ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-4459-0892

Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Education (Ed.D.)

Department

Administrative and Instructional Leadership

First Advisor

James Campbell

Second Advisor

Stephen Kotok

Third Advisor

Christopher Pellettieri

Abstract

This quantitative dissertation examines the relationship between one-to-one device engagement and the academic performance of elementary students in a high-poverty Long Island district. The problem addresses the difference between simple access to a platform or undirected platform use and instructionally purposeful technology that supports learning. The purpose is twofold: to determine whether platform activity adds predictive value for state assessment performance beyond baseline achievement and demographics, and to identify developmental patterns that can inform improvement. Guided by the SAMR and TPACK frameworks, the study positions effective technology integration as the intentional alignment of digital tasks, pedagogy, content, and feedback. A quantitative, non-experimental, correlational design linked platform logs and assessment records for 456 elementary students in a high-poverty district. Measures included IXL usage indicators, NWEA MAP Growth composites as the baseline predictor, and combined scores for New York State English language arts and mathematics as the outcomes. Analyses conducted in SPSS included regression analyses, independent T-tests, analysis of variance, and multivariate analysis of variance. Findings were consistent across models. Baseline achievement was the strongest predictor of state performance. In hierarchical multiple regression, the block including baseline and demographics explained the most variance, and adding IXL question answers produced only a modest increase, with a small, negative unique association after controlling for baseline and demographics. Poverty reached statistical significance in the full regression specification, whereas ethnicity and gender did not. Grade level had a multivariate effect on the combined engagement profile; however, the tested outcomes did not differ uniformly across grade levels. The results support a quality-over-quantity approach to technology integration. Platform engagement translated into achievement when educators aligned tasks to standards, embedded timely feedback, and used assessment data to target instruction, rather than emphasizing undifferentiated volume. Practical implications include anchoring skill playlists and student conferences to baseline diagnostics, providing professional learning on SAMR and TPACK-aligned design, and pairing equitable access with protected practice time, mentoring, and privacy-aware data use. The study offers leaders and teachers clear, research-informed steps to convert platform activity into measurable gains and durable understanding in elementary classrooms.

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