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Pub Date: |
2013-05-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Dissertations/Theses; Tests/Questionnaires |
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Descriptors:
Reading Difficulties; Student Behavior; Elementary School Students; Grade 4; Middle School Students; Grade 7; Action Research; Teacher Researchers; Educational Strategies; Interest Inventories; Student Empowerment; Reading Material Selection; Relevance (Education); Content Area Reading; Student Interests; Social Experience; Books; Clubs; Reading Achievement; Parent Influence; Questionnaires; Check Lists; Learner Engagement; Reading Materials; Reader Text Relationship; Instructional Effectiveness; Modeling (Psychology); Role Models
Abstract:
The purpose of this action research project report was to increase engagement during independent reading for 32 fourth-grade students and 26 seventh-grade science students. At Site A, data was collected from August 27, 2012 through December 14, 2012. At Site B, data was collected from September 24, 2012 through December 14, 2012. Students' struggles with engagement during independent reading were apparent through observation of off-task reading behaviors. These behaviors included but were not limited to staring at books, flipping through pages, and browsing bookshelves. To document evidence of the problem, Teacher Researchers A and B used a Student Questionnaire, Reading Disengagement Checklist, Parent Questionnaire, and Teacher Questionnaire. To document evidence of the problem Teacher Researcher C used a Journaling Framework. Teacher Researchers A and B found the most prevalent off-task behavior revealed during pre-documentation was staring at books and flipping through pages (n = 17, 33%). Also results from the Student Questionnaire showed that students were only sometimes able to choose reading material at their level (n = 16, 52%), which could have affected students' abilities to engage during independent reading. Due to a change in school, subject, and grade level, Teacher Researcher C altered her project and used a Journaling Framework to reflect on feelings, thoughts, and student behaviors during pre-documentation. Teacher Researchers A and B implemented teacher conferencing, teacher modeling, and student choice. Teacher conferencing was conducted once a week during the daily reading block, which included individual conferencing with students, and students engaging in book talks with their peers. Teacher modeling included independently reading alongside students as a means of modeling reading behavior. Student choice involved opportunities to choose their independent reading material. Teacher Researcher C implemented teacher modeling and vocabulary development strategies. Teacher modeling encompassed demonstrating for students how to use non-fiction text features and think-aloud strategies. Vocabulary development strategies incorporated semantic mapping and Venn-diagrams. At the conclusion of the study, 59% (n=19) of students reported that they loved to read independently. The data also revealed that staring at books and flipping through pages had the largest decrease in off-task behaviors students exhibited from pre- to post- documentation. In conclusion, Teacher Researchers A and B found that teacher conferencing, modeling reading behaviors, and student choice in reading materials played an integral role in students' reading engagement. Due to changes of academic placement, Teacher Researcher C discovered more about classroom management than the original project intention of independent reading and engagement. The following are appended: (1) Student Questionnaire; (2) Reading Disengagement Checklist; (3) Parent Questionnaire; (4) Teacher Questionnaire; (5) Journaling Framework; (6) Non-Fiction Text Feature Scavenger Hunt; (7) Semantic Mapping; (8) Lost Headings; (9) Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration Venn-diagram; (10) Jumbled Summary; and (11) Think-aloud Strategy Chart. (Contains 8 tables and 27 figures.)
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Pub Date: |
2012-10-23 |
Pub Type(s): |
Numerical/Quantitative Data; Reports - Research |
Peer Reviewed: |
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Descriptors:
Library Services; Public Libraries; Young Adults; Research Needs; Reading Habits; Adolescents; High School Students; College Students; Electronic Libraries; Handheld Devices; Reading Material Selection; National Surveys; Telecommunications; Computers; Newspapers; Periodicals; Assignments; School Libraries
Abstract:
More than eight in ten Americans between the ages of 16 and 29 read a book in the past year, and six in ten used their local public library. At the youngest end of the spectrum, high schoolers in their late teens (ages 16-17) and college-aged young adults (ages 18-24) are especially likely to have read a book or used the library in the past 12 months. And although their library usage patterns may often be influenced by the requirements of school assignments, their interest in the possibilities of mobile technology may also point the way toward opportunities of further engagement with libraries later in life. The Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project has taken a special look at readers between the ages of 16 and 29 because interest in them is especially high in the library world and the publishing world. This report examines how they encounter and consume books in different formats. It flows out of a larger effort to assess the reading habits of all Americans ages 16 and older as e-books change the reading landscape and the borrowing services of libraries. The main findings in this report, including all statistics and quantitative data, are from a nationally-representative phone survey of 2,986 people ages 16 and older that was administered from November 16-December 21, 2011. This report also contains the voices and insights of an online panel of library patrons ages 16-29 who borrow e-books, fielded in the spring of 2012. Among the main findings: (1) 83% of Americans between the ages of 16 and 29 read a book in the past year; (2) Among Americans who read e-books, those under age 30 are more likely to read their e-books on a cell phone (41%) or computer (55%) than on an e-book reader such as a Kindle (23%) or tablet (16%); (3) Overall, 47% of younger Americans read long-form e-content such as books, magazines or newspapers; (4) 60% of Americans under age 30 used the library in the past year; (5) Many of these young readers do not know they can borrow an e-book from a library, and a majority of them express the wish they could do so on pre-loaded e-readers; (6) High schoolers (ages 16-17) are especially reliant on the library for their reading and research needs; (7) College-aged adults (ages 18-24) show interesting shifts in their reading habits compared with high schoolers (ages 16-17); and (8) Adults in their late twenties (ages 25-29) exhibit different patterns when compared with younger age groups. (Contains 2 tables and 22 footnotes.)
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Pub Date: |
2012-11-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive |
Peer Reviewed: |
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Descriptors:
State Standards; Writing Skills; High School Graduates; Elementary Secondary Education; State Departments of Education; Librarians; Academic Standards; Role; School Libraries; Reading Skills; Library Materials; Reading Material Selection; Job Skills; Standard Setting
Abstract:
The gap between the reading and writing skills of high school graduates and the demands of freshman college coursework and employers was one of the greatest concerns when the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers were developing the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (CCSS-ELA). A particular concern was that many high school graduates could not read and comprehend the texts required to learn and perform, whether in coursework or the workplace. The authors of the Common Core State Standards were faced with the challenge of addressing this gap in a concrete and vivid way. They, along with the many teachers, curriculum developers, and others wanted a way to describe a set of goals for students in terms of the degree of difficulty and sophistication of the texts they should learn to comprehend by the end of their K-12 years. However, there was great concern that the best known, most widely used traditional quantitative tools for measuring and describing the degree of difficulty of a given text were inadequate in the K-12 instructional environment. In response, the authors developed the concept of "text complexity." Text complexity includes both the traditional quantitative measures of readability or text difficulty, but also adds two other equally important or even more significant approaches to evaluating the level and appropriateness of a given text for use in K-12 instruction. The two additional parts of the Standards' model of text complexity are "qualitative measures of text complexity" and "reader and task considerations." The sophisticated and deep knowledge found in texts, books, and other resources require children to effectively apply the CCSS-ELA model of text complexity. It is because of these complex demands of CCSS-ELA that school librarians are absolutely essential to the successful selection of appropriate texts. State departments of education, district superintendents, curriculum developers, principals, and teachers should recognize this need, and school librarians have an opportunity to rise to the challenge. (Contains 1 figure.)
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Pub Date: |
2012-12-00 |
Pub Type(s): |
Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive |
Peer Reviewed: |
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Descriptors:
Adolescents; World Literature; Multiple Literacies; Reading Assignments; Reading Interests; Books; Reading Material Selection; Adolescent Literature; Student Participation; Inquiry; Literacy Education; Educational Technology
Abstract:
Since 2009, the author has been using an activity that she calls "book tasting" to help teens select books for independent reading assignments. While she is sure she is not the first to do this kind of activity, the term "book tasting" seems to appeal to the teens. Book tasting has been extremely successful in pairing up students with texts that speak to their interests. The author's primary teaching partner in book tasting has been Susan Lester and her 10th grade Honors World Literature/Composition students. Susan and her class have been part of the Media 21 cohort, an approach to participatory learning that emphasizes an inquiry stance on learning and multiple literacies. In conclusion, everyone in the Media 21 learning community was happy with the way the book tasting played out. Students had room for choice, discovery, and exploration without any organizational structures that were overly fussy or complicated. While the author implemented this activity with teen readers, it can easily be adapted to any age group or library setting. (Contains 2 figures.)
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