Data Collection Methods!

            Several instruments are being used in order to collect the proper data. To measure the impact the HELPS, repeated reading, and the decodable readers have on student reading attitude, I am using the Garfield Reading Survey. This instrument will been given to the students at the beginning and end of the study. In this survey, the students have to circle the Garfield character that corresponds to their feelings about reading. There are four Garfield characters given for each question. This ranges from an excited Garfield to an unhappy Garfield. There are twenty questions on the survey.

           This Elementary Reading Attitude Survey (ERAS) can be given to an entire class in a short amount of time. This is one reason why I have chosen to use this survey. It is also very kid-friendly for my first grade students. The teacher begins by familiarizing the students with the instrument and the purpose of giving it. Next, the teacher reads the items aloud twice as the students mark their responses based on their feelings. Each item is assigned a range of points and a scoring sheet can be used to determine recreational and academic motivation (McKenna & Kear, 1990). This survey is ideal because it is free and easy to assess. It is important to measure students’ reading attitudes as this can affect fluency in students. Marshall and Rossman (2006) bring up an important point when they state, “In using questionnaires, researchers rely totally on the honesty and accuracy of participants’ responses” (p.125). I will be measuring the students reading attitudes to see if it corresponds with fluency rates. 

 Link to Garfield Survey

            

           I will be using AIMSweb R-CBM fluency passages with the students every two weeks. This is simply a short reading passage that is on grade level that the students read out loud to the teacher. The teacher marks the students miscues and totals the students words read correctly per minute (WCPM). The students in my study will be tested on Fridays. Students are all given the same passage each time they are tested. I have chosen to use this instrument because the R-CBM passages allow me to check for gains and errors in fluency every two weeks. It is also important to note that “more than 30 years of research has shown that listening to a child read graded passages aloud for one minute and calculating the number of words read correct per minute provides a highly reliable and valid measure of general reading achievement, including comprehension”(AIMSweb, 2012). It is a quick way to assess the students when not a lot of extra time is available in the classroom to pull students one-on-one. I can easily see how many words the students are able to read in one minute. The passages used come from the AIMSweb probes which can be found on the AIMSweb website. This method is ideal because I already use the AIMSweb program in the classroom to track the RTI students so this assessment goes along with what we are already doing in class. Most of the students are comfortable and familiar with these reading passages. It also allows me to create graphs on the computer in order to easily track the students’ fluency progress. Below is an example of an AIMSweb passage:

   

           I have pulled demographic information in order to place the students into one of three groups. I have been able to access this information online using Infinite Campus. I used Infinite Campus because all of the student’s demographic information is organized and easy to access. I have split up RTI and RTA (Read to Achieve) students so they were not all placed in the same group. I distributed males and females evenly amongst the groups. I also split up my four students that have speech IEP’s. Since all students speak English, race wasn’t a factor when splitting up groups. I split up the groups in this manner so that I would gather accurate results. If I developed groups based on ability level, I wouldn’t be able to accurately see which fluency method is more helpful and effective to use in the classroom.

            Running records are being used with the students in the small group sessions. These reading passages allow us to practice fluency and it allows me to study gains and errors within groups. I can see patterns of miscues so that I know what to work on with the students. Running records are ideal because it allows me to track fluency rates which is what I am studying within my groups. Also, the HELPS passages can be accessed free of cost. I have accessed these reading passages from the HELPS Program and the ReadingA-Z website. The HELPS group will receive the reading passages that go along with the HELPS Program. These passages start simple and get harder as the child progresses through the program. The running record is specific as the directions instruct the teacher to slash errors on the child’s first reading of the passage, underline errors on the second reading, and to circle the errors the third time the child reads the passage. The repeated reading group will receive reading passages from the ReadingA-Z website. It is necessary to have a subscription to this website. On this site, leveled fluency passages can be accessed with a printable running record sheet that goes with the passage. I have pulled fluency passages from this website that are on a mid-first grade year level. Both the HELPS Program and ReadingA-Z will allow me to have access to grade appropriate reading passages. 

Reading A-Z Fluency Passages- Need Membership 

HELPS Program- Free Download of Materials 

            I will observe the participants in their groups. Observing is important because “participant observation is both an overall approach to inquiry and a data-gathering method” (Marshall and Rossman, p.100). The researcher spends a considerable amount of time in the setting. Along with marking student miscues on running records, I will be looking for student behavior patterns. Rossman and Rallis (2003) state, “Observations signal participants’ emotions, attention and interest, authenticity, and fatigue” (p.173). It is important as a researcher to be aware of the surroundings, especially when I am looking at reading attitudes.

            The STAR Reading Enterprise assessments will be used in this study to determine the students’ reading levels at the beginning and end of the study. This test is being used in order to help determine whether or not the fluency activities had a significant impact on student’s reading levels. The test is on the computer and can be accessed through the Renaissance Learning website. As the students are taking the test, the questions adjust to the student’s ability level (Renaissance Learning, 2013). The students have to be able to read at an independent level to receive a score on this assessment, as nothing is read to them. The program initially gives the students a practice test with five questions and if the student does poorly on this section, the test will end and the student will not be able to move on to the main part of the assessment. With laptops available for each student, the entire class can take the test in just a matter of twenty minutes. The STAR Test is ideal because it is fast, easy to administer, and allows you to see a variety of data within the students score (Renaissance Learning, 2013). 

         

 STAR

  

         As you can see, many different methods are being used to collect data in the classroom. Rossman and Rallis (2003) state it well when they say, “Gathering data is a discovery process” (p.172). All of these methods are used in order to attempt to accurately measure improvements in reading fluency and to measure changes in students’ reading attitudes.

             

Works Cited

AIMSweb. (2012). Reading assessment resource for educators. Retrieved from http://www.aimsweb.com/products/features/assessments/reading-cbm

Marshall, C. & Rossman, G.B. (2006). Designing qualitative research, (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.

McKenna, M. C., & Kear, D. J. (1990). Measuring attitude toward reading: A new tool for teachers. 1-16. Retrieved from http://www.professorgarfield.org/parents_teachers/printables/pdfs/reading/readingsurvey.pdf

Renaissance Learning. (2013). Star reading enterprize. Retrieved from http://www.renlearn.com/sr/default.aspx

Rossman, G.B. & Rallis, S.F. (2003). Learning in the field: An introduction to qualitative research. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.