Education Commons^™

What Is A Book: Best Practices For Literacy Specialists To Engage K-5 Students In Reading, Cydnee Clarke Patterson

Theses and Dissertations

Student success is closely related to student engagement and literacy instruction, which can positively or negatively impact a student. It has been documented that children motivated to read have a strong sense of reading efficacy and academic competence (Wigfield et al., 2015). This research study addressed the skills needed by literacy specialists to engage students in reading. This study sought to determine the best practices used by literacy specialists identified as highly effective in engaging K-5 students in reading. While issues and challenges of literacy education have made it to the forefront for many educational agencies, there are still gaps …

Using Targeted, Small-Group Instruction And Culturally Responsive Teaching To Improve Reading Engagement And Confidence, Tina Marie Tuminaro

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate what happens to reading engagement and student confidence when targeted instruction and culturally responsive teaching is used in a middle school literacy classroom. Individual instruction in the areas of reading comprehension and fluency, as well as book clubs and literature circles, were used over a three-month period in an effort to motivate striving and reluctant readers and build confidence in their reading skills. Eleven sixth grade students participated in the study, and both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. Data was collected using a teacher's research journal, audio recordings, surveys, interviews, …

Family Read Aloud Club: Engaging Students And Supporting Parents, Julie B. Papp

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Building Bridges: Connecting To The Classics With Young Adult Literature, Karen Rusyniak Conner

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study examined the effects of intertextual study using young adult literature and classic literature on both student reading attitudes and student achievement with 10th- grade high school English students in a suburban high school in North Carolina. The convergent parallel mixed methods action research study used qualitative data in the form of an anonymous survey and anonymous open-ended journal responses as well as qualitative data from achievement results on required benchmark tests. The survey results were analyzed in terms of responses, and open-ended responses were analyzed and coded for themes. Multiple themes emerged from the survey responses and open-ended …

Engaging The Disengaged: Using Every Trick In The Book, Brooke Prusaczyk

Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Literacy

Researchers have affirmed a connection between students’ engagement in reading to their academic achievement. Struggling readers in particular are generally not engaged or motivated to read. While the construct of reading engagement is difficult to measure, a student’s motivation seems to be the driving force behind reading development. Additionally, today’s students are involved in and more motivated by the many different activities outside of school, which poses challenges for both teachers and parents. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of instructional techniques on student engagement in reading. To measure the academic progress of 21 fifth grade …

Pairing Young Adult And Classic Literature In The High School English Curriculum, Anne V. Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Literacy experts recommend young adult literature to engage teens and scaffold their developing reading and literary analysis skills. Yet, the American high school English curriculum is dominated by a narrow list of classics, virtually unchanged since the late 19^th century. This static curriculum neither reflects the diversity of American culture nor the lives of students in the 21^st century. Adolescent literacy scholarship can support practitioners by expanding the research on effective strategies for using young adult literature. This research study examines the effects of an intentional pairing of a classic work of literature with a work of young …

Use Of High-Level Questioning To Increase Student Achievement In Reading, Amber A. Remark, Emily M. Ewing

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project explored the impact of asking students higher-level questions during guided reading instruction to increase reading comprehension and engagement. The study took place with eight students in two different on grade-level guided reading groups in a second and a third grade classroom. Baseline data was collected before students were presented increasingly higher-level questions over the course of six-weeks and a post-assessment was given to monitor students’ growth in the areas of comprehension and engagement. Data collected during the study included comprehension pre and post assessments with scoring rubric, pre and post reading attitude surveys, weekly teacher observation …

Reading Intervention Strategies For General Education Middle School Students: Providing A Space For Teachers To Share Effective Methods, Amy Michelle Baas

Masters Theses

While studies have been conducted to highlight intervention strategies that will help struggling readers, very few of these empirical studies have used middle school aged students as participants. And among those studies which have, the results were based solely on quantifiable data; the opinions of the classroom teachers who work with these students daily cannot be found in these or any of the empirical studies. The purpose of this thesis is to fill this gap by offering a space for middle school English language arts teachers to share effective intervention strategies that they use in their classrooms to help struggling …

The Impact Of Reader’S Workshop On Reading Engagement, Erin Streefland, Leeann Eischens

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The objective of our research was to identify whether reader’s workshop had an impact in student engagement in reading activities. The research was conducted in two third grade classrooms in a rural public elementary school over the course of four weeks. This study was conducted during our reading block which consisted of 90 minutes daily. We gathered data based on the main components of reader’s workshop. These included a pre- and post-assessment of student reading habits, an observation checklist of reading behaviors, reader’s response rubric, and documentation of reader’s conferencing. The data gathered revealed that student reading habits improved through …

In The Flow: A Mixed-Methods Phenomenological Study Of Optimal Experience In Adolescent Literacy, Susan E. Miles

Education Dissertations and Projects

This study is concerned with the flow experience of students while involved in independent reading. Based on Csikszentmihalyi's theory of flow, this experience is one of total engagement to the point of immersion involving deep concentration; enjoyment; and a loss of a sense of time, place, and self.

This is a quan>Qual study, which began with a quantitative measurement to determine a criterion sampling, followed by the primary research method, a transcendental phenomenology of flow during voluntary, independent reading. This primary research method was used due to the lack of research available on flow in the field of literacy …

Stimulating Reading Excitement In Secondary Level English Language Learners, Rachael J. Schweigert

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this paper is to examine how ESL teachers can stimulate reading excitement in secondary level English language learners. The current research about factor which affect reading enjoyment in secondary level English language learners will also be discussed. These factors include element in reading instruction, attitudes toward reading, readability of text, interest level in literature, and availability of meaningful literature. Current research regarding applications that can be used in classrooms will also be reviewed, such as reading models and reading strategies. Based on the results of this research, suggestions will be presented regarding literature that can be used …