{"id":43276,"date":"2026-07-30T21:39:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T01:39:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/?page_id=43276"},"modified":"2026-08-27T11:05:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T15:05:04","slug":"eval-amira-study","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/eval-amira-study\/","title":{"rendered":"EVAL Amira Study"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Study of AI and Human Tutoring for Early Reading Development<\/h1>\n<p dir=\"auto\"><span>We are conducting a research <span data-markjs=\"true\" class=\"outlook-search-highlight\">study<\/span> to understand how different types of reading support help children learn.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\"><span>In this <span data-markjs=\"true\" class=\"outlook-search-highlight\">study<\/span>, we are comparing:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>An AI-powered reading tutor<\/li>\n<li>One-on-one human tutoring<\/li>\n<li>Typical classroom instruction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p dir=\"auto\"><span><a href=\"https:\/\/amiralearning.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Amira Learning<\/a> is partnering with researchers at Boston University through the Evidence-Based AI in Learning (<span data-markjs=\"true\" class=\"outlook-search-highlight\">EVAL<\/span>) Initiative to carry out this <span data-markjs=\"true\" class=\"outlook-search-highlight\">study<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\"><span>Our goal is to determine how well AI tutoring supports reading development, how it compares to human tutoring, and which approaches work best for different students.<\/span><\/p>\n<p dir=\"auto\"><span>This research will help schools make informed decisions about how to support children\u2019s reading growth.<\/span><\/p>\n<h1>Who Can Participate<\/h1>\n<p><span>First, second, and third graders who speak English and live in the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>How the Study Works<\/h2>\n<p>This study will take place on video calls, live with a researcher! <span>Clicking on the &#8220;Enroll here&#8221; button will send you to a brief survey to enroll your child in the <\/span><span data-markjs=\"true\" class=\"outlook-search-highlight\">study<\/span><span>; a researcher will follow up within two weeks about the first meeting.<\/span> In the first meeting, your child will play some word games to help us understand their reading level. You will also be asked to complete brief online questionnaires about your child.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/redcap.bumc.bu.edu\/surveys\/?s=DRRYECM9R3MKEE9P\" class=\"button-link\">Enroll Here<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Then, your child will be placed into one of three groups by chance (like flipping a coin). Your child will have an equal chance of being assigned to all study groups. Depending on the group your child is assigned to, they may:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Receive free access to Amira, an AI-based reading tutor<\/li>\n<li>Work one-on-one with a human reading tutor<\/li>\n<li><span>Participate in their regular day-to-day activities<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These sessions will be scheduled with the study team. <span>After 10 weeks, your child will play some more word games to see how their reading improved. No matter which <\/span><span data-markjs=\"true\" class=\"outlook-search-highlight\">study<\/span><span> group they were assigned, we will learn about all children&#8217;s reading and language knowledge; we will share results of children&#8217;s reading and language assessments at the conclusion of the <\/span><span data-markjs=\"true\" class=\"outlook-search-highlight\">study<\/span><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>All children will receive access to Amira; after the final assessments are completed, children who are not assigned to the Amira group will be given free access to Amira.<\/p>\n<h3>What We&#8217;re Studying<\/h3>\n<p>This study investigates what features of an AI-based reading tutor are most effective at improving student learning. It looks more specifically at Amira Learning, a popular AI-based reading tutor, and how it affects K-3 students\u2019 literacy skills. While AI-based tools are increasingly used in education, scientists do not know which features are most important for children\u2019s learning. Our study will help us understand which parts of Amira improve children\u2019s literacy skills and how it compares to one-on-one human tutoring. Our findings could also be used by schools and policymakers to better choose AI-based tools and by companies to design better AI-based tools.<\/p>\n<h4>Duration<\/h4>\n<p>1 hour for the initial session. 90 minutes weekly for 10 weeks; sessions will be 30 minutes three times per week. 1 hour for a final post-assessment session.<\/p>\n<h5>Compensation<\/h5>\n<p>After your child completes the post-assessment games, we will send you a $10 Amazon gift card within a week and children will receive a certificate in recognition of their help in research and advancement of science. To be eligible for the gift card, (1) your child must fall within the study\u2019s grade range, (2) you must provide a valid consent statement, and (3) your child must be present and visible during the sessions. Please note that each child may only participate once.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/hic\/files\/2026\/02\/Ola_Ozernov-Palchik_headshot_2024-600x600-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"232\" height=\"232\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-41675\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/files\/2026\/02\/Ola_Ozernov-Palchik_headshot_2024-600x600-1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/files\/2026\/02\/Ola_Ozernov-Palchik_headshot_2024-600x600-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/files\/2026\/02\/Ola_Ozernov-Palchik_headshot_2024-600x600-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/files\/2026\/02\/Ola_Ozernov-Palchik_headshot_2024-600x600-1-550x550.jpg 550w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/files\/2026\/02\/Ola_Ozernov-Palchik_headshot_2024-600x600-1-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This study is conducted by <a href=\"mailto:oozernov@bu.edu\">Ola Ozernov-Palchik<\/a> and funded by Boston University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Study of AI and Human Tutoring for Early Reading Development We are conducting a research study to understand how different types of reading support help children learn. In this study, we are comparing: An AI-powered reading tutor One-on-one human tutoring Typical classroom instruction Amira Learning is partnering with researchers at Boston University through the Evidence-Based [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16894,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43276"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43276"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43276\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43741,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43276\/revisions\/43741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/hic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}