Sunday, April 18, 2010

Nicole Milks, individual post

The following is an analysis of a study by Harrison, entitled, Improve the Reading Motivation of Third-Grade Children with Extra Time, Encouragement and Choice.
The study was conducted because the writer saw that students in the third grade were not reading for pleasure and the writer was concerned by the “ineffectual value placed on reading by third-grade
students” (Harrison, 1994, p.11). Their lack of motivation to read contributes to their low reading scores,
which is evidenced by the results of the IOWA test, which showed that “12 out of 39 students were on the
remedial reading list” (Harrison, 1994, p.11).
The results of the survey correlate with the number of students, 12, who were on the remedial reading list in that most often eleven students responded negatively to the questions. This shows me that the student’s performance in the area of reading was most likely related to their attitude about reading.
The cause of the problem was identified as students lacking belief in their abilities. The students felt poorly about their reading ability and therefore did not enjoy nor choose to read. A possible reason for this being a lack of literate home environment; students are not exposed to literature at home and do not see it as an important or enjoyable skill.
In order to motivate students to enjoy reading and read for pleasure the study recommends that students be read aloud to at home and in the classroom. They recommend having guest readers come into the classroom to make reading fun and exciting. Additionally, the findings promote allowing children to be a storyteller within the classroom. The teacher must work with the students and teach them how to be a storyteller. Storytelling is motivating because students enjoy it and will prepare to do so which encourages students to reread familiar texts, a proven strategy for improving reading fluency.
The study also suggests surrounding students with books that the find interesting and exciting in order to motivate them to read. Students respond to how the teacher feels about reading and how it is presented in the classroom, which is why the study recommends that the teacher present each story as an exciting new adventure for the reader. Doing such things as keeping new stories a secret until they are introduced will build up excitement in the reader.

The following is an analysis of a study entitled Improving Attitudes in Reading through Multiple
Instructional Strategies in an At-Risk Environment, by Bauer & Lupo.
This study found that sixty three percent of the students at the school were reading below Illinois
state standards. They targeted second, fourth and sixth graders. The study sights lack of parental
involvement, lack of literature in the home, low motivation, and inconsistent reading programs
throughout the school as reasons why students are performing one to two levels below grade level. I will
be focusing on the results of the second graders.
The study suggests motivating students through the use of read-alouds and storytelling, which allows teachers and parents to model fluent reading. Another suggestion is to motivate students through incentive programs where they work to earn rewards. This goes hand in hand with goal setting, which is a great motivational tool for readers. Lastly, the study recommends having students share what they are reading with other students. Some ways of doing this are having students create posters and displays for the classroom as well as by having students discuss what they are reading with the class.

Following is an analysis of the study entitled Improving Elementary School Students' Attitudes
toward Voluntary Reading, by Haverty & And.
This study surveyed Kindergarten, First, Second and Sixth grade students. I will focus on the results of the second grade class. The reason given for lack of motivation in reading is that
students do not see it as a priority. They felt it was only linked to schoolwork and took up too much time, time that could be spent watching television or playing games. The study also found that students were not effectively having reading modeled for them in the home or in the classroom and were not being exposed to a wide variety of reading materials.
In order to motivate the students the study recommended read-alouds in the classroom as well as in the home. They recommend peer tutoring to improve reading skills and motivation. Additionally, using a center based approach to reading in order to make reading more exciting.
Some other suggestions that they had to motivate students were to use reading incentives, such as rewards programs where students set goals and receive recognition and or rewards when they meet their goals. Also, allowing students to choose which texts they will read. When given choice students are motivated because they feel empowered and they tend to choose texts that interest them. Finally, they recommend improving reading skills as a way to motivate students to read.

Overall, the studies found that most students in second grade had a positive view of reading. The students in third grade, however, had a more negative outlook on reading. Of the thirty-four students who participated, at least ten responded negatively to each question posed. The reason for this could be that when students are in second grade they are still reading to learn, but as they enter third grade the focus shifts to reading to learn. It is a new experience for the students and they are not given as much support with reading as they were in the younger grades.
The three studies had some common motivational methods that they recommended using. They include the use of read-alouds, storytelling, supplying students with a variety of reading materials and allowing them choice in what they read. An incentives program was also recommended.
In our school students have been doing readers theater and it is very motivating to them. They practice and enjoy performing. Our school is also implementing reading centers for K-2 and when they are organized and prepared in advance, they do encourage and excite students. A Kindergarten teacher even shared with me, on a day when they didn’t do centers, a student asked why they had not done centers because he looked forward to and enjoyed that time.
I teach reading to students in first through fifth grade. The majority of the students I work with are in First and Second grade. Of those students, most of them are in the Initial Reading or Decoding stage of reading, stage 1. Most of the students know the consonant sounds, vowel sounds, most digraphs and blends and are able to blend sounds to form words. They are able to recognize some sight words.
In order to keep my students motivated I give them stickers if they achieve their goal for the day. Then on Fridays, if they’ve had a good week, they get to pick from the treasure chest. My students are very motivated by receiving rewards. They are also motivated by praise which is why when they line up to leave my room we discuss the things they did well and then they can choose to give me a hug, a handshake or a high-five. It is very rare that I encounter a student who does not look forward to this ritual. In fact, if I am in a hurry and forget, my students are sure to remind me. I had previously tried using a sticker chart, but it didn’t work because the students needed instant rewards, which is why I give them stickers daily. If they do something really great or they had been working really hard at a particular skill and they are able to do it, I reward them with smarties, because they are a smarty. They love it. Another strategy that has worked for me is having students repeat a little saying, no word will defeat me, when they are feeling frustrated. This has been very successful and now I don’t have to say it they do that on their own. Students even tell other students, remember, no word will defeat you, when they see them struggling.
Another motivational strategy that I employ in my room is read-alouds. Students love listening to a story, especially when I use different voices for the characters and make it really exciting. The way I do a read-aloud, depending on the reason for the read-aloud, is often more like a storyteller. I will usually give the students a choice of which book they’d like me to read, which motivates them as well. Something else that I do to motivate students is to try to make the activities into games, or to actually use games to teach specific skills. I find that students love BINGO which can be used to teach sight words, digraphs, blends, consonants, and vowels.

References:
Haverty, L., & And, O. (1996, April 1). Improving Elementary School Students' Attitudes toward Voluntary Reading. Retrieved from ERIC database.
Bauer, D., & Lupo, J. (2001, May 1). Improving Attitudes in Reading through Multiple Instructional Strategies in an At-Risk Environment. Retrieved from ERIC database.
Harrison, I. (1994, January 1). Improve the Reading Motivation of Third-Grade Children with Extra Time, Encouragement and Choice. Retrieved from ERIC database.

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