Education Commons^™

"How Does Explicit Phonemic Awareness Instruction In A 6th-Grade Classroom, Influence Students Reading Fluency And Comprehension?", Danette M. Hendrickson

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine if using phonemic awareness lessons could help students with reading comprehension and fluency. This action research study was conducted in a rural 6th-grade classroom with a total of 38 students. The classroom is in west-central Minnesota. The student participants were two sections that included the entire 6th grade. The research entailed whole group lessons; which involved games, syllable instruction and explicit instruction on listening to the sounds in words and noticing the patterns that sounds and spellings have in words. Small group lessons were also implemented where students rotated in the classroom …

How Does Reading Fluency Affect Reading Comprehension In The Elementary Classroom, Poracha Robinson

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

I conducted a research project at my elementary school. The action research question was how does repeated reading affect reading comprehension in the elementary classroom? The six-week study included third-grade elementary students. To study the impact of repeated reading, students read a fluency sheet for one minute, taking turns. Each week, a comprehension quiz was administered to students to measure their comprehension of the fluency passage read for the week. The study showed that repeated reading had a positive effect on fluency. However, the data failed to show that repeated reading does affect comprehension. More research is needed to confirm …

The Effects Of Schema On Reading Comprehension At Coleman Elementary, Celeste Mills

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Schema is a framework that helps us organize and interpret information. Developing schema is essential in the comprehension of text. Strong readers can make sense of what they read by seeing how it fits with what they already know. Teachers must help students make connections before, during, and after reading.

Without schema students are unable to infer because making inferences involves creating meaning that is not explicitly stated by the author. Readers use clues in the text plus their personal insights and experiences to make meaning of the text (Roit, 2014). My school is a Title 1 school with a …

The Effects Of Purposeful Vocabulary Instruction, Kelsey Raasch

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The goal of this action research project was to identify the effects of purposeful Tier II vocabulary instruction in a second grade classroom in a suburb of Minnesota. The study participants included 21 second grade students. Students took a baseline assessment to identify comprehension and vocabulary skills before the study was done. After the baseline assessment, students participated in the following interventions focusing on Tier II vocabulary words: once weekly shared reading with Tier II vocabulary words, learning and incorporating ten Tier II vocabulary words into sentences, and completing a partner performance assessment on one Tier II vocabulary word from …

The Effects Of Pre-Teaching Vocabulary, Along With Peer Collaboration, On Student Comprehension Of Social Studies Texts At St. Cloud Tech High School, Molly Denne

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research project looked at the impact that pre-teaching vocabulary, along with peer collaboration, had on student comprehension of 5-12 social studies texts. Sixty students in a 10th grade World History class received instruction that included pre-teaching of vocabulary terms that students would be exposed to in a reading of the week through use of direct instruction, elaboration, application, and transfer using the Frayer Model, and group interactions. Student discussions of the article of the week engaged peers in collaborating around the work. Data was collected on vocabulary assessments, comprehension assessments, discussion checklists, and field notes. The students received …

Effects Of Explicit Vocabulary Instruction On Reading Comprehension, Carolyn Moscho, Ryan Moscho

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research paper examines the relationship between explicit vocabulary instruction and reading comprehension, specifically with English Language Learners (ELL). The research took place in a second and fourth grade classroom in the same school in central Minnesota. Students took pretests and posttests for grade level comprehension and vocabulary assessments. Students would then receive explicit vocabulary instruction throughout the week. Finally, students would complete the same assessments as were completed at the beginning of Student surveys were also used to measure confidence and motivation. Data was collected in the form of pretest and posttest scores for grade level comprehension and …

Increasing Motivation To Improve Reading Comprehension, Katelyn Larson, Kelsey Ledger, Ashley Mastel

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

This action research study focused on the effects implementing multiple reading strategies and reading activities had on student reading comprehension and motivation. Research was conducted with 56 students from a first grade, fifth grade, and seventh grade classroom. Data was collected from comprehension assessments, teacher observations, and the implementation of a book challenge adapted from The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller. Activities from the book challenge included student self reflections, book reviews, reading journals, and student to teacher letter correspondences about reading experiences. Results indicated that student reading comprehension in each classroom improved …

Close Reading Strategies For Difficult Text: The Effects On Comprehension And Analysis At The Secondary Level, Kimberly Goblirsch

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Literacy skills are an essential component in transitioning from learning to read to reading to learn. But reading to learn has several levels of difficulty. This research focuses on exploring in what ways close reading strategies of difficult text can impact comprehension and analysis. The participants of the intervention were ninth-grade students of various reading ability levels at a rural public high school. During the six-week period, students used formative assessments, annotations, and written responses to determine if gains in comprehension and analysis scores can be connected. The pre- and post-intervention data reflects how students achieved with and without close …

The Impact Of Creating Visual Arts On Reading Comprehension In Third Grade Students, Erica M. Mathieson

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The intent of this action research study was to determine how integrating visual arts activities into reading lessons could impact students’ literacy skills. The study took place in a suburban elementary school and included both male and female students, aged eight to nine years old. The data was collected using comprehension tests, student/teacher reflections, and information gathered from the students’ artwork. Student literacy skills did show gains as a result of this intervention. The study also exhibited ways in which visual art teachers can be valuable participants in the push to integrate literature into other content areas. Creating visual artwork …

The Effects Of Choice On Reading Comprehension In 2nd-3rd Grade, Julie P. Fraumeni-Mcbride

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

Poor literacy rates are the cause of low school performance for children across America. In particularly, low income schools continue to struggle with declining literacy rates. Issues with literacy are ultimately attributed to lack of comprehension during reading. This research tested the effects of choice on reading comprehension in 2nd and 3rd grade students at high and low income schools. In addition, students were monitored while reading silently and aloud to see if either had an effect on reading comprehension. Data was collected from 32 students from high and low income schools before, during and after reading in order to …

Closing The Gap In Fluency To Promote Comprehension, Amie Nelson

Masters of Arts in Education Action Research Papers

The intent of this research was to see what effect adding sight words and rhythm
walks to small group reading activities would have on student’s oral reading fluency in accuracy, automaticity, and prosody at a kindergarten level. My research included 26 kindergarteners, 16 girls, and 10 boys. All students were tested in oral language, reading text level, words per minute, and sight word recognition. Over a six-week period I added into my daily reading center jobs rhythm walks, sight word flash cards, large group fluency lessons, and small focus groups. I monitored students with conference slips, daily journaling, and weekly …