2026 IJRSE – Volume 15 Issue 12
Available Online: 17 May 2026
Author/s:
Juan, Leandel U.
Leyte Normal University, Philippines (2100962@lnu.edu.ph)
Abstract:
This study evaluated the effectiveness of AI-assisted interactive applications on vocabulary acquisition among Pre-K children in Tacloban City, Philippines, using a quasi-experimental two-group pretest–posttest design. Vocabulary depth was measured using the Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS; Wesche & Paribakht, 1996) among (n = 15) children in a morning class (Experimental Group) receiving ten (10) sessions of AI through the Buddy.ai, Google Read Along, and Readability apps, and (n = 15) children in an afternoon class (Control Group) receiving standard Pre-K instruction over the same two weeks. Both groups had Pre-emergent baseline VKS scores (Experimental: M = 13.00, SD = 1.69; Control: M = 12.93, SD = 1.28), confirming pre-intervention equivalency. Paired-sample t-tests confirmed significant within-group gains: the Experimental Group experienced a mean gain of 18.60 points (posttest M = 31.60; Cohen’s d = 3.18), with most students advancing to Developing and Proficient levels on the VKS, while the Control Group’s mean gain of 2.00 points (posttest M = 14.93; d = 0.37) left no Control Group students advancing from the Pre-emergent stage. Posttest between-group comparison yielded t(28) = 14.87, p < .001, d = 5.43, confirming highly significant differences in vocabulary development outcomes between the two groups due to AI-assisted intervention. Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected. These results provide strong quasi-experimental evidence that teacher-mediated structured AI applications provided significantly greater vocabulary development for Pre-K children in Tacloban City, Philippines than did the traditional instructional approach alone.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, Buddy.ai, early childhood education, Google Read Along, Philippines, pre-kindergarten, quasi-experimental, readability, vocabulary acquisition, Vocabulary Knowledge Scale
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2026.26183
Cite this article:
Juan, L. U. (2026). The A.I. KID study: Evaluating artificial intelligence interactivity and vocabulary acquisition in pre-kindergarten learners. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 15(12), 227-233. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2026.26183