Beth N. Davis' ARP

1. Succeeding in Reading
A Practical Analysis of Student Choice in
the Reading Classroom
Beth N. Davis
University of Maryland University College
EDTP 645 Subject Methods and Assessments
November 2013
Professor: Dr. John P. Sullivan

2. Succeeding in Reading: Introduction
Reading Below Proficient Level:
68% of Grade 8 students
64% of Grade 12 students
Writing Below Proficient Level:
69% of Grade 8 students
77% of Grade 12 students

3. Succeeding in Reading: Background
Disengaged, inactive
students show little
success on standardized
tests, often fail to meet
school/curriculum
standards.
Kelly Gallagher asserts that in
order to foster success in
reading, educators must
validate the literacy choices
made by students.

4. Succeeding in Reading: Background
Whole Class Novel
Student Choice

5. Succeeding in Reading: Purpose

6. Succeeding in Reading: Research Questions
Primary Research Question:
Will students who chose their
reading materials for Language Arts
class be more successful than those
who are assigned specific reading
material for the same class?

7. Succeeding in Reading: Research Questions
Secondary Research Questions:
Will students who read material that they have chosen read for longer periods of
time (quantitatively)?
Will students who read material that they have chosen read more books
(quantitatively)?
Will students who read material that they have chosen participate more often in
classroom discussions?
Will students who read material that they have chosen have higher quality
classroom participation?
Will students who read material that they have chosen score higher on final
projects?

8. Succeeding in Reading: Impact and Context
So?
Where’s the
Research?

9. Succeeding in Reading: Literature Review
Three Specific Points:
Student success in reading is crucial.
Student engagement increases success.
Student choice increases engagement.

10. Succeeding in Reading: Literature Review
Student success is crucial.
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International Reading Association (Moore et al., 1999, p. 4)
Act and Key’s Analysis of No Child Left Behind
Biancarosa’s commentary on secondary education
Combined with Act and Key’s notes underline this importance.
Engage in order to develop skills.
Student reading success impacts other classes as well.
Indicate students’ college preparedness
Middle and high school can help students improve reading even
after the formative years.

11. Succeeding in Reading: Literature Review
Student engagement increases
success.
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Student skill will not increase without engagement.
Students who are not engage will not realize their potential.
Student engagement levels affect student progress.
External motivation is not strong enough in adolescents.
Interest is key.
Successful reading = proficient reading
Interest=Frequency
Student Discipline is lower for engaged students.
Engagement predicted success in students
Teaching to the test lowers engagement

12. Succeeding in Reading: Literature Review
Student choice increases
engagement.
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Garet asserts that limited choices help engage students.
Student choice helps students get
How do you make shared tome interesting?
Fostering a lifelong love of reading

13. Succeeding in Reading: Literature Review
CHOICE = ENGAGEMENT
ENGAGEMENT = SUCCESS
Does this mean that
CHOICE = SUCCESS?
Let’s find out…

14. Succeeding in Reading: Methods
Florida Virtual School
9th/10th Grade Students
th Grade Level
9
Individual Student Success on
Final Classroom Activities

15. Succeeding in Reading: Methods
Group A=Control Group
Assigned Materials
Group B= Experimental Group
Encouraged to select their own material

16. Succeeding in Reading: Methods
Data Collection:
Student Questionnaire
Reading Logs (Minutes and Material Recorded)
Participation Log (Quantity and Quality)
Written Piece at the End of the Unit
Student Testimonials (video or written pieces)

17. Succeeding in Reading: Methods
Data Analysis:
Student Questionnaire
Reading Logs (Minutes and Material
Recorded)
Participation Log (Quantity and Quality)
Written Piece at the End of the Unit
Student Testimonials (video or written pieces)

18. Succeeding in Reading: Study Results & Implications
Findings:
Students in the Choice Group Read More Often
Students in the Choice Group engaged more in
classroom discussion (quality and quantity)
Students in both groups performed equally as well
on the end of unit assignment.
Students in the choice group reported more
engagement.

19. Succeeding in Reading: Reflection
Not a stark difference
More time needed
Face to face classroom
Surprised by end results

20. Succeeding in Reading: Reflection
Future Studies

22. References
Act, L. B., & Key, N. Q. (2008). Implementing the No Child Left Behind Act: Using Student
Engagement to Improve Adolescent Literacy NCREL Quick Key 10 Action Guide. Issues and trends
in literacy education, 129.
Allington, R. L. (2002). What I've learned about effective reading instruction from a decade of
studying exemplary elementary classroom teachers. Phi Delta Kappa, 83(10), 740-747.
Alvermann, D., Phleps, S.F., & Gillis, V.R. (2013) Content area reading and literacy: Succeeding in
today's diverse classroom. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Brewster, A. B., & Bowen, G. L. (2004). Teacher support and the school engagement of Latino
middle and high school students at risk of school failure. Child and Adolescent Social Work
Journal, 21(1), 47-67.
Gallagher, K. (2009). Readicide: How schools are killing reading and what you can do about it.
Stenhouse Publishers.
Garet, M. S., Porter, A. C., Desimone, L., Birman, B. F., & Yoon, K. S. (2001). What makes
professional development effective? Results from a national sample of teachers. American
educational research journal, 38(4), 915-945.

23. Gettinger, M., & Seibert, J. K. (2002). Best practices in increasing academic learning time. Best
practices in school psychology IV, 1, 773-787.
Krashen, S. (1993). The Power of Reading. Englewood, Col.: Libraries Unlimited, Inc
Moore, D.W., Bean, T.W., Birdyshaw, D. & Rycik, J. (1999). Adolescent literacy: A position
statement. International Reading Association.
Plaut, S. (Ed.). (2009). The right to literacy in secondary schools: Creating a culture of
thinking. New York, NY: Teachers College, Columbia University.
Rich, M. (2009). A New Assignment: Pick Books You Like. The New York Times. The New York
Times, 30.
Shernoff, D. J., Csikszentmihalyi, M., Shneider, B., & Shernoff, E. S. (2003). Student engagement in
high school classrooms from the perspective of flow theory. School Psychology Quarterly, 18(2),
158
Skiba, R. J., Michael, R. S., Nardo, A. C., & Peterson, R. L. (2002). The color of discipline: Sources of
racial and gender disproportionality in school punishment. The urban review, 34(4), 317-342.
Worthy, J., Turner, M., & Moorman, M. (1998). The Precarious Place of Self-Selected Reading.
Language Arts, 75(4), 296-304.