R2 = Collaboration: a comparison of the effects of interactive read-alouds and read-alouds on student achievement and student attitude in grade-three mathematics
Abstract
Description
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in CURRICULUM and INSTRUCTION from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The mathematical achievement for United States’ students is a continuing concern; a concern that has existed for more than 20 years (Kornell, 2012; Smith, 2002). A reality exists that students are often baffled by mathematics. The National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008) stated in its Final Report: Foundations for Success that “The delivery system in mathematics education—the system that translates mathematical knowledge into value and ability for the next generation—is broken and must be fixed” (p. xiii). Leone, Wilson, and Mulcahy (2010) suggested students’ willingness to engage in learning is influenced by the classroom environment and the engagement between the teacher and students. While reading aloud has long been thought of as a means for increasing students’ engagement, reading abilities and proficiency, the last two decades have seen two events unfold which have increased the scope and context of reading aloud to children-the development of Interactive read-alouds and integration of children’s literature, including reading aloud, within content areas. The researcher collected data from a total of 121 students in grade three at three urban, Title I elementary schools in South Texas during a six week period. All the teachers from each treatment group attended a required staff development. The teacher from school A attended a workshop on Interactive read-alouds and the teachers from School B attended a workshop on how to implement read-alouds in the math curriculum. The data were collected using two instruments of measure, the Pearson Math Topic Test and the Elementary Mathematics Attitude Survey (Guerra-Castañeda, 2013). Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample of participants. The results indicated that students who were in the Interactive read-aloud group had higher achievement in mathematics than students who were read-aloud to or students who received no intervention at the p =.01, with a medium effect size. Additionally, results from the mathematics survey indicated 47 percent of students in the Interactive read-aloud group enjoyed their mathematics class more than the students in the comparison group. The results of this study support the notion that Interactive read-alouds, when used in elementary third grade mathematics classes, can result in improved student achievement in mathematics, especially when compared to what is commonly known as “traditional” mathematics instruction. This study intends to expand the current field of research regarding the use of Interactive read-alouds in mathematics classrooms and an awareness of the use of Interactive read-alouds and traditional read-alouds to teach mathematics skills and concepts.
Educational Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction
College of Education and Human Development
The mathematical achievement for United States’ students is a continuing concern; a concern that has existed for more than 20 years (Kornell, 2012; Smith, 2002). A reality exists that students are often baffled by mathematics. The National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008) stated in its Final Report: Foundations for Success that “The delivery system in mathematics education—the system that translates mathematical knowledge into value and ability for the next generation—is broken and must be fixed” (p. xiii). Leone, Wilson, and Mulcahy (2010) suggested students’ willingness to engage in learning is influenced by the classroom environment and the engagement between the teacher and students. While reading aloud has long been thought of as a means for increasing students’ engagement, reading abilities and proficiency, the last two decades have seen two events unfold which have increased the scope and context of reading aloud to children-the development of Interactive read-alouds and integration of children’s literature, including reading aloud, within content areas. The researcher collected data from a total of 121 students in grade three at three urban, Title I elementary schools in South Texas during a six week period. All the teachers from each treatment group attended a required staff development. The teacher from school A attended a workshop on Interactive read-alouds and the teachers from School B attended a workshop on how to implement read-alouds in the math curriculum. The data were collected using two instruments of measure, the Pearson Math Topic Test and the Elementary Mathematics Attitude Survey (Guerra-Castañeda, 2013). Descriptive statistics were used to describe the sample of participants. The results indicated that students who were in the Interactive read-aloud group had higher achievement in mathematics than students who were read-aloud to or students who received no intervention at the p =.01, with a medium effect size. Additionally, results from the mathematics survey indicated 47 percent of students in the Interactive read-aloud group enjoyed their mathematics class more than the students in the comparison group. The results of this study support the notion that Interactive read-alouds, when used in elementary third grade mathematics classes, can result in improved student achievement in mathematics, especially when compared to what is commonly known as “traditional” mathematics instruction. This study intends to expand the current field of research regarding the use of Interactive read-alouds in mathematics classrooms and an awareness of the use of Interactive read-alouds and traditional read-alouds to teach mathematics skills and concepts.
Educational Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction
College of Education and Human Development