated population: 27 five year old children attending the Kinderland Center, a child-care facility in Orem, UT. Participants were excluded from the evaluation if they had standard scores lower than 75 on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised or greater than 20 on a phonological awareness test.

Approach: Participants were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=12) or a control group (n=15). Participants in the experimental group received up to 20 DaisyQuest computer sessions lasting 20-25 minutes. Once participants mastered three levels of DaisyQuest, use of the software was discontinued. Participants in the control group received their regular preschool classroom instruction. After one month, all participants were administered a phonological awareness test and the Screening Test of Phonological Awareness-Experimental Version.

Results: At post-test, participants in the experimental group scored higher on a phonological awareness test and the Screening Test of Phonological Awareness-Experimental Version. The researchers concluded that DaisyQuest was effective in increasing phonological awareness.

Experiment 2: Kindergarten

Evaluated population: 70 kindergarten students ranging in age from 5 – 7 selected from four classrooms in a suburban elementary school. Due to attrition, the final sample was 69 students. Participants were recruited by testing 97 students using the PPVT-R and excluding students with the highest and lowest scores.

Approach: Participants were matched on PPVT-R score and randomly assigned to an experimental or a control group. Experimental group participants were given 16 sessions of DaisyQuest training in groups of 4. Each session lasted 20 minutes. Control participants received regular classroom instruction. Participants were given several pre- and post-test measures: the Screening Test of Phonological Awareness, Undersea Challenge, Production Test of Blending, and Production Test of Segmenting.

Results: At post-test, participants in the experimental group scored higher than the control group on Undersea Challenge, the Production Test of Segmenting, and the Production Test of Blending however not on the Screening Test of Phonological Awareness. Overall, participants in the experimental group exhibited gains in phonological awareness.

Lonigan, C.J., Driscoll, K., Phillips, B.M., Cantor, B.G., Anthony, J.L., & Goldstein, H. (2003). A computer-assisted instruction phonological sensitivity program for preschool children at-risk for reading problems. Journal of Early Intervention, 25(4), 248-262.

Evaluated population: 45 low-income children in a Head Start program in Florida. Due to attrition, the final sample was 41 participants.

Approach: Participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention (DaisyQuest) or a control group. Participants in the intervention group received 15-20 minute sessions of Daisy Quest, 4-5 times per week over the course of 8 weeks. Participants in the control group received their regular Head Start curriculum. At post-test, participants were assessed using the Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised, Word Identification subtest of the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test-Revised, and nonstandard measures of letter-name knowledge, letter-sound knowledge, rhyme oddity, rhyme matching, word blending, syllable/phoneme blending, multiple-choice blending, word elision, syllable/phoneme elision, multiple choice elision, word decoding.

Results: Results of the study indicated that overall, the average phonological processing of DaisyQuest participants did not differ from participants in the control group. Nonetheless, there were several measures where participants in the DaisyQuest scored higher than control participants including rhyme oddity, rhyme matching, world elision, and multiple-choice elision.

Mitchell, M.J., & Fox, B.J. (2001). The effects of computer software for developing phonological awareness in low-progress readers. Reading Research and Instruction, 40(4), 315-332.

Evaluated population: 72 students (36 kindergarteners and 36 first graders). Students were selected from six kindergarten and six first grade classrooms in a suburban elementary school in a southeastern state. Participants who scored low on a Literacy Initiative for Everyone inventory and/or the PPVT-III were excluded. Due to attrition, the final sample was 69 students.

Approach: Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups. The first group received the DaisyQuest intervention, the second group participated in teacher-administered phonological awareness training, and the third group participated in math and drawing software programs. Students in the DaisyQuest group received 15-20 minute sessions of DaisyQuest over four weeks for a total of 5 hours of instruction. At pre- and post-test, participants were administered the Phonological Awareness Test.

Results: Results of the study indicated that’s participants in the DaisyQuest did not score significantly different than participants in the teacher-administered phonological awareness training. However, participants in the DaisyQuest group did score higher than the students given math and drawing software programs on the Phonological Awareness Test.

SOURCES FOR MORE INFORMATION

Curriculum materials available for purchase at: DaisyQuest@comcast.net

The DaisyQuest bundle (DaisyQuest, Daisy’s Castle, and the Undersea Challenge mastery test) is available for $49.95, plus $6.95 shipping and handling.

References:

Barker, T., & Torgensen, J.K. (1995). An evaluation of computer-assisted instruction in phonological awareness with below average readers. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 13(1), 89-103.

Mitchell, M.J., & Fox, B.J. (2001). The effects of computer software for developing phonological awareness in low-progress readers. Reading Research and Instruction, 40(4), 315-332.

Program categorized in this guide according to the following:

Evaluated participant ages: 5-7 / Program age ranges in the guide: middle childhood

Program components: school-based

Measured outcomes: education and cognitive development

Program information last updated on 8/31/07