Date of Award
8-2019
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Educational Administration and Leadership: M.S.
Department
Educational Administration and Higher Education
College
School of Education
First Advisor
Frances Kayona
Second Advisor
Thomas Herget
Third Advisor
Jim Johnson
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
blue light computer screen reading comprehension assessment
Abstract
This study examined the effect of specific computer screen settings on reading comprehension achievement using a standardized test format in an eighth-grade classroom in Rogers, Minnesota in the spring of 2019. The screen settings tested were a blue-light-minimizing setting, screen brightness, and a combination of both. A blue-light-minimizing setting alters the monitor color settings to minimize the amount of blue used in the projection of the computer screen. The effect of room darkness in combination with these screen settings was also considered. The field experiment had four research questions: Is there a difference in achievement between students who use a (1) blue-light minimizing computer screen setting, (2) darkened computer screen brightness compared to those who do not?; (3) Does the removal of fluorescent room lighting have an effect on achievement?; (4) Is there a difference among the variables in achievement scores when comparing the short-passage scores to the long-passage scores? Thirty randomly samples students from a total population of approximately 170 were used in the study.
The results of the study were analyzed using one-way ANOVA on both the overall reading comprehension scores and also on the reading section scores that differed based on the length of reading passages. A t-test was also done on the reading section scores to see what effect length of passage had on scores overall. The results indicate that none of the screen settings have a conclusive effect on reading comprehension outcomes on tests. However, there were findings that suggest there may be a correlation between the number of words contained in a reading and test performance.
Recommended Citation
Houselog, Matthew E., "Effects of Computer Screen Color and Brightness on Student Achievement during Computer-Based Reading Comprehension Assessment" (2019). Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership. 64.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/edad_etds/64
