What data collection methods were used and why?
nMany data collection methods were used throughout the implementation of the action research. To collect baseline data, the researcher conducted the Words Their Way Spelling Inventory with all students, recorded the current Fountas and Pinnell Text Level of the students, and conducted student interviews about reading. These data collection methods were used again at the end of the study. Throughout the study, weekly phonics tests from Reading Street curriculum were administered as well as weekly running records on each student. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data were used to gather a full picture of the effects of the research. The Words Their Way Spelling Inventory, Fountas and Pinnell Text Levels, and Reading Street weekly phonics tests were the quantitative data used to gather specific percentages of growth. Student Reading Interviews and weekly running records were qualitative data used to gather observations.
Words Their Way Spelling Inventory
I gave my students the Words Their Way Spelling Inventory in January before the action research began and again eight weeks later when the action research was done. In that time every single student in my class except for one grew in their spelling skills. The one student who did not see growth in their overall spelling score did see growth in specific spelling patterns like short vowels. This student went down in a few skills he had previously mastered (getting 7 out of 7 correct on the first inventory) like consonants, blends, and common long vowels. This student sees the reading specialist every day but struggles to retain skills long term. This program was not the most effective for this particular student due to the fast pace and little time to review previously taught skills. The class average for the feature points (total points earned on the inventory) was 35.07 in January and 38.99 by March. The most significant growth was seen in short vowels, digraphs, blends, and inflected endings. I believe the growth in short vowels is due to Reading Horizons. While each of the 30 videos focuses on one skill, every video and practice reinforces vowel sounds. Every word that students were asked to code had one or more vowels in it and they had to decide whether it was short or long and why. Digraphs, blends, and inflected endings are newer skills in first grade so this program just reinforced and practiced these skills frequently, helping my students to remember them for the second inventory.
Fountas and Pinnell Reading Level
Fountas and Pinnel is a guided reading program based on texts leveled A-Z, with A being used for beginning readers and progressing in difficulty. Students were measured on a three-point scale including hard (the student was not ready for this text yet), instructional (the student was ready to practice this level with instruction from the teacher), and independent (the student could successfully read this level by themselves). Students were measured on fluency, accuracy, and comprehension. Fountas and Pinnell reading levels are tracked throughout the year with a student's level determining the level of instruction they receive for guided reading every day. I recorded students' reading levels at the beginning of the study and again eight weeks later at the end and every single student made growth in that time. The growth ranged from one to three reading levels. Prior to starting this study, my students were typically growing about one reading level every quarter or 10 weeks (students on or below level) or one reading level every semester or 20 weeks (students above level). Many of my students doubled that growth in just eight weeks of the action research.
Student Reading Interviews
Do you like reading?
Why?
"You get to explore a new world" |
"It makes my brain grow a whole lot" |
"I like to take myself on an adventure. I like to see all of the books I can read."
"I love everything about reading." |
"Because you learn and get smarter." |
"I like to learn about a long time ago." |
"When I grow up I'm going to be able to read to my kids."
In the pre-interviews, only one students stated a dislike for reading because "you have to read a lot" and "sometimes you can't figure out the words." I was excited to hear that twelve of my students already had a love for reading and I focused on building confidence in this one student throughout the implementation, as well as reinforcing the confidence in the rest of my students. This student was easily distracted and had trouble focusing on one thing for a long period of time. I could tell this was affecting his opinion of reading because he had to sustain effort for an extended period of time while reading. About halfway through the implementation, this student was diagnosed with ADHD and was put on medication to help manage it. Since his diagnosis, focusing has become much easier for this student and I have seen his confidence and love for reading grow. In the post-interview, he stated that he "liked reading if he knows all of the words." This informed me that while he has grown so much as a reader, I need to continue building his confidence in reading so he feels prepared to take on challenging books with words he does not know.
What do you do when you come across a tricky word?
In the pre-interview, students identified 4 strategies that they used to solve a tricky word when reading. In the post-interview 5 strategies were identified with 3 of the same strategies and 2 different strategies. The percentage of students using the strategy increased for Sound It Out and Context Clues in the post interview. The most significant increases occurred in Sound It Out and Try It Again. Sound It Out went from 73% of students reporting use to 93% of students reporting use. I think this increase is due to the implementation of the direct phonics program, Reading Horizons. Before the action research began, I was using Fountas and Pinnell for guided reading, which is a meaning-based program. There were not code-based programs or strategies in place. The implementation of a code-based program made students more confident in their ability to sound out words. I think the combination of Fountas and Pinnell meaning-based program and Reading Horizons code-based program accounts for the increase in the strategy Try It Again. Before the action research, students often tried one strategy to solve an unknown word and if they were not successful they would give up or ask for help. With an arsenal of code-based and meaning-based strategies, students knew more than one strategy to try to solve the word and were willing to persist at solving it themselves.
How do you feel about yourself as a reader?
Before implementing the reading strategies, I had two students who were nervous or unsure of themselves as readers. One was the previously mentioned student who did not like reading and the other was the student reading at the lowest level in my class. In the first semester of the year, I had not seen a lot of growth from these two students in reading (one or two reading levels). This lack of progress was sure to affect their confidence in reading. After the two months of the implementation of the reading strategies, both of these two reported higher confidence in reading, using phrases like "awesome" and "I'm getting better." The first student mentioned grew 4 feature points in the Words Their Way Spelling Inventory and increased by two reading levels. The second student increased by 8 feature points in the Words Their Way Spelling Inventory and moved up three reading levels. These two students made some of the highest growth in the class and I believe their increased confidence is due to the rapid growth they made in those two short months of implementation.