Browsing by Subject "Reading achievement"
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Item “Book Club Rules and Tutoring Drools”: An Intervention Mixed Methods Study of the Effects of an After-school Book Club on Third-Grade Boys’ Reading Achievement, Attitudes, Preferences(2017-11-03) Smith, Lauren; Miller, MelindaThis intervention mixed methods study used a quasi-experimental design to investigate the effects of an after-school book club on third-grade boys’ reading achievement, attitudes, and preferences. During the 2015-2016 school year, seven third-grade boys from a South Texas elementary school attended an after-school book club in their school library as an alternative to traditional after-school tutoring. The nine-week book club was designed to motivate reading by incorporating the five components of internal reading motivation: perceived control, interest, self-efficacy, involvement, and social collaboration. In addition to reading and discussion, the book club also included adult male guest readers and a service project where participants self-selected books to purchase and add to the school library collection. Quantitative data were collected before and after the intervention in the form of reading assessments and motivation-to-read surveys. These data suggested that the book club intervention had a statistically significant positive impact on the participants’ overall reading achievement. Qualitative findings gathered through voice-recorded interviews and video-recorded book-club meetings revealed positive changes in the participants’ attitudes toward reading and reading preferences. Additional qualitative findings support prior research studies that suggest a social environment and collaboration can contribute positively to reading motivation.Item The effects of coaching on teacher knowledge, teacher practice and reading achievement of at-risk first grade students(2013-12) Haring, Christa Dawn; Vaughn, Sharon, 1952-The effects of coaching on teacher and student outcomes were compared to outcomes of classes randomized to professional development only and comparison conditions. Twenty-one teachers, trained to implement a Tier II reading intervention curriculum, were grouped by campus then randomized to one of three conditions: professional development plus coaching support (n=6), professional development only (n=7) and a comparison condition (n=8). Teachers in the coached and professional development only (un-coached) conditions were compared on measures of teacher knowledge and implementation fidelity as an indication of teacher practice. Student achievement scores on word attack, reading fluency and reading comprehension measures were compared for students in each of the three conditions. A multiple-gating procedure was used to help teachers identify the five lowest-performing readers in their first grade classrooms. Students completed a battery of seven reading ability assessments prior to and immediately following teacher-implementation of a seventeen-week reading intervention curriculum. Results of ANCOVA analyses indicated students in classes of teachers who received professional development and coaching support did not demonstrate significantly higher scores than teachers who only received professional development training on a battery of reading measures. Further analysis indicated students in the professional development plus coaching condition did have significantly higher scores than those in comparison conditions on five of the seven outcome measures. Teachers in coached and professional development only conditions completed a teacher knowledge survey to measure their knowledge of evidence-based reading practices. ANCOVA analysis revealed no significant differences between groups at posttest. Changes in teacher practice were measured as a function of intervention implementation fidelity. Intervention teachers were videotaped three times over the course of the intervention and taped classes were scored, rated and compared across conditions. Results of a Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance on fidelity scores revealed a statistically significant difference in favor of the teachers who received professional development plus coaching.Item Reading intervention and extended-day reading programs for intermediate grade students : a case study(2007-05) Porter, Jennifer Rhea, 1976-; Field, Sherry L.The purpose of this study was to develop a case study to understand the processes and outcomes of reading intervention as conducted in the specific context of a large school district in north Texas. In particular, the study examined how students were identified as needing reading intervention and their subsequent success on measures of reading achievement over a period of three years in comparison with students who were not identified for reading intervention. This study employed a sequential mixed methods design in which the collection and analysis of quantitative data preceded qualitative data collection and analysis. Interview data were collected to illuminate the processes and challenges of conducting reading intervention in the classroom setting. The findings determined that the district is successful in its aims related to reading achievement on standardized measures of reading in grades three, four, and five despite a lack of evidence that success could be contributed solely to the provision of reading intervention. Three findings emerged: 1) students were served with a combination of services determined by each campus in the study, 2) teachers' provision of reading instruction did not align with district recommendations, and 3) students identified for reading intervention and served with either of the intervention programs were successful on measures of reading achievement but did not attain similar levels of achievement as non-identified peers.Item Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade Teachers' Descriptions of Methods Used to Improve the Reading Achievement of Students with Learning Disabilities(2017-03-15) Berkowitz, Sally Greenberg; Moore, George W.; Polnick, Barbara E.; Martinez-Garcia, CynthiaPurpose The purpose of this study was to explore ways in which third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers reported they successfully improved the reading achievement of students with LD as documented by an increase in test scores on standardized tests in reading. Moreover, this study is an examination of productive ways in which elementary classroom teachers reported that they increased the interest and motivation of students who have historically had difficulty in school, specifically, students who have been identified with LD. Method This qualitative study was conducted with five Grade 3, 4, and 5 general education teachers with at least three years of experience teaching students with LD in reading. The teachers were selected from schools which had attained a Reading/ELA Distinction in the Accountability Ratings for the 2013, 2014, and 2015 administrations of the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR). The schools also had a minimum of two self-contained special education classrooms. The semi-structured interviews were the basis of the phenomenological study of the experiences of the teachers in working with these students to be successful in reading. Findings Teachers who participated in the study shared indicators of student success. In addition to an increase in test scores, the teachers shared that increased participation in classroom discussions and the facial expressions of their students with LD were signs that the students had improved their reading performance. Other indicators were a decrease in negative behaviors and an increase in independence. Themes of success that the teachers shared focused on positive relationships and interactions with students, reliance on the support of school-based personnel, collaboration with parents, and positive strategies and incentives that the teachers used to motivate their students with LD. Students with LD are successful when they benefit from a variety of factors, including relationships with caring and interested general education teachers. General education teachers benefit from and are better able to provide support to their students by having positive relationships with other members of the school staff, including teaching assistants and teacher interventionists. Equally important are the positive relationships general education teachers have with students’ parents.