Education Commons^™

How Does The Use Of Annotation Affect Reading Comprehension In The Primary Grades Of Immersion Education?, Erin O’Flaherty

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone project is developed to support students’ reading ability and comprehension. I want to improve my students' interaction with texts. I hope for students to not just passively read but to actively engage in their reading which will lead to a deeper understanding and better comprehension. The purpose of this capstone project is to address the following research question: How does the use of annotation affect reading comprehension in the primary grades of immersion education? Through my research and literature review I found that annotation of text has a positive effect on promoting students’ reading ability including improving reading …

Using A Text Set Of Diverse Media To Teach Alternative Perspectives To Third Grade Students, Christina Benson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone project is centered on the question, how can a text set made of diverse books be used to teach alternative perspectives to third grade students? The author documents their experience both personally and professionally as well as their research that led them to create a fifteen lesson third grade literacy unit that teaches the critical literacy skill of alternative perspectives. This literacy unit focuses on students being able to distinguish their perspective from that of an author or character. Through the creation of this project, the author discovered important things about the topics of critical literacy, diverse books, …

How Can Primary Teachers Use Digital Resources To Enhance Reading Instruction?, Gabrielle Harteneck

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This Capstone project answers the question: how can primary teachers use digital resources to enhance reading instruction? Research has demonstrated that students need exposure to both print and digital literacies. This paper reviews effective reading instruction and highlights the importance of integrating digital technologies in primary classrooms, focusing on kindergarten, first, and second grades. The project involved identifying quality digital resources that support literacy development in elementary grade levels. A website was developed to combine the findings based on research with digital resources that support targeted learning objectives. Specific digital resources are analyzed using both the Common Core State Standards …

Engaging Middle Schoolers: Teaching Strategies For Boosting Independent Reading Motivation In Middle School, Hannah Schrempp

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone investigates and describes the factors that impact adolescent reading motivation. With access to modern technology, limited resources at home, and a shift in teaching practices, adolescent readers do not find value in reading. Many guardians struggle with supporting their middle school readers at home due to social and economic factors. A combination of articles, studies, and assessments, help answer the question, What factors impact reading motivation in middle school students to help them identify as readers? Research concludes that creating a print-rich environment, giving access to high-interest books, building a positive relationship with family members, and giving students …

A Multi-Case Study Examining The Practices Of Fourth-And Fifth-Grade Teachers In Title 1 Schools Who Use Specific Reading Strategies To Teach The Comprehension Of Informational Text, Candice Maureen Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this multi-case study was to examine the practices of fourth- and fifth-grade teachers in Title 1 schools who use specific reading strategies to teach the comprehension of informational text. One theory that guided this study was Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory focusing on the zone of proximal development as it applies to what a learner can do with and without help, and his concept of learning and development, whereby a child does not develop independently of his or her environment. In addition, Bandura’s social cognitive theory served as a guiding theory for this study. The design was a multiple …

The Implementation Of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy And Socratic Seminar: The Effect On African American Students’ Reading And Their Critical Thinking, Amy Christina Waddell

Theses and Dissertations

Achievement gaps have been an ongoing issue among African American students for years. The continuation of low achievement scores has been the downfall of African American student success throughout their educational history (Royle & Brown, 2014). So much time has been spent helping students achieve grade-level mastery, while little was being done to ensure continuous academic growth for students that were already reading on-grade level. Over time, these on-grade level students remained stagnant or tended to regress. This research study presented two instructional intervention strategies that demonstrated how critical thinking could improve the growth in reading, among rising sixth-grade on-grade …

Promoting Early Literacy Learning, Margaret Baird

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This capstone addresses the importance of early literacy exposure for later literacy development and academic achievement. Literacy levels when students enter school have been shown to be related to later reading achievement and academic success. Caregiver involvement is a significant part of early literacy development. The influence of caregiver involvement is the primary focus of the project. The website created for this project provides caregivers of children birth to age 5 with activities to facilitate the development of early literacy, and community resources dedicated to promoting early literacy. The project is intended for anyone who spends an extended amount of …

Poverty In Education: The Impact On Academic Vocabulary And Need For Early Interventions, Carly Spillner

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question addressed in this extended literature review was: How does poverty impact academic vocabulary skills and how can early vocabulary interventions be used effectively in order to strengthen the academic vocabulary skills of students living in poverty? To determine effective interventions to use with low-income students, an extended literature review was conducted that analyzed research studies that implemented academic vocabulary interventions including explicit instruction of phonics and vocabulary, embedded instruction, class discussions, shared book reading, and guided reading. Ten research studies were reviewed with intervention lengths varying from five weeks to two school years. These studies measured improvements …

Infographic: Student Enjoyment Of Reading, Dominique Russell

Teacher infographics

The most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey measured the attitudes held by 15-year-olds on reading. An Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Snapshot report has analysed these attitudes, and looked at how they differ between girls and boys, Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, and most disadvantaged and least disadvantaged students.

Learning To Adapt: Redesigning Ela Instruction While Student Teaching During Covid-19, Elizabeth A. Morphis

New Jersey English Journal

Preservice teachers who were student teaching in the Spring of 2020 were faced with unprecedented challenges, however, they were also presented with many learning opportunities. This article considers the perspectives of the newest members of the teaching profession and how they adapted ELA instruction during COVID-19.

Uniting In A Reading Education Course To Support Mental Health Awareness During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Latasha Holt, Teesha Finkbeiner

New Jersey English Journal

This article discusses a unique attempt to support pre-service teachers in a reading course as they grappled with abrupt changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. A partnership raised awareness of mental health impacting pre-service teachers in the present and serving students in the future improving academic success.

Reading: The Key To Addressing Students’ Social Emotional Needs In The Time Of Covid-19, Kathleen A. Adler

New Jersey English Journal

This article examines students engaging in purposeful independent reading and its effects on students’ social emotional well-being. The areas of focus include: creating a culture of reading, the physical and social benefits of reading, and how we can support our students by having empathy in the time of Covid-19.

Solving The Problem Of The Transferability Of Response To Intervention Skills To The General Education Setting: An Applied Approach Study, April Renee Freeney

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this applied study was to solve the problem of the transferability of Response to Intervention (RTI) skills (specifically tiers 2 and 3) into the general education setting for students at an elementary school located in middle Tennessee and to design practices to address the problem. Data collection included interviews, achievement scores, and surveys from over 60 stakeholders at the elementary school. This data was collected from stakeholders to include teachers, students, administrators, and interventionists. After collecting data from the stakeholders at the elementary school, analysis strategies were incorporated to describe the problem. Coding, direct analysis, and descriptive …

Closing The English Language Proficiency Gap In Post-Secondary Education In Canada, Priscilla Lothian-Hendrix

Dissertations

The proposed research employed a mixed-method approach to investigate why the linguistic standards of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) (levels 5–8) are deemed satisfactory for English as a second language (ESL) learners at the college level. An examination of the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) identified why an ESL learner with a CLB level of 5–8 requires English support services in post-secondary education to achieve academic success in Canada. The CLB levels of six female participants were analyzed using a questionnaire in reading, writing, listening, and speaking to explore their English levels in articulating the language, pronouncing words, …

Inter-Relationships Among Several Person-Related Attributes In Reading And Metacomprehension: Complexity And Educational Implications, Lin-Miao L. Agler, Larisa K. Alfsen

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Reading is one of the most basic academic skills. An accurate monitor of one’s text comprehension (i.e., metacomprehension) is essential for effective reading as it guides learning and choices of appropriate strategy used to maximize overall understanding. The processes of reading comprehension and metacomprehension are affected by text-related, task-related, and reader- /person-related factors. One of the two purposes of this report is to provide a brief review of consistent research findings on the interrelationships among several person-related variables and the complexity of those associations in reading and metacomprehension. The person variables discussed include personality, motivation, goal orientations, self-regulation, reading strategy …

Academic Literacy For Deaf Postsecondary Students Through Integrated Reading And Writing Instruction, Sue Livingston

Publications and Research

Based on theoretical findings from the literature on the integration of reading and writing pedagogies used with hearing postsecondary students to advance academic literacy, this article offers a model of instruction for achieving academic literacy in developmental and freshman composition courses composed of deaf students. Academic literacy is viewed as the product of acts of composing in reading and writing which best transpire through reciprocal rather than separate reading and writing activities. Pedagogical practices based on theoretical findings and teacher experience are presented as a model of instruction, exemplified as artifacts in online supplementary materials and juxtaposed with practices used …

Predictive Ability Of Nwea Map Tests For Act Aspire At Rivercrest High School, Harry Gilbert Alvis

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

NWEA claimed their assessment results could accurately predict student performance in reading and mathematics on the ACT Aspire for students in Grades 7 through 10. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between students’ scores on the NWEA MAP tests in reading and mathematics and the ACT Aspire for students in Grades 7 through 10 in Rivercrest High School, as well as determining if NWEA MAP tests accurately predicted 7th through 10th grade students’ scores on the ACT Aspire for reading and mathematics. The findings revealed a significant relationship between NWEA MAP test (seventh/eighth/ninth/tenth) grade reading and …

Engaging Secondary Students: The Beneficial Intersection Of Young Adult And Classic Literature, Jacob Bonetti

All NMU Master's Theses

The positive attributes of both classic and young adult (YA) literature are significant, even when read separately. However, the benefits of pairing classic and YA literature together are even greater; yet, teachers often avoid integrating YA literature for a variety of reasons (Velazquez). Both administrators and the parents of students may question the use of YA literature, but that doesn’t mean educators should give up on using it as an instructional tool. Many of those in opposition to using YA literature would still agree that students struggle to find motivation to read classic literature. Students often have difficulty comprehending the …

Raising Awareness In Early Language & Literacy, Elisabeth Causor

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper attempts to provide information on bringing awareness to parents on early reading and literacy. Through learning about the big 5 factors and providing examples of how parents can making reading engaging.

The Effects Of Fictional Literature On Real-World Perceptions Of Students, Dylan Dowty

Honors Theses

The ways in which fiction affect the perceptions of high school students’ realities are many, and they vary widely depending on the book read. While lessons can be learned from every fictional book, certain types of books are more beneficial and relevant for students. Young adult literature, while often overlooked, is a significant source of students’ perspective shifts and metacognition. Every book has a lesson that it can teach students, but contemporary young adult literature deserves to be taught in schools alongside the classics in order for students to make personal connections with the texts they read and take an …

Improving Reader Motivation With Machine Learning, Tanner A. Bohn

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis focuses on the problem of increasing reading motivation with machine learning (ML). The act of reading is central to modern human life, and there is much to be gained by improving the reading experience. For example, the internal reading motivation of students, especially their interest and enjoyment in reading, are important factors in their academic success.

There are many topics in natural language processing (NLP) which can be applied to improving the reading experience in terms of readability, comprehension, reading speed, motivation, etc. Such topics include personalized recommendation, headline optimization, text simplification, and many others. However, to the …

The Effects Of Book Choice In Small-Group Reading, Jessica Proell

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This study investigated the effects choice has on student comprehension, motivation and overall satisfaction in a small-group setting within the reading classroom. The focus for this study was to determine if allowing students the opportunity to choose the book that is read in small-group is more beneficial than having the book chosen by the teacher. Data were collected through student comprehension scores, student surveys, and teacher observation sheets. Research took place within two 4^th grade classrooms in a small school in central Minnesota. The results of this study indicated that allowing choice has positive effects on student learning.

How Word Characteristics Affect Language-Mediated Eye Movements In Preschoolers With Varying Language Ability, Shelby Nicole Slocum

Theses and Dissertations

Children with lower language abilities, including children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) are at risk for persistent reading difficulties. Previous studies have demonstrated that children with lower language abilities display eye movements different from their typically developing peers while hearing nouns in a naturalistic storybook reading context. This study examined how language ability and various lexical characteristics interact with 4- and 5-year- olds' eye movements during a naturalistic storybook reading task. We used eye-tracking technology to measure eye movements of 49 preschoolers with variable language skill. The children looked at storybook pictures on an eye tracking computer while they listened …

The Impact Of Station Rotations In 2nd Grade Reading, Rebecca Draayer

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

Selecting a classroom approach which engages students and prepares them for success can be challenging for teachers. Educators have to take into account resources available for instruction as well as the demographics of their classroom. This action research study followed second grade students over a four-month period in a reading classroom that utilized the station rotation approach of blended learning. The reason for selecting the station rotation model of blended learning was to improve students' reading scores. It was a goal of this action research to see if a more active approach to teaching would help improve student reading skills. …

Evidence-Based Best Practices For Kindergarten Reading, Rachel Dolehanty

Master's Theses & Capstone Projects

This literature review aims to highlight evidence-based best practices for kindergarten reading instruction. Popular reading curriculums and instructional cueing strategies are discussed in relation to their effectiveness for kindergarten reading success. Meaning-emphasis versus code- emphasis reading curriculum philosophies are explored, and specific curriculums that fall into these categories are discussed. Metacognition strategies and their relation to successful reading instruction are underscored. Interventions are examined in the areas of kindergarten phonological awareness, phonics, comprehension, and writing. Successful interventions in each of these areas of literacy instruction are highlighted through current research.

Deepening Student Thinking About A Text: Effective Critical Literacy Strategies In The Elementary Classroom, Kelly Jordahl

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

While at a critical crossroads of a social movement to end systemic racism, and with schools simultaneously pushing for cultural competency training and practices in the classroom, educators are being asked to take on the task of bringing diversified texts to students in the classroom and deepening student understanding of those texts. While there are many strategies for implementation, one research-based strategy is utilizing critical literacy strategies to expand student view and analysis of said diversified texts. This capstone explores deepened questioning strategies, critical literacy strategies, and frameworks for implementation as support for educators to help answer the research question, …

Adventure Book Club - The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, Courtney Helseth, Jillian Jacoba

Honors Expanded Learning Clubs

This after school club serves to improve reading comprehension, teach ideas such as storyline and character development, and to add creativity to reading to encourage love of reading. The club utilizes the text, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis and includes various crafts, worksheets, and games to improve comprehension and make reading fun.

A Summer Reading Program For Joy And Growth: Using Free Books, Videos, And Little Free Libraries To Empower Students And Parents To Make The Most Of The Summer Months For Reading Growth, Allison Nieboer

Culminating Experience Projects

The summer months provide a prime opportunity for elementary children to grow in their reading skills and reading lives. This project investigates successful summer reading programs that leverage the expertise of parents to mediate the effects of summer slide and encourage summer reading growth. The project culminates in a summer reading program that supports both students and parents. Schools can support students by providing free texts and allowing students to choose these books for themselves. Schools can support parents by providing summer reading tips in the form of short, helpful and practical videos. Both students and parents can be supported …

Effective Differentiation Of Vocabulary Instruction For Upper Elementary Classrooms, Erin Johnson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The research question examined in this project was, How can I develop effective differentiated vocabulary instruction materials for upper elementary classrooms? It outlines one teacher’s research and the resulting development of a collection of engaging vocabulary activities suitable to be used throughout the entire school year within upper elementary classrooms. These vocabulary activities are reflective of both the learning that occurred through this research process, as well as the author’s personal experience of encountering vocabulary curriculum which lacked cohesion and effectiveness for all learners. Multiple learning styles were considered, as well as simple ways to differentiate the materials for different …

The Impact Of Prioritization Of Independent Reading On Male, Struggling Adolescent Readers’ Engagement, Motivation, And Achievement, Meagan Wagner

Theses and Dissertations

To become better readers, students must read more and more, increasing the volume, complexity, and variety of books chosen. While independent reading is the best avenue by which to do this, many teachers still struggle to devote their limited instructional time to independent reading. Specifically addressing the context of my school, there was a clear distinction in gender and reading: boys were falling behind, less engaged, less motivated to read than girls. This research aimed to address the gender gap in reading by making independent reading a priority in the classroom. As a case study, five male eighth graders were …