Reading and Language Commons^™

Motivation For Leisure Reading : A Model Camp Adventure Curriculum, Nicole Beth Geopfert

Graduate Research Papers

Much research has consistently revealed that the percentage of young children choosing to engage in leisure reading is declining. Instead, potential young readers are consumed many other forms of leisure activity such as video games, Internet, computer games, movies, and more. To become lifelong learners, children ought to be motivated to read. The questions explored in this paper are: what are the obstacles to developing avid independent readers and how can we help young children become engaged, recreational readers? This paper presents a review of the literature on reading motivation, reading attitude, and the gender gap in reading.

The information …

Bias And The Teachable Moment: Revisiting A Teacher Narrative, Darren Crovitz

Faculty Articles

Such responsibility may be vital for English teachers, especially, as we strive to establish communities of writers and spaces for critical thinking and conversation. When I sat down to write about this experience, I saw it as an opportunity to discuss a taboo situation and its positive aftermath, with the aim of demonstrating how it might be possible to use such events as points of departure in creating engaging writing assignments.

Achieving Balance In Graduate Programs: Negotiating Best Practices, Dawn Latta Kirby

Faculty Articles

The narrative introduction to the graduate catalogue at the state university where I work probably reads pretty much like the one at your college or university. The program of study for the masters degree specifies that inservice graduate students are to engage in an extensive study of content- related literature, theory, and research. Despite the rhetoric of graduate catalogs, teachers who enter graduate school programs begin their advanced studies, expecting- and sometimes vociferously demanding- coursework that will provide them with a practical framework for teaching English language arts in secondary schools. Their interest in studying theory and research is often …

African American Literature: Books To Stoke Dreams, Jane M. Gangi, Aimee Ferguson

Education Faculty Publications

In addition to market forces, unconsciously damaging trends in many textbooks for teacher education have resulted in classroom trade book collections that represent children who are primarily white and middle class. While all children—whether from Argentina, Afghanistan, or Algeria—deserve to see themselves and their families in books, the focus of this article is on new publications that depict African Americans.

Teachers who are committed to learning all they can about multicultural literature and culturally and gender relevant pedagogy become agents of change.

Includes significant bibliography of Resources and list of Children’s Literature That Picture Children of African Descent.

Undergraduates' Use Of Mathematics Textbooks, Bret Benesh, Tim Boester, Aaron Weinberg, Eimilie Wiesner

Mathematics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Boys And Literacy: Disengaging From Reading, Barbara Ann Ell

Theses Digitization Project

This quantitative study investigates the disparity that exists between girls and boys and how changes can be implemented to keep boys from disengaging from reading. It examines the reading materials that are available to increase boys' interest in reading and discusses ways in which teachers can develop programs and parents can take action to change boys reading habits. The study employed teacher surveys and student surveys from sixth grade boys in three San Bernardino middle schools.

Oral Language Development: Effects Of Instruction To Increase Oral Language Skills And Its Connection To Reading Achievement, Nancee Marlene Simpson

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to determine if specific oral language instruction could improve oral language skills in students who demonstrate low oral language development, and as oral language skills increase, woud this affect reading achievement.

Increasing Comprehension Strategies Through Reciprocal Teaching, Kathlyn Garcia Benosa

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of the study was twofold. First, it describes two research-based instructional strategies that have been effective in increasing reading comprehension (reciprocal teaching and using readers' response journals). Second, a quasi-experimental research design was created to determine the educational impact of these two strategies on the reading comprehension levels of elementary-aged English Language Learners (ELLs). The data was collected from a low socioeconomic elementary school, specifically looking at a second grade classroom. The classroom demographic included eighteen students, ten of which were English Language Learners. Both informal and formal assessments were used to determine growth across time. The overall …

Reading Paradigms, School Reading Programs And The Impact On The Outcome Of Students' Standardized Test Scores, Margaret Elizabeth Verhaar Matanane

Theses Digitization Project

This study is a meta analysis of existing studies of reading paradigms and reading programs in five Southern California cities. It compares median household income in these cities to test scores. The study aslo presents the the theoretical frameworks of the influences of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky on American education and poverty. Additionally, this study is to find out if one reading paradigm is better than another in relationship to its ability to help students improve test scores. Since the No Child Left Behind law requires annual testing for every child from third to twelfth grade, reading is an …

Writer's Workshop: Teaching Students To Own Their Work, Amanda Kaye Naimy

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis shows one way of presenting a writing process to students in conjunction with other writing programs which are mandated to be taught by the school district.

The Effectiveness Of Direct Vocabulary Instruction Strategies To Increase The Comprehension Of Fifth Grade Students During Social Studies Lessons, Octavio Rodolfo Gamez

Theses Digitization Project

Designed to answer the overarching question: does the implementation of direct vocabulary instruction strategies improve the comprehension of fifth grade students during the social studies lessons? The study included three fifth grade classes in the Corona-Norco Unified School District. To answer the question seven areas were considered: lesson selection, word selection, developing a vocabulary note guide, developing the test with a rubric, making handouts with critical analysis questions, designing semantic maps and semantic feature analysis handouts of the lesson design. Results showed that students who received the direct instruction in vocabulary words benefited greatly and in most cases doubled their …

Use Of Read Alouds To Increase Reading Comprehension, Heather Cynthia Williams

Theses Digitization Project

There is a shift from learning to read towards reading to learn beginning in the fourth grade. This project focuses on the use of read alouds to teach concepts such as inference, generalization, and drawing conclusions to increase reading comprehension in fourth graders.

Telling The Stars: A Quantitative Approach To Assessing The Use Of Folk Tales In Science Education., Margaret B. Meyers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the impact of paired folk tales and science explanations on students in third through sixth grades who viewed program modules from the SkyTeller Project of Lynn Moroney and the Lunar and Planetary Institute of Houston, Texas. The audience consisted of over 3500 students in eight locations in the United States. Because few quantitative studies have been conducted to examine the use of stories in science education, the development of an instrument to assess students' attitudes toward science and stories forms a major part of this research. During the final stage of testing, the revised instrument and methods …

Storytelling And Story Reading: A Comparison Of Effects On Children's Memory And Story Comprehension., Matthew P. Gallets

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For years, storytellers have been going to schools to share stories with children. However, to date only limited research has been done on the effects of storytelling on children’s learning. This project was part of an ongoing study involving several researchers. In this portion of the project, the effects of storytelling and story reading were compared. The population studied consisted of kindergarten, first, and second grade students. Half the students were read stories aloud, the other half were told the same stories by a storyteller. Data were collected regarding students ability to recall facts they had heard, as well as …

Teacher Education And Critical Inquiry : The Use Of Activity Theory In Exploring Alternative Understandings Of Language And Literature, Brenton Doecke, Alex Kostogriz

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article explores the challenges of espousing a critical pedagogy within the managerial climate that presently shapes teacher education. Current discourses of professionalism are incommensurate with an understanding of the way that literacy practices are grounded in the social worlds in which both school and university students operate. Such discourses construct graduate teachers as the providers of decontextualised literacy skills to school students whose existing communication networks are ignored. We argue that an alternative understanding of professional practice can be developed by focusing on the textual resources university students use to mediate their learning, and by locating their emerging professional …

The Most Effective Way To Teach Spelling, Mandy Lea Strange

Theses Digitization Project

The research in this project shows that spelling needs to be taught through patterns, rhymes and the use of analogies. Weekly spelling tests are effective to assess spelling patterns, instead of useing a pre-determined collection of random words. Additionally, spelling needs to be taught within writing, not as a completely separate subject.

Using Music To Create Effective Curriculum For English Language Development, Steven John Schulz

Theses Digitization Project

Research supporting the viability of music to promote language and literacy development as well as the theory of multiple intelligences suggests that any sound educational program employ a multifaceted approach to teaching and learning. This project created a thematically based multiple intelligence curriculum for first grade English language learners that emphasized the use of song.

Planting The Seeds Of Environmental Sensitivity Using Children's Literature, Kristin Alayne Sanderson

Theses Digitization Project

This project is aimed at helping children in elementary grades 1-6 develop a deep awareness of and empathy for the environment through children's fictional literature. This project takes a selection of children's books that encourage feelings of love, respect, and concern for the environment, and pairs them with an array of activities that put children more in touch with our planet and its problems. This combination of shared stories and related activities may be influential in developing environmental sensitivity in young children.

Teaching Vocabulary Through Integrated Curriculum Improves Reading Comprehension, Linda Carol Cox

Theses Digitization Project

This investigation was designed to determine if teaching vocabulary through integrating English and Social Studies curricula would provide tenth grade students who are poor readers with strategies to improve their reading comprehension. The strategies used were designed to support struggling readers and English language development students to connect denotative and connotative meanings of words found in the novel Animal Farm to their social studies class' content.

Tell Me A Story About Feathers: Teaching Discipline Through Literature, Carol Tripoli Rondeau

Theses Digitization Project

This project contends that the instructional time given to language arts is the appropriate time to teach discipline. Sample lesson plans incorporating the teaching of discipline into California's third grade curriculum are offered to inspire and inform educators to become teachers of self-discipline.

Creating A Student-Centered Learning Community In The College Reading Classroom By Incorporating Web-Based Technology, Michael James Shefchik

Theses Digitization Project

This project investigated the problem of how to enable a student-centered environment in reading instruction through effectively incorporating meaningful web-based technology into the community college reading curriculum. Three multimedia strategies were tested to promote individual and collaborative meaning making: ePortfolios, eJournals, and the Class Know-It-All. The success of these strategies was measured against that of a previous course with identical materials and resources with the exception of multimedia integration.

Does California's Scripted Curriculum Affect Students' Motivation To Read, Francene Marie Fisher

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis looked at the effects of California's adopted scripted learning programs on students' motivation for reading. There is much research about the efficacy of these types of one-size-fits all programs, which claim to be on scientific research.

Comparison Of Effectiveness Between Merit Software And Traditional Grammar Instruction For Ninth Grade Students, Cynthia Joann Furr

Theses Digitization Project

Purpose of the project is to determine whether Merit Software program, "Write it right" could be effective in a whole class setting (using one computer) rather than in a computer lab. The further purpose was to identify if this strategy was more effective than the use of the traditional textbook method of grammar study in the ninth grade. Lesson plans and a software description are included.

College-Level Reading And Writing: Considering Curriculum From A Postmodern Perspective, Brenda Jean Littleton

Theses Digitization Project

This project presents qualitative investigations into the relation of science systems to education systems, and suggests post modern constructs as models of systemic change, with application toward reading and writing literacy for the college-level adult learning.

Assisting Students With Concept Acquisition In Basic Skills Reading Through The Use Of An Interactive Website, Michele Barbara Laveaux

Theses Digitization Project

This project creates an interactive website on the literature surrounding reading and concept acquisition skills in adult learners. This website used in conjunction with the Basic Skills English 10A course given in community colleges will enhance reading and concept acquisitions skills enabling student the self cofidence, encouragement and motivation to complete the course.

Use Of A Video Based Instruction Program To Enhance English Literature And Writing Concepts, Jeffrey Christian Pitcher

Theses Digitization Project

In this project an educational DVD about the life and writing styles of John Steinbeck was developed for use in high school freshman classrooms at Yucaipa High School. Additional activities to stimulate students' writing and composition in the style of Steinbeck were created to match educational theory and state standards.

Effects Of On-Site Reading Clinical Tutoring On Children's Performance, Abha Gupta

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This research was conducted to study the effects of field-based clinical tutoring on struggling readers. Struggling readers from two grade levels, 3rd and 5th were randomly divided into two groups. One group received individualized tutoring in reading for a semester from apprentice reading clinicians (graduate students in Reading Program) and the other group did not. There were 13 sessions of one hour each per week. The reading performance of students in the two groups was compared on the two available measures in the school, (1) letter grade and (2) STAR results (a computerized diagnostic reading assessment program). Observational and anecdotal …

Building A Better Reading-Writing Assessment: Bridging Cognitive Theory, Instruction, And Assessment, Roxanne Greitz Miller, Robert C. Calfee

Education Faculty Articles and Research

"Based upon our work at the district, state, and national levels, we address the following issues: how to improve large-scale writing assessments, and how to create bridges between effective reading and writing instruction and writing assessment."

Computerized Reading Assessment Using The Star Reading Software, Brian Michael Bartlett

Theses Digitization Project

This thesis focused on the use of a computerized reading assessment program called Star Reading. Reading has been one of the most difficult areas across the curriculum to assess. Reading asssessment differs widely from teacher to teacher, and has traditionally been very subjective.

Teaching Literacy To First Grade Bilingual Students, Ana María Pérez

Theses Digitization Project

This research examined the effects of using a mediated reading strategy called "Mini Shared Reading" with five first graders, male bilingual students identified as struggling readers. These five students were all instructed in their primary language, which was Spanish.