Ltl.appstate.edu



Reading Motivation

Strategies to Motivate Struggling Readers K-8

Candace Barnes (6th-8th Grade)

Rachel Monroe (4th Grade)

RE 5040 Project

4/26/11

5040 Teacher as Researcher Project

Candace Barnes and Rachel Monroe

Reading Motivation

Background

In our classrooms, we have noticed children who are struggling readers or below grade level readers tend to have a lack of motivation and interest in reading activities. These students know they are not at the same ability levels as their peers; yet wish to read the same texts. Since many of their independent level text can be childish or not developmentally appropriate, these students tend to have less self-motivating qualities when it comes to reading for fun. Much of their lack of interest in reading comes from the struggles in the classroom, when reading independently and for academic purposes. We have noticed these students often have trouble selecting texts to read independently because of their issues with reading fluency and comprehension, so they tend to not read for recreation or for pleasure.

Since we know that students become better readers by spending more time reading, we wanted to focus on finding strategies that would motivate struggling readers and interest them in reading for pleasure. To focus on the topic of motivation, we hoped we would gain insight into how all levels of children are best motivated to read in our classrooms and how to spark interest for struggling readers. We also hoped to find further information for introducing text to students that is neither childish, nor insults their respective age. If we could find a way for students to self-motivate and motivate their peers to read, we knew our classrooms could build and encourage successful readers of all levels.

What the Research Says about Motivation

Our first important task was to locate resources and research to help us define reading motivation and locate strategies for success in the classroom. Reading research also says the motivation issue as an important key to reading success, much like what we have seen in our classrooms. As stated by Edmunds and Bauserman (2006), motivation is the key role in learning. “Motivation frequently makes the difference between learning that is temporary and superficial and learning that is permanent and internalized" (Oldfather, 1993). We also found students who consistently read for their own interest are often quite competent and are usually highly achieving readers. Wigfield and Guthrie (1997) documented that, “students who are intrinsically motivated spend 300% more time reading than students who have low intrinsic motivation for reading. Compared to 10 other motivations, intrinsic motivation for reading was most highly associated with whether or not students read widely and frequently on their own accord.”

Much like what we have seen in our classroom with struggling, we found research evidence of the downward spiral of motivation for older readers. “As students progress through school, their identity as learners and readers can progressively deteriorate. Young children typically give high ratings to reading and learning” (Coddington & Guthrie, 2006). However, as students approach the end of the elementary grades, many students cease to aspire to higher achievement or proficiency in tasks such as reading in any subject matter (Wigfield & Eccles, 2002). “The reasons for reading, then, are crucial. Simply reading is insufficient. When internal motivations such as intrinsic motivation and interest energize students' reading, students interact with text deeply and gain relatively high amounts of knowledge or aesthetic experience (Schiefele, 1999). If students' reading interests are weak, their competency grows little and their quality as readers diminishes.”(Guthrie, 2007). We now knew how important it was to incorporate an independent reading time filled with student choice, so that the interest of the text could be a motivating factor in reading.

Since we were looking to find a way to play to students’ interest and the social aspect of reading, we began to look for strategies to fit our definition of motivation. We tried to find ideas that helped students collaborate, have choice of texts, and share text information. For struggling readers to become motivated and better readers "they need to be reading at their instructional reading level with 95% accuracy in word recognition" (Ivey, 1999). We decided we wanted to implement a set independent reading time using choice texts based on this research. We would use our classroom library and school library to locate text that would be of interest and acceptable for students. “By the time a struggling reader reaches middle school some are "3-4 years behind compared to on grade-level readers. The KEY is making difficult books accessible and easy books acceptable" (Ivey, 1999). We were going to have to make sure all levels of text were accessible, and that read alouds (using computers or tapes) would be available for students who were far below grade level.

To add to our independent reading time, we found research supported that students needed a model of reading and time to share their reading with peers and teacher. According to Gambrell (1996), “Teachers become explicit reading models when they share their own reading experiences with students and emphasize how reading enhances and enriches their lives” (p. 20). Allington (2006) offers the idea of the teacher previewing a small selection of books each day, offering what type of reader may enjoy the book, and allowing students to check them out. “The more books that children are exposed to, and know about, the more likely they are to read” (Gambrell, 1996, p. 22) We decided we wanted to provide a model for reading by introducing our book favorites, and then allow students to do the same. The more our students saw us and their peers reading, the more they would be motivated to do the same.

We decided to plan for small group discussion as a part of our self-selected reading time, or what we called an “individual reading conference”. As Gambrell (1996) notes, students need to share their enthusiasm about books with each other. Self-selection can be more motivating if students know they will have the opportunity to talk with friends about their choices. (Strickland & Alvermann, 2004). This research suggested we give students time to share and discuss reading experiences so that peer motivation can thus be improved. Students are motivated by the teachers’ attention and interest in their activities; we know this from past experiences. The conferences will be a great way to incorporate time and individual attention to each reader.

Research Questions

All of our students, even those that lack motivation and struggle in the area of reading, are expected to pass grade level tests and become readers of some capacity. Since we noticed our struggling readers lack motivation for reading independently, we knew they were not getting the recommended ninety minutes or more of reading time per day. We also know they are unlikely reading at their instructional level due to a need to read text like their peers. Both of these factors are detrimental to increasing reading capacity throughout the year. Our main struggle as teachers is to find texts that interest, relate, and are developmentally appropriate for these students. Along with locating these texts, we also need to implement a set selected reading time and the use of peer recommendations for text.

Our main focus at the beginning of each year is always finding a new entry point for these students so we can increase or renew motivation/interest for reading. If we can achieve this, closing the wide gap for these students will be better obtainable through increased time spent reading. Students who are motivated and engaged, tend to increase time spent reading at home and school, which in turn will increase reading ability. We have found that the most important component for these students is finding texts that are appropriate, yet not childish or insulting to their current age. We decided to look at strategies that would increase time spent reading independently; since this is where most upper grade students need renewed motivation. Since we work with students who are struggling to read fluently and comprehend even below their level, we wanted to see what possibilities were available to include student choice and social ideas in the reading equation as a tool for motivation. Our research began with two questions:

1. What effect does student choice have on increasing interest/motivation in reading?

2. What effect does implementing a set self-selected reading/read aloud during instructional time have on increasing reading attention and motivation?

We used these questions to take a closer look at independent reading and motivation strategies for our students. We would incorporate three reading strategies that focused on social interaction, peer recommendation, and independent choice reading. We would be using self-selected reading for Rachel's class because most students can choose texts that are close to their levels without it being too childish. We incorporated selected read alouds and listening devices for Candace's class because many readers are far below level, yet still wish to read grade level appropriate texts. We wanted to reach as many students as possible for our experiment.

Participants

As teachers from two very different classrooms and teaching experiences, we were led to focus our research on a common issue we see daily in all classrooms. Since we come from completely different classroom environments, we need to explain the varied background on each of our schools and classes.

Candace teaches at East Alexander Middle, EC Extend 2, grades 6th-8th. This middle school has 680 students, of which 50% are on free and reduced lunch. Most students are from a low socioeconomic background, with working case parents. The school is very culturally diverse. Candace has been in her position for almost a year and a half at East Alexander Middle School. She has 13 total students. In 6th grade she has 3 Caucasian females, 1 Caucasian male, 1 African American female, and 1 African American male. Her 7th grade consists of 3 Caucasian females, 2 Caucasian males, and 1 Mexican American male. Her 8th grade consists of only 1 Caucasian male. Out of her students, 10 out of 13 are severely below grade level readers, which range from primer to late 4th grade. The majority of her students fall in the lower end of the spectrum. Also, most students have been diagnosed ADD/ADHD yet many parents refuse to place them on medication. Most of the guided reading that students are involved in is books on tape and storybooks online using computer technology. For independent reading they are to read a book on their independent reading level. Ultimately, this has become a struggle due to having to read "childish" books and stories of non-interest just to meet their instructional level. Many times, these students need to read choice books at their listening level so they can feel a part of their peer reading circles.

Rachel works at Tuttle Elementary School in Catawba County. She has worked three years in a 4th grade classroom. Tuttle Elementary has about 500 students, of which 60% are on free and reduced lunch. It is a Title one school with most students being from very low socioeconomic homes. There are a small percentage of students from middle class families. The school has very low cultural diversity, and has worked hard to gain support of parents on the importance of reading at home. In her 4th grade classroom, about half of the students are below grade level readers or readers who struggle with fluency or comprehension. Rachel has fully implemented guided reading in her classroom due to three different levels of students and implements read aloud on students listening level. Her grade level ability groups for reading instruction, and she has the middle reading group. Their are 13 students on grade level, 9 on a third grade reading level, 3 students slightly above grade level. The class consists of 22 Caucasian students, 1 African-American, and 2 Hispanic Americans. The room is predominately male, with 15 boys and 10 girls. Five students are diagnosed ADHD, with only two taking medication. The main issue she has found is students below level have a hard time making correct choices for self-selected texts because they want to read above their level to be like their peers. These same students lack motivation to read due to need for more choices in reading selections that are appropriate and of interest to them. The guided reading implementation has helped this process, but she still feels a strong need for a student choice factor and discussion with peers so that reading motivation can be increased.

Candace’s Participants

To find specific participants for this study, we looked carefully at the classrooms we teach. Candace chose her 13 students ranging from 6th-8th grade. The racial make-up was as follows: African American children-1 female and 1 male; Mexican American-1 male; Caucasian-5 females and 5 males. Motivation and interest questions will be directed towards the entire class throughout daily reading instruction. When incorporating attention/motivation questions, the focus will be placed on 3 students (2 boys and 1 girl) who have severe attention problems during daily instruction. These children have been diagnosed ADD in addition to low Garfield Reading Survey scores. All students receive resource services based on their IEP's. Also, they are all on the Extend 2 curriculum.

Student Backgrounds for Focus Group: Below are the three students who were chosen to be part of a research focus group when incorporating attention/motivation into reading instruction based on pre-assessment Garfield Survey scores.

● Nathan is in the 7th grade and has been in the EC program since 1st grade. His category is SLD. He is reading instructionally at 2nd grade. During instruction he continuously gets out of his seat, yells, and argues with teachers and peers. He knows he is a struggling reader and because of that he lacks putting forth effort. Due to his reading struggles books on tape have been made accessible to him. He thinks that because he is in an EC classroom he automatically qualifies as “stupid” which is quiet the opposite. If it were not for his below grade level reading and writing skills he would be in a regular education classroom. Nathan is in 7th grade and has been in the EC program since 1st grade. His category is SLD. He is reading instructionally at about 2nd grade. During instruction he continuously gets out of his seat, yells at, and argues with teachers and peers. He knows he struggles to read and because of that he does not want to try and learn how to read better; easy to see why there is no motivation. Due to his struggling to read on his own that is why books on tape have become available to him. He thinks because he is EC he automatically qualifies as “stupid.” Stupid is quite the opposite of what Nathan truly is. Nathan is very good in math and has remarkable common sense. The only thing holding him back from being placed back into a regular education classroom is his reading and writing skills.

● Chelsea is in 6th grade and has been in the EC program since she was in 3rd grade. Her category is ID-Mild. She is reading instructionally at 3rd grade. She struggles greatly in math compared to reading. In reading Chelsea struggles to comprehend what she has read. Although she struggles when reading on her own she does comprehend when books are being read to her. Her behaviors during instruction include her speaking out during class, distracting those around her by tapping on her desk or chair, or drawing. She is more reluctant to read during class if she is completely wrapped in the text. It’s obvious when she is because she sits there glued to her book and never says a word.

● Josh is in the 6th grade and has been in the EC program since 1st grade. His category is ID-Mild. Josh struggles in greatly in math and reading. He is reading instructionally at a late 2nd grade level. Josh has a hard time comprehending what he reads. Also, he does not comprehend what is read to him at grade level. During class instruction and group work he distracts his peers. He continuously talks out, makes noises, and lays his head down to draw. During reading time he always asks if he can go to the bathroom, which Candace has found he does to get out of reading. Josh looses focus faster compared to the others.

Rachel’s Participants

Rachel's participants included her class of 25 fourth grade students. These students are ability grouped for reading instruction, so 13 students read on grade level and 9 read slightly below grade level. Four students in the classroom have been diagnosed ADHD/ADD, 3 boys and 1 girl. None of the students in this reading group receive EC services, but 6 students have PEP's for not passing their reading EOGs. The student choice questions will be aimed at the entire reading group. The attention/motivation question will be aimed at the entire class, with a focus on a subset group of 2 males and 1 female with attention issues/ low Garfield Survey scores.

Student Backgrounds for Focus Group-- Below are the three students who were chosen to be part of a research focus group when incorporating attention/motivation into reading instruction based on pre-assessment Garfield Survey scores.

● CH is a white male who has a personalized education plan for scoring a level two on his reading EOG in third grade. His Garfield pre-survey assessment showed that he had a total far below the class average. Colton has issues with attention and focus, especially during reading time. He will often try to leave his seat (sharpen pencil, go to the restroom) while he should be reading. He admitted that he does not like to read for fun and often has trouble choosing texts because he does not have any interest in books. Colton has lacked an entry point into reading, so this has been Rachel’s main focus this year for Colton.

● FJ is an African-American male that is currently repeating fourth grade. He moved to Tuttle Elementary this year and has many gaps in math and reading instruction. His Garfield pre-survey assessment showed that he had a total reading attitude far below the class average. His parents are very concerned with his reading progress, because he is a very fluent reader that has very low comprehension. He will often speed read just to complete an assignment, but cannot recall or draw conclusions from the text. He admits that he does not like to read for fun and has not read a book he enjoys lately. He also shows signs of attention issues.

● JJ is a white female student who is diagnosed with ADD. She is a potential candidate for retention in fourth grade due to low achievement in math and reading. She was almost retained in 3rd grade, but was pushed on due to grade level numbers. Her Garfield Survey score was far below the class average and she tends to “zone out” during class assignments. It is a constant struggle to keep her interest and give her movement time during reading to keep her engaged. She has previously admitted that she does not like school, and does not like to read at home. She rarely has homework completed.

Intervention Procedures

To find answers to our research questions with our participants, we implemented the process of three strategies over a four-week time span. These strategies were found from our background research on motivation. Due to the age difference among our classroom we implemented the same strategies but in different ways (see Table at end of section).

We began our study with a pre-assessment of student motivation using the Garfield Reading Survey. This survey was given to both of our classes, whole group, so that we could get an average baseline score for reading recreationally and academically. After tabulating these scores, we were able to find our lowest motivated readers in our classes. These students would be our focus for later intervention strategies and observations, as well as the rest of the class.

Along with the Garfield Survey, Candace administered two short surveys (pre and post assessments) to her whole class to acquire greater understanding of how students felt about reading in her classroom. Questions on the pre-survey included:

1. How do you feel about reading during guided and silent reading?

2. On a scale 1 to 4 how do you feel about reading overall?

3. Do you prefer to read books from home versus the books that are provided at school?

4. What you would like to see in our classroom during reading time?

5. What books interests you the most?

She later met with them one-on-one to take down oral dictation, which was done due to students’ struggles with writing. Here are responses made by students during initial survey; all range in reading abilities.

● Josh (6th): “I like to read ok. I get bored easy. Really easy if the book isn’t interesting. On a scale I am a 1 ½ because I don’t like sitting there looking at a book. I rather read stuff I have at home I guess. I have books on art and animals. I wish we had more of those. In here books are so kid like because we can’t read well. Oh and I wish we had books on cars and the military! I wish in our classroom we could spread out in the floor and get out of our hard chair and maybe not even read an actual book and find stuff on the Internet.” Josh is reading instructionally at a late 2nd grade level.

● Anika (6th): “I like to read in general so I enjoy reading with you and by myself. Right now I really like reading Twilight because I watched the movie and now I get to read it. I like that during silent reading you let us pick from your books to read. On a scale I would be a 3 because I don’t always like to read home. I would rather be outside if I could. I like to read Arthur books, historical (Black History), and mystery stuff. While we read I wish we had bean-bags to sit in.” Anika is the highest reader in Candace’s class, reading instructionally at a late 4th grade level.

● Nathan (7th): “I would rather clean the toilet than have to read (actual statement)! I am not even a 1 when it comes to reading at school because nothing here is what I like and it’s too childish for me. I have magazines at home that like to read on motor-cross, hunting, and military stuff. Reading might be better if we had some stuff like this. But I will say that I like the Twilight book more than anything we have read so far. It’s definitely better than the Magic Tree House. Can we read stuff on the small laptops on the internet?” Nathan is reading instructionally at a late 1st grade to early 2nd grade.

● Chelsea (6th): “Reading is something I used to enjoy; not so much anymore. I wouldn’t choose that over my PS3. The book we are reading as a class now is starting to get boring. I guess that’s because I have read it before and watched the movie. I have a hard sitting there and staying focused. I would say I am a 2 ½ on that scale thingy. I like to read Harry Potter, Henry and Mudge, any animal books, and mystery. During reading time I want to be anywhere but the chair.” Chelsea is reading instructionally at late 3rd grade.

● Summer (7th): “I enjoy reading any time. Even though I have read Twilight before I am still picking up on parts I had missed before. I like reading. I am a 4. I get to go to Barnes and Noble all the time. I like more of my books at home because I like more gaming and comic style books. I wish we had some Dragonball-Z and Warrior books (about cats-fantasy) in the classroom and school library.” Summer is reading instructionally at 3rd grade.

These dictations were completed so Candace could gain a deeper insight into student reading interests. At the end of the four weeks, both the teacher made survey (post questions) and Garfield Survey were given again so deeper comparisons on reading motivation from beginning to end.

Rachel administered a reading interest survey that included similar open-ended questions to her entire class for more detailed information on texts being read in the classroom. This survey gave further insight into choices (based on a rating scale) and interest for each student. Also, a parent reading survey was sent home in order to gain insight into how parents felt about their child’s accomplishments/progress in reading, along with a request of suggestions for book choices that could be added to our classroom library. I wanted to incorporate text they had seen their child interested in at home. Both of these surveys showed the following:

• Students did not enjoy reading aloud in class, and prefer books with pictures to chapter books.

• Students’ topics of interest for reading include: animals, realistic fiction, humor and graphic novels.

• Parents found most students do not like to read at home and many have to be forced to read for homework.

• Parents major concerns for their child: Why they do not enjoying reading for pleasure? Why does my child not choose texts that interest and hold their attention?

After calculating scores from the surveys, we then began our intervention process. Each week consisted of book talks, independent reading of choice text and individual/peer conferences discussing these choice reads. In helping target attention in Candace’s class she provided Pilate balls for students to sit on throughout instruction. The first strategy used during our intervention process was book talks that incorporated a social aspect of reading and peer recommendations for choice books. Our hope was these book talks would allow students to share and give opinions of choice text. Through peer recommendations, we hoped students would be motivated to read independently because they were getting ideas from students their own age and would not feel “forced” to read a text. These book talks were modeled by the teacher during the first week with “teacher favorite” texts. The model included sharing information about why the book was chosen, what was the best part of the story, and why someone else should read the book. We also made sure the genre and level were shared for students who wanted to check out the book in the library or class library. Also, we discussed the importance of student questions for the reader so they could learn more about the text in this short amount of time. After the first week, students were allowed to sign up for daily book talks, with a maximum of two book talks per day at the end of class.

Through our second intervention, a set silent reading time each day, our hope was to increase reading motivation based on student interest. The key component during this time was allowing freedom of book choice. Candace’s class used both independent reading and read-alouds due to low level reading ability and need for age appropriate text. All read-aloud were based off of students listening comprehension levels. In order to find those age appropriate texts many sources online were used. Students used the mini Dell laptops to read sources online. Also, in helping target attention, Pilate balls were distributed for students so they could sit on during reading instruction. Rachel’s class used silent reading time to read choice texts from the library or classroom based on independent reading level. Many students chose to read the same text as another student, so they could peer conference about the book after reading. Students also participated in grade level read-alouds of student choice text. Both Candace and Rachel discussed the importance of this independent reading time with students, and how this was their time to get “lost” in a great book. This time was incorporated into our daily guided reading instruction where 15-20 minutes were set aside, and we made notes of students reading behavior throughout the week on note-cards.

The last strategy we incorporated was to conference individually with students about their book choices. These conferences would allow us to see the interest of students due to their choice selections, as well as their excitement to share and discuss reading choices with others. Reading conferences took place each week on Thursday and Friday during reading instruction. If students were not able to meet with the teacher on a given day, they were allowed to participate in peer conferences where they could discuss their book choices and reading experience. During conferences, notes were taken on observations and discussions with the student. We were looking for three main areas of interest during our student conferences: attitude/mood toward reading choice, ability to share information about the book, and excitement about sharing text. Based on the students’ reaction to texts, we rated the students enthusiasm for the three areas on a rating scale of 1 through 4, which closely resembles the Garfield Survey. This quick score would give us data similar to our pre-assessment to see if student motivation had increased. Questions were also asked about the text during each conference:

○ What was your favorite part?

○ Why did you choose this book?

○ Would you recommend it to someone else, why or why not?

○ Is there anything you, as a reader, would like to share?

We made notes of students’ responses to our questions in order to better analyze student motivation per individual.

The chart below shows an example of Candace’s routine of intervention procedures throughout the weeks, since it varied somewhat from our main plan (due to far below level readers).

| |Week 1 |Week 2 |Week 3 |Week 4 |

|Monday |Garfield Survey |Assign Pilate balls; refresh memories of |Guided reading: Twilight-whole group book |Guided reading: |

| |Interest Survey |book talks and using online text; conduct |talk; Silent reading: online source |Twilight-whole group book |

| | |book talk with Twilight (class reading) |; peer |talk; Silent reading: free|

| | | |collaboration-students get to share text and |choice (magazines, online,|

| | | |read book with peer |books) |

|Tuesday |Conference with |Guided reading: Twilight-whole group book |Guided reading: Twilight-whole group book |Guided reading: |

| |students about |talk; Silent reading: |talk; Silent reading: choice of reading- |Twilight-whole group book |

| |interest survey |online source |books, magazines, texts online; write about |talk; Silent reading: free|

| | |; |reading selection; peer collaboration |choice (magazines, online,|

| | |peer collaboration (share with 2); write | |books) |

| | |about reading selection | | |

|Wednesday |Read-aloud teacher |Guided reading: same as previous day; |Guided reading: Twilight-whole group book |Guided reading: |

| |text; model book |Silent Reading: continue working with |talk; Silent Reading: online source |Twilight-whole group book |

| |talk |website from day before; peer collaboration| |talk; Silent reading: free|

| | | |-refresh memories on how to level texts; peer|choice (magazines, online,|

| | | |collaboration |books) |

|Thursday |Introduce texts |Guided reading: same as previous day; |Guided reading: Twilight-whole group book |Guided reading: |

| |online using |Silent Reading: give option to read book, |talk; Silent Reading: online source |Twilight-whole group book |

| |laptops |magazine, or on laptop; students write |; write about |talk; Silent reading: free|

| | |about reading; teacher conference with |selections read; student-teacher conferencing|choice (magazines, online,|

| | |students | |books); conferencing with |

| | | | |students about texts; |

| | | | |administer post Garfield |

| | | | |Survey |

|Friday |Continue exploring |Silent Reading: free choice; Continue |Silent reading: free choice from the three |Silent Reading: free |

| |texts online with |conferencing with students ; students not |online sources; teacher-student conferencing;|choice; administer post |

| |laptops |meeting with teachers must discuss |others meet with peers |interest survey; continue |

| | |selection with peers | |conferencing |

Data Collection

Reading Surveys

We collected and organized our data in several different ways. First we gathered results for our Garfield Survey, as well as our individually made surveys. The Garfield Survey served as our baseline data since we administered a pre and post survey. After administering the surveys and tabulating results, we share our information for each student in a spreadsheet through GoogleDocs. We could then add information anytime, while the other viewed our ongoing data collection. When looking at our pre-test data, we found our students had lower recreational scores than academic reading scores. We decided to use this information and an average of data from recreational, academic and total reading scores from our classes so that the data could be easily read and analyzed to find class reading motivation as a whole.

Book Talks

When looking over our observation note-cards, we wanted to find words or references that were common among our wide spectrum of student levels. By finding terms and observations that are common among students, we would better be able to find motivating factors for reading success. We decided to add words to our Wordle that were seen in our note-cards three or more times. If these words were found three or more times on note-cards, we could assume they were motivating for several students.

Independent Reading and Individual Conferences

To get an idea of what books students were choosing to read we conducted informal observations and student-teacher conferences. During silent reading notes were taken on note-cards. Candace later transferred observation onto a chart. The color codes used were red (not engaged), yellow (partially engaged), and green (fully engaged)-see Table (Reading Observation Chart). When conferencing we examined specific areas of interest: attitude/mood toward reading choice, ability to share information about the book, and excitement about sharing text. The students’ reactions to texts were rated on a scale of 1 through 4. The scale ratings include: 1-uninterested in book, lacked detailed information about book, and lacked excitement in sharing, 2-partially interested in book, gave minimal details, showed minimal excitement; 3-moderately interested in book, gave 3 or more details, showed moderate excitement; 4-interested in book, gave many details, showed excitement. At the end of our research we administered post surveys, which included the Garfield Survey and our own post questions.

Data Analysis

After our data collection, we were able to combine our data from two very different classrooms to come up with study conclusions. Our results as a whole were very positive and we feel our interventions made a great difference in both of our diverse classrooms.

Garfield Survey

Below are Graph 1 (Pre-assessment) and Graph 2 (Post-assessment) of our students’ average scores in each of areas of the Garfield Survey. There was a slight increase from pre to post- assessment in the recreational area for both Candace and Rachel’s classrooms. Since there were only four weeks between pre/post assessments, we feel this jump could have been even further increased with more intervention time. There was little change in our academic area, due to the fact we were focusing on independent/recreational reading, not academic reading. We also noticed a slight change in our average total scores for students, due to the fact that our recreational reading had increased for most students. We did not notice a difference in scores between girls and boys, which we found interesting that both made the same amount of growth.

Pre-Assessment Average Results on Garfield Survey (Graph 1)

[pic]

Post-Assessment Average Results on Garfield Survey (Graph 2)

[pic]

Candace’s Focus Group Garfield Survey

[pic]

According to Candace’s focus group graph, Nathan continued to stay stagnate throughout the four week span, yet Josh and Chelsea made growth. When analyzing this graph’s post data we feel this survey does not show his true growth in motivation. Candace feels this student has made growth in his attitude toward reading and motivation to read based on his scores that were charted from his individual responses. Candace knows he did make major gains throughout, although this graph does not show a change in reading attitude. This was another great reason Candace gained more insight from observations, conferences and her teacher-made surveys. Josh and Chelsea made huge gains in their attitude toward recreational reading, which thus improved their total score.

Rachel’s Focus Group Garfield Survey

[pic]

According to Rachel’s focus group graph, each focus student made slight growth in reading motivation scores. Rachel believes most of this growth was due to all three students enjoying the book talks and peer recommedations of text. She believes that a huge growth in reading attitude was not shown from this survey due to the fact that we had such a short amount of time for interventions and that many days were interrupted by testing. Both CH and FJ were particularly moved by the graphic novels others were reading and nonfictions texts on wars and animals. JJ was very eager to share with her peers and teacher throughout the weeks, due to the fact that she loves to be social. Rachel believes this helped her to increase her enjoyment of texts.

Book Talk Results

To analyze our book talk results, we made note-cards of observations (students and whole class) from each talk and found commonalities to enter into a Wordle. When we began to combine information from our notecards, we made a tally chart of words that we found the most often in our observations. Any words that were discussed or written on notecards three or more times were added to our Wordle. We found that both the middle school students and 4th grade students gravitated to books with humor, graphics, and relationships. We also noticed a common thread of nonfiction for boys, and realistic fiction for girls. Our most frequently observed notes were the words engaged and interest.

[pic]

Results of Independent Reading/Individual Reading Conferences

Informal observations were conducted while students were reading silently and during conferences, either with the teacher or their peers. We both conducted weekly observations on students during silent reading, but placed more focused on less motivated/attention span students. The chart below details behaviors seen from our focus groups during independent reading time. We chose to color code this chart, so it was easier to analyze. You see that most of the students start off with the color red, but ultimately end on green. When deciding on the code colors, a traffic light came to mind. For example, the color red means stop on the traffic light and on the chart red means students were not engaged and they are at a stop.

| |March 28 |April 4 |April 11 |April 18 |

|Nathan |reading on laptop; |rolling on Pilates ball, |Pilates ball; reading a|laying down in floor with|

| |selection about guns; |listening to Twilight, |dirt-bike magazine with|laptop; reading about |

| |sitting on bean-bag chair;|following along in book |teacher assistant-had |military guns on |

| |pretending to read | |to redirect attention; |worldbooksonline; writes |

| | | |excited to share with |down the names of the |

| | | |others |newly learned ones |

|Chelsea |allowed her to read at a |read-aloud is Twilight; |reading on lap top; |sitting on Pilates ball; |

| |table with everyone else; |sat on Pilates ball some |sitting on Pilates; |reading on lap top about |

| |at first trying to talk; |and laid in floor; did |bouncing slightly; |dolphins; elbow on table |

| |got up 2 times within 30 |not talk; participated |reading Harry the Dirty|and head in hands; never |

| |minutes; reading mystery |during book talk |Dog from storyalive; |once calls out |

| |book | |reads it through twice | |

|Josh |Pilates ball; talking to |read-aloud is Twilight; |Pilates ball; reading a|sitting on bean bag |

| |neighbor; reading on |head down on table; moving|martial arts book; |reading a world book of |

| |laptop about |to and from floor; |while reading he tries |records; excited to show |

| |basketball-Kobe Bryant; |bouncing on the Pilates; |doing some of the moves|every picture; gets up |

| |teacher helped to read |randomly kicked; could not|which distracts the |often; talks a lot during|

| | |participate during book |others; he is called |book talk |

| | |talk due to not know what |down many times | |

| | |when on during reading | | |

| |March 28 |April 4 |April 11 |April 18 |

|CH |Read silently only leaving |Read graphic novel and |Read new graphic novel and|Reading graphic novel and |

| |seat once to pick up fallen |turned around once to |participated in book talk |participated in peer |

| |pencil |discuss with another student| |conference |

|FJ |Interrupted someone else’s |Read silently nonfiction |Read nonfiction text on |Gave book talk on civil war |

| |reading twice(given two |text and participated in |civil war (class topic), |text, read silently WWII |

| |warnings)/ unfocused on book |peer conference |very interested |book |

| |choice | | | |

|JJ |Read silently, talked to a |Read silently, talked to a |Read silently and |Reading realistic fiction |

| |peer nearby twice—given a |peer nearby twice |participated in peer |novel that she is very |

| |warning | |conference |engaged in, gave great |

| | | | |detail during book talk |

The next component that goes hand in hand with our informal observations is student-teacher conferences or student-peer conferences. Students were asked to share information about their text and tell about their enjoyment of the text during these conferences. Students were scored on a scale 1-4 for responses. We found this time was students’ most favorite piece of the intervention puzzle. It was their time to shine and share with the teacher one-on-one. As you can see in both tables, Candace and Rachel’s focus group made great progress from beginning to end.

Scale:

1-uninterested in book, lacked detailed information about book, and lacked excitement in sharing

2-partially interested in book, gave minimal details, showed minimal excitement

3-moderately interested in book, gave 3 or more details, showed moderate excitement

4-interested in book, gave many details, showed excitement

Candace’s Focus Group: Conference

| |3/25 |4/1 |4/8 |4/15 |

|Nathan |1 |2 |2 |3 |

|Chelsea |2 |3 |3 |4 |

|Josh |1 |2 |2 |4 |

Rachel’s Focus Group: Conference

| |3/25 |4/1 |4/8 |4/15 |

|CH |2 |2 |3 |3 |

|FJ |2 |3 |3 |4 |

|JJ |2 |3 |4 |4 |

Our focus groups were not the only ones who increased responses from low (1’s and 2’s) to high engagement and positive attitude responses (3’s and 4’s). Everyone in both classes were able to increase their responses and engagement with text. Most students said they rather have a choice to pick what they read during silent reading, many saying because it made it easier to read. For Candace’s students, 1 out 12 said they do not care what they read; they would enjoy it no matter what. Students in both classes asked for individual reading time more often and asked to share with peers each day. All of our conferences showed that choice material made a huge difference in engagement with text and motivation to discuss text with others. Students increased excitement and engagement of responses toward text by week 4, mostly based on choice selections that were catered to their interests. Students enjoyed text with humor, graphic novels, and nonfiction topics. After week four, we decided to ask some post intervention questions to gain further insight into the change in students’ attitude toward reading:

1. How do you feel about silent reading?

2. On a scale 1 to 4 how do you feel about reading now that new things have been added during our reading time?

3. Have you changed as a reader? How?

4. Did you enjoy choosing what you read?

5. What have you enjoyed most about reading over the past weeks?

Dictations taken of Focus Group:

| |Nathan |Chelsea |Josh |CH |FJ |JJ |

|1. How do you feel |I like this better|I like it even|Coolest thing we |I like it better |Its better |I like it! I want|

|about silent reading? |than when we have |more than |do in the |now that we get |because I get to |to read a lot so |

| |to read as a class|before. |classroom now. I|to talk to people|pick books that |I can tell you |

| |because I pick | |love reading from|and share with |my friends like |and my friends |

| |what I want. | |the laptops! |you. |and talk to them |about it. |

| | | | | |about my books. | |

|2. On a scale 1-4, how |A 2.5 because I |I’m giving me |A 3, easy! |3 because I’m |3 because I have |4 because the |

|do you feel about |did not like |a 4. | |reading more. |more time to read|book talks are |

|reading now that new |having to skip | | | |what I want to |fun and I like to|

|ideas have been added |days reading. | | | |read. |share with |

|during our reading | | | | | |everyone. |

|time? | | | | | | |

|3. Have you changed as |I still wouldn’t |Yeah because |Uh, yeah because |I like to read a |I’m a better |I like to read |

|a reader? How? |choose to do it |after this |for once I didn’t|little bit more |reader because I |more because my |

| |over riding my |stuff I want |want to talk to |because I can |get to pick good |friends like me |

| |dirt bike. At |to read more. |people while I |share it with my |books and my |to tell them what|

| |school I won’t | |was trying to |friends more. |friends let me |books are good. |

| |argue about having| |read or listen to| |read theirs too. | |

| |to do it anymore. | |a story. | | | |

|4. Do you enjoy |Yep that was the |Yeah because I|Yes,because what |Yes its more fun.|Yes because I |Yes because I |

|choosing what you read?|best part! |get to make |I read should be | |want to choose |make good |

| | |the decision. |about what I want| |cool stuff. |choices. |

| | | |to learn about | | | |

|5. What have you |I liked picking my|Talking with |The laptops, |I like the book |I like when |.I like talking |

|enjoyed most about |own book, talking |everyone and |talking with |talks and telling|people tell me |to you and my |

|reading over the past |with you and my |sitting on the|friends, and the |people about my |about their books|friends about my |

|weeks? |buddies. I know |balls. I |ball |choices |because sometimes|good books. |

| |every guy I told |would get | | |I’ve never seen | |

| |about the military|sucked into | | |that book before.| |

| |guns article that |what I was | | | | |

| |I read on the |reading and at| | | | |

| |laptops wanted to |times I would | | | | |

| |read about it. |stop and find | | | | |

| | |myself just | | | | |

| | |bouncing away.| | | | |

From this focus group chart of post-question answers, you will see that students responded positively to the changes in reading instruction. These interventions were simple to implement, but did make a huge difference in attitude and responses toward reading independently.

General Results

Based on all of the data collected from both of our classrooms, we were able to make some general statements about the change in reading motivation in our classrooms. We found that students had an increased desire to read independently and asked for silent reading time daily. When student came in the room, they wanted to know if they would have time to read their choice texts so that they could later sign up to share the book through a book talk. The book talks and conferences made a huge difference in socially affecting reading motivation change. Since we both teach upper level students, we knew these opportunities would help to increase reading motivation because they are so interested in their peers choices. They took the book talks very seriously and made sure they were prepared to “sell” their book to their peers.

We also noticed overall students’ eagerness to read gradually increased over data collection period and observed attention span increased. Most students were in the 3 to 4 response range during our last week of individual conferences. Through student conferences, comprehension skills were elevated by increased participation with peers and teacher based on their books. They knew they had to be prepared to answer questions about their text and reasons for choosing the book they did. This intrinsic motivation helped students to become “lost” in text during reading time.

Our students all thoroughly enjoyed one-on-one conferencing with teacher and peers in order to express their interpretation of the text. Our students are very social, and felt more accountable for their reading process when they knew they could share the text with others. Students continually asked to share their text with the teacher, even on non-conference days.

Discussion

Based on our continued discussion and reflection throughout this research project, we found many ways to apply the information for future classrooms. During our online and collaborative pre-research, we found many reading motivation strategies that would be useful and simple to infuse into our diverse classroom environments. We hoped to share these ideas and understandings with colleagues and graduate peers so they could be applied easily into all classrooms.

Through research, we found that giving students the freedom of choice on what they read was (and still is) the key source in gaining reading motivation. Our data shows that students have increased their desire to read and eagerness to participate in reading activities over the course of our 4-week intervention. If students are given an option to read the text they choose they will be more engaged in their reading. The interventions that have been provided are positive changes affecting life-long dislike of reading. In both classrooms we saw a quick transition of attitude based on interventions. This is often hard to change, especially for students in middle school that have struggled with reading since a young age. We were very surprised at their eagerness to try something new and embrace the opportunity to share their text with peers.

Throughout the duration of our data collection we saw a quick change of student attitude and eagerness to read independently when implementing our strategies. Also, the Pilate balls in Candace’s classroom were, and continue to be, a huge success for those students who struggle to pay attention. The Pilate balls are now used throughout all instruction.

We feel as though the book talks and individual conferences have been vital to gaining interest and involvement in reading. Through book talks and peer collaboration students were able to gain helpful insight about books. The book talks helped students to build excitement and engagement, which were ultimately motivated by peer selections. This collaboration is vital in Candace’s classroom. Many times special needs students have trouble engaging in discussion and being able to continue the conversation. Also, the girls and boys typically do not choose to talk with each other. But, through book talks this group of students was mingling freely back and forth having in depth discussions about books they were reading. In Rachel’s classroom, students have become very social due to their developmental age. By giving students an opportunity to talk and walk about the room to discuss texts, students were much more likely to be engaged in their text. Lastly, students really enjoyed having student-teacher conferences. Through student conferences, comprehension skills were elevated by increased participation with peers and teacher. Students thoroughly enjoyed one-on-one conferencing with teacher and peers in order to express their interpretation of the text. Students at all ages crave attention from their peers and teachers, so these interventions made each student feel as if they were a valuable piece of our reading instruction.

In the end books of our intervention process, books had consistently begun to fly off our shelves! It was remarkable to see your students begging you to read during class time and to see how disappointed they would become if reading time ran out. We had high hopes for our interventions, but they did pass our expectations. We did not find any students who were not in some way motivated by the changes we had made to our classroom, some were more than others, but we felt if we had more time complete our study we might see more of a change for all students. Due to many interruptions, testing and end of year activities, we felt that our changes could have even further improved attitude and reading success.

Future Direction

As a result of our research project, we plan to implement an independent reading center using choice as part of our daily-guided reading program. This will be introduced at the beginning of the year and continued throughout the year. Students will be required to set goals for themselves as readers. These goals will be revisited every nine weeks where they can be revised if necessary. All goals they set must be reasonable and reachable goals. This independent reading time with choice texts will help to keep students motivated to continue their reading at home.

We would like to continue the use of our individual reading conferences. So often, teachers cut out these conferences due to time constraints and need to carry through the curriculum. We feel these conferences are too important to force out during reading instruction. They gave us powerful insight into individual students needs and interests, and helped us to gain a special relationship of trust with each student. We would like to create a rotation and checklist for future classrooms so that we can make sure each student gets one-on-one time and we have questions to keep the conversation going.

We would also like to continue to implement weekly book talks as a reading strategy to build enthusiasm throughout the year and in future years. These talks proved to be a valuable resource for students to self-motivate and motivate their peers through recommendation of book choices. This also provides a great model of successful readers. We also want to be sure that we use our knowledge gained from parent/student interest surveys at beginning of year to aid book interests/reading backgrounds. These surveys will help us to further our use of student choice ideas for locating books of high interest/low level. They will also help us to build our classroom library and locate resources that will engage students.

Another area of future interest is to study other techniques for students who have attention/motivation issues. Many teachers at Candace’s middle school have shown interest in our research ever since seeing a classroom full of Pilate balls. Also, Candace is on a Struggling Readers Committee at work where she will share her results with other peers so that they too may help students rediscover reader motivation. Rachel wants to make sure there is more time for movement and social partnerships in her classroom so that students have a chance to use their energy efficiently. We hope to help to eliminate or control these behaviors so that students are able to focus on their enjoyment of reading.

Our research has proven that the constant search for resources, ideas, tools, and collaboration of teacher and student is the best way to improve the classroom environment. We hope to continue to use this research model, and our current interventions, to help all level readers to improve and become successful.

References

Barber, S., Franks, S., Madda, F., & Rodriguez, A. (2002). Increasing Student Motivation To Improve Reading Performance.

Borgia, L., & Owles, C. (Summer2010). Creating Engaged Readers. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 38(3), 43-48.

Brewster, C., Fager, J., & Laboratory, N. R. E. (2000). Increasing student engagement and motivation: From time-on-task to homework. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.

Capen, R. (Fall2010). The Role of the Teacher and Classroom Environment in Reading Motivation. Illinois Reading Council Journal, 38(4), 20-25.

Gambrell, L. B. (1996). Creating classroom cultures that foster reading motivation. The Reading Teacher, 50(1), 14–25.

Gustafson, C., Baxter, K. A., Kochel, M. A., & Kenney, B. (2007). Reading Motivation Through Competition: Boys as Readers. Year: 2007, 269.

Guthrie, J. T., Wigfield, A., Humenick, N. M., Perencevich, K. C., Taboada, A., & Barbosa, P. (2006). Influences of Stimulating Tasks on Reading Motivation and Comprehension. Journal of Educational Research, 99(4), 232-245.

Reading Rockets: Reading Motivation: What the Research Says. (n.d.). . Retrieved April 11, 2011, from

Online Resources for Read Aloud







................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download