Browsing by Subject "reading achievement"
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Item 11th Grade Students' English Reading Motivation, Language Problems and Reading Achievement in Taiwan(2012-07-16) Su, Jung-HsuanMotivation has been viewed as a very influential factor to successful reading for English as foreign language learners. Learners can be motivated to read English by extrinsic or intrinsic motivation, and the motivational orientations could also influence their reading achievement. However, language problems that EFL learners encounter while reading can affect their willingness to read as well as their reading achievement. The purpose of this study was to investigate Taiwanese EFL students? English reading motivation and its relationship with perceived language problems and reading achievement. 302 11th grade students from an urban district in southern Taiwan participated in the study. Measures included an English reading comprehension test, an English reading motivation questionnaire, and a questionnaire regarding language problems in reading English. A factor analysis was used to determine the motivational orientations. Multiple regression and correlation analysis were performed to examine the relationship among reading motivation, language problems, and reading achievement. The results showed that: 1) Taiwanese senior high school students were largely motivated to read English by extrinsic motivation, specifically the importance and instrumental utility of reading English and the drive for recognition and competition, although they could also be motivated by intrinsic motivation to read English for knowledge and social purposes. Moreover, extrinsic motivation to read for compliance was significantly associated with their English reading scores. 2) While reading English, unknown idiomatic expressions and vocabulary were frequently reported language problems that influenced students? willingness to read. Nevertheless, lack of grammar knowledge was generally not considered a big language problem to most of the students while reading. 3) Language problems in reading English and reading motivation were correlated, and motivation to read for compliance, grammar knowledge, and overall reading comprehension were significant predictors of students? English reading scores. This study highlights the influential role of extrinsic motivation to EFL students in English reading and the importance of knowledge of vocabulary and idiomatic expressions in order to help understand the meaning of English texts. It provides implications for English teachers in designing appropriate curriculum that suits students? needs and interests, and also suggestions for choosing proper reading materials.Item Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Instructional Leadership and Student Achievement(2013-04-18) Mumphord, Karen MonetteThis quantitative study has two purposes. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate how teachers? perceptions of principals? instructional leadership affects student achievement in Texas suburban elementary schools. The secondary purpose of the study was to learn whether school demographic variables or prior achievement predict the level of instructional leadership elementary school teachers report for their principals. The primary outcome of instructional leadership was the achievement of fifth grade students who attended five select suburban elementary school districts in Texas for the 2011 ? 2012 school year. The data collected for this research examined the two-year performance of the fifth grade students on their Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills reading test. Data were also collected from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade elementary teachers who attended one of the 97 participating schools from the five school districts. The teachers completed a voluntary survey during a faculty meeting. The survey asked teachers to report their perceptions of instructional leadership. The survey questions tapped four primary areas of instructional leadership: setting goals, providing professional development, monitoring and providing feedback, and establishing high standards. The main hypothesis was that instructional leadership would have a direct effect on student achievement. A variety of statistical techniques, such as factor analysis and multilevel analyses, were utilized for this study. A factor analysis method was used to create a measure of degree for instructional leadership in schools and multiple regression methods were utilized to test the relationship between instructional leadership and school SES, ethnicity, and prior achievement. This study found a modest direct relationship between instructional leadership and reading achievement. More specifically, teachers? perceptions of instructional leadership were a marginally statistically significant and positive predictor of between school variation in student achievement in reading. Additionally, the study revealed that the school socioeconomic status, ethnic composition, and prior achievement do not predict instructional leadership. Implications of the findings for future research and practice are discussed.Item Engagement in Reading and Access to Print: The Relationship of Home and School to Overall Reading Achievement Among Fourth Grade English Speakers(2013-04-05) Allaith, Zainab A.The present study puts forward two models which examine the relationship between at home at school variables of (1) engagement in shared and independent reading and (2) access to print with reading achievement. Participants were fourth grade English speakers from Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia), New Zealand, England, and USA. Data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) questionnaires and reading achievement test were used to design the two models, and Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to analyze the data where students (Level-1) were nested within classrooms (Level-2). The results of the Engagement in Reading Model demonstrate that activities of shared reading at home and at school did not statistically significantly relate or related negatively with reading achievement. Parents helping their children with school readings emerged as the strongest negative predictor of reading achievement in the entire model. However, the relationship between how often participants talked with their families about what they read on their own and reading achievement was positive. Additionally, independent reading at school, reading for fun at home, and reading printed material (books and magazines) at home predicated reading achievement positively; reading for homework did not predict reading achievement; and reading for information and reading on the internet at home predicted reading achievement negatively. The results of the Access to Print Model demonstrate that while access to books and other reading material at home related positively with reading achievement, access to books and other reading material at school did not overall relate to students? reading achievement. Additionally, access to the library, generally, did not relate to reading achievement; and when statistical significance was found it was not replicated in all or even most of the countries. Based on the results of the present study, it is recommended that fourth graders be given ample opportunities to read books of their own choosing independently at school, and to develop students? habits and motivation to read for leisure during their free after school time. Additionally, children should be provided with ample access to reading material at home which is geared towards their interests.Item Inservice and Preservice Teacher Knowledge and Perceptions of Social Emotional Learning and Its Impact on Reading and Overall Academic Attainment(2012-10-19) Douglass, April GayleThis dissertation describes the results of two studies that examined preservice and inservice teachers' knowledge of social and emotional learning (SEL) and its impact on academic achievement. Components of SEL, such as self-efficacy and self-regulation, play an important role in academic attainment and can be especially beneficial to young readers. One hundred and seventy inservice and 155 preservice teachers completed surveys that measured their overall knowledge of SEL concepts and perceptions regarding their preparedness for teaching SEL, its importance, and implementation. The descriptive results indicated both inservice and preservice teachers had some underlying knowledge regarding SEL, but performed poorly in identifying definitions of fundamental SEL terms. The large majority of preservice and inservice teachers felt SEL was important to academic achievement, but seemed conflicted about the role of SEL in classroom instruction. Responses from inservice and preservice teachers indicate they may feel underprepared for teaching SEL in their classrooms. Multiple regression analyses revealed preservice teachers' responses to items on the perceptions scales predicted overall knowledge scores. Analysis of Variance results indicated there were no differences by demographic variables on overall teacher knowledge scores and responses to perceptions scales. The results are consistent with previous findings on teachers' perceptions of SEL's importance. Implications for teacher preparation programs and classroom instruction are discussed along with directions for future research.