Effects of Face-To-Face and Virtual Learning Environments on Low-Ses African American Ninth-Grade Students’ Reading Achievement

Background: Many African American students have experienced unequal access to educational opportunities, and it is questionable whether a full online learning curriculum widens the reading achievement gap for this population or causes students to perform equally as poorly. The White-Black achievement gap in 2019 (28 points) was larger than the White-Black achievement gap in 2017 (25 points). Measurement of test scores, material involvement, students’ perceptions toward online learning, and a reduction in the percentage of student failure have all demonstrated characteristics of positive results, while some researchers demonstrated otherwise. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the difference between the reading achievement of African American ninth-grade students of low socioeconomic status (SES) enrolled in traditional and virtual instructional courses. The research question is as follows: Is there a significant difference in the reading performance of African American low-SES students who receive virtual reading instruction compared to students who receive traditional face-to-face instruction in reading? Methods: This is a quantitative group comparison of the reading achievement scores of African American low-SES ninth-grade students between virtual and traditional environments. Archived student reading performance data from the 2018–2019 school year were retrieved from the school district comprising one virtual and one traditional face-to-face high school campus with similar school demographics. The 2019 data included both State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) EOC and Renaissance Learning BOY/EOY percentile ranks for ninth-grade students. STAAR EOC participants were 145 face-to-face and 47 virtual African American ninth-grade students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. For Renaissance Learning, 137 participants were employed to complete BOY/EOY percentile ranks. Findings: ANCOVA was carried out to compare STAAR scale scores of n = 145 face to face students and n = 47 virtual campus students. An ANCOVA for the comparison of the means of the STAAR test scores by campus was carried out using a covariate of the students’ eighth-grade EOC scale scores. By including the covariate, a percentage of the variation of the scores was accounted for, leaving any difference between STAAR scale scores by campus more clearly defined. The results indicated that African American students who took classes in a virtual environment did not obtain STAAR reading scores that were significantly different from those in face-to-face classes. A Mann-Whitney U Test was carried out for the comparison of percentile ranks by learning environment; the results were similar. There was no difference in Renaissance percentile ranks by campus. Taken together, there is no effect of learning environment on Renaissance Learning or STAAR reading achievement scores for African American low-SES students in the ninth grade. The study may be useful to educational leaders in guiding decision makers to make beneficial adjustments in the reading curriculum for this demographic. Conclusion: This study does not support the assumption that virtual learning is less effective than traditional face-to-face learning in reading for African American students. Online learning is as effective as trBackground: Many African American students have experienced unequal access to educational opportunities, and it is questionable whether a full online learning curriculum widens the reading achievement gap for this population or causes students to perform equally as poorly. The White-Black achievement gap in 2019 (28 points) was larger than the White-Black achievement gap in 2017 (25 points). Measurement of test scores, material involvement, students’ perceptions toward online learning, and a reduction in the percentage of student failure have all demonstrated characteristics of positive results, while some researchers demonstrated otherwise. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare the difference between the reading achievement of African American ninth-grade students of low socioeconomic status (SES) enrolled in traditional and virtual instructional courses. The research question is as follows: Is there a significant difference in the reading performance of African American low-SES students who receive virtual reading instruction compared to students who receive traditional face-to-face instruction in reading? Methods: This is a quantitative group comparison of the reading achievement scores of African American low-SES ninth-grade students between virtual and traditional environments. Archived student reading performance data from the 2018–2019 school year were retrieved from the school district comprising one virtual and one traditional face-to-face high school campus with similar school demographics. The 2019 data included both State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) EOC and Renaissance Learning BOY/EOY percentile ranks for ninth-grade students. STAAR EOC participants were 145 face-to-face and 47 virtual African American ninth-grade students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. For Renaissance Learning, 137 participants were employed to complete BOY/EOY percentile ranks. Findings: ANCOVA was carried out to compare STAAR scale scores of n = 145 face to face students and n = 47 virtual campus students. An ANCOVA for the comparison of the means of the STAAR test scores by campus was carried out using a covariate of the students’ eighth-grade EOC scale scores. By including the covariate, a percentage of the variation of the scores was accounted for, leaving any difference between STAAR scale scores by campus more clearly defined. The results indicated that African American students who took classes in a virtual environment did not obtain STAAR reading scores that were significantly different from those in face-to-face classes. A Mann-Whitney U Test was carried out for the comparison of percentile ranks by learning environment; the results were similar. There was no difference in Renaissance percentile ranks by campus. Taken together, there is no effect of learning environment on Renaissance Learning or STAAR reading achievement scores for African American low-SES students in the ninth grade. The study may be useful to educational leaders in guiding decision makers to make beneficial adjustments in the reading curriculum for this demographic. Conclusion: This study does not support the assumption that virtual learning is less effective than traditional face-to-face learning in reading for African American students. Online learning is as effective as traditional learning based on online learning outcomes.