Running head: EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 1
An Action Research Study on the Effects of The Phonics Dance Curriculum
on First-Grade Students Reading
by
Brittany Slater, B.A.
A Proposal Presented in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Master of Education
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION EAST TEXAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
May 2014
EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER Page
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................... 3 Purpose of the Study... 4 Justification for the Study............................................................................. 4 Theoretical Framework.. 5 Research Question. 5 Definitions of Terms 5-7 Conclusion.. 7
CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE Introduction.. 8 Phonics-based Reading Instruction 8-10 Whole-language Reading Instruction 11-12 Motivation to Read..... 12-13 Learning Styles... 13-15 Poetry and Chants.. 15-16 Songs and Musicality.. 16-17 Summary.. 17
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY Introduction... 18 Research Question.... 18 Research Design. 18 Procedural Details.. 19 Setting. 19-20 Participants.. 20 Data Collection 21-22 Observations... 21 Reflections... 21 Interviews. 21-22 Diagnostic Reading Assessment... 22 Timeline of Data Collection.. 22 Trustworthiness 23-24 Limitations of Study 24 Data Analysis 24-25 Conclusion.... 25-26
REFERENCES.. 27 EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 3
CHAPTER 1 To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark. - Victor Hugo (1862) Introduction One of the most satisfying moments as a teacher is witnessing your students applying what you have taught them to increase their learning. It is the moment their eyes light up and their confidence increases because something clicked and they finally have understanding. As a first grade teacher, that most often occurs around the guided reading table. It is the place students take all the tools they have been taught throughout the day to decode and comprehend new text. One of the most valuable literacy tools I have taught my students is the phonics learned through the chants of The Phonics Dance curriculum. I often witness my students recalling the chants when they encounter difficult words. They know how to break up these words because of the direct instruction of diagraphs and phonics patterns taught through the chants. They can easily switch from a long or short vowel sound because they practice them daily during the alphabet song. I first encountered The Phonics Dance as a pre-service teacher. As I began teaching, I incorporated the curriculum into my new schools reading program. First grade is a critical year in developing students reading abilities. Not only does this curriculum reinforce their reading skills, but the students enjoy singing it because the chants incorporate movement and silly phrases. Auditory, visual and kinesthetic learners all actively participate, while the musicality, picture cards and gestures aid in better retention.
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Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how students reading is affected by learning The Phonics Dance curriculum. The curriculum consists of an alphabet song that teaches the different letters and their particular phonemes. It also includes a Hunks and Chunks chant that uses repetition to teach vowel and consonant diagraphs, short vowel plus consonant patterns and other phonics patterns. Both elements involve movement or gestures. They are practiced each day during literacy instruction. While the alphabet song is quickly learned and repeated throughout the year, diagraphs and patterns are added to the Hunks and Chunks chant throughout the school year, normally at a rate of two a week. I have witnessed students recalling these phonics skills when they encounter difficult word during guided or independent reading, but I am interested in also researching how it affects their reading levels and reading interests. Justification for the Study While there has been much research conducted on explicit, systemic phonics instruction, there is little formal research supporting the effectiveness of teaching phonics through song and movement. Research often focuses on the different elements of phonics instruction as a whole. It distinguishes song, word sorts, word manipulation and worksheets, but it often does not delve deeply into just one of these activities. I have seen many struggling young readers benefit from the musicality and kinesthetic instruction provided by The Phonics Dance. During guided reading, my students often reference the songs to help decode difficult text. I am interested to see how The Phonics Dance benefits young readers, especially how it affects their reading levels and reading interest.
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Theoretical Framework The Phonics Dance may increase students reading abilities due to its use of repetition, musicality and kinesthetic learning. Not only does repetition aid in better retention, but it is a developmental strategy often used by students to learn new content (Diamant-Cohen, Prendergast, & Estrovitz, 2013). Kinesthetic learning is learning that is aided by the physicality of the student. The student is not just sitting in a desk listening to a lecture, but moving around in a way that advances the curriculum. Kinesthetic activities, along with musical aids, reinforce the content in the minds of diverse learners (Humphries, Bidner, & Edwards, 2011). They also unite the class in one activity and allow the students to release excessive energy or emotion (Humphries, Bidner, & Edwards, 2011). The Phonics Dance provides a multisensory approach to learning through kinesthetic, music and visual means. Research suggests that these three approaches together maximize student learning (Goll, 2011). Research Question 1. How does the Phonics Dance curriculum affect students reading in a first grade classroom in rural Northeast Texas? Definition of Terms Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) The Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) is a criterion-referenced test administered one-on-one between a teacher and student. The teacher selects a book near the students reading level they have not yet read. The student predicts the story, reads aloud the story for the teacher and answers comprehension questions. The teacher takes notes on these tasks and any observations they make on the students reading strategies. The teacher uses these notes to complete a rubric that calculates the childs reading level. Multiple books on different EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 6
reading levels are often used to determine the students appropriate level. The assessment is in its second addition and is known as the DRA 2. Diagraphs A diagraph is a single sound represented by two letters For example, ch, ph and kn. Diphthongs Diphthongs occur when two vowel sounds in the same syllable make a unique sound, such as oy, au, and oi. Guided Reading Guided reading is small group reading instruction with the goal of differentiating as much as possible for each group or student. Phonemic Awareness Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, distinguish and isolate individual sounds in spoken words. Reading interest A student displays an interest in reading if they are motivated in their learning and value reading instruction (Kirby, Ball, Geier, Parrila, & Wade-Woolley, 2011). Reading levels There are three types of reading levels: independent, instructional and frustration. Independent leveled books are easy enough for a student to read and understand without any assistance. Books are classified on a students frustration level if they are too difficult for instruction to occur. An instructional reading level is the recommended level of difficulty of a book for optimal instruction to take place (Halladay, 2012). Reading levels are individualized for each student based on their reading skills in the hope that their levels will steadily increase. The EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 7
DRA 2 assessment provides scores that are a numerical instructional reading level. Levels 1 and 2 are the average instructional reading level of a Kindergarten student, while first grade normally ranges from instructional levels 3 to 16. The Phonics Dance The Phonics Dance is a curriculum used to directly teach letter-sound knowledge through chants, rhymes and movement. These elements are repeated daily in the classroom to assist in comprehension and retention. Conclusion This study will provide data to the teacher researcher and other educators in how The Phonics Dance potentially affects first-grade students reading. The information found in the study will provide other researchers a foundation for which to extend the research further. This study will show how The Phonics Dance affects students reading in regards to how it is incorporated in my own classroom. The next chapter will summarize previous literature regarding reading instruction and learning styles, while the third chapter contains details in how the study will be conducted.
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CHAPTER 2 Review of Literature Introduction After reviewing the professional literature, I decided to divide the information in this literature review to six sections. The first two sections compare phonics-based instruction to whole language instruction. A significant explanation is given for explicit, systemic instruction and the legislation that affects which reading curriculums are chosen for classrooms. The third and fourth sections discuss two vital factors in which instructional strategies are used in the classroom: student motivation and learning style. While there are numerous ways to classify different learning styles, this literature review mainly focuses on the sensory styles of auditory, kinesthetic and visual learners. The fifth and final sections of the review discuss how poetry, chants and music are incorporated into classrooms to enhance reading instruction. These sections are included to establish a background for the research question posed in Chapter 1 and future research in phonics instruction. Phonics-based Reading Instruction No educator can dispute the importance of students mastering reading in the early elementary year. It is one of the most important and difficult activities students will learn, and their success relies entirely on the skills they obtain through instruction (Hurford et al., 2013). These skills can be taught through numerous reading strategies. Even though we have great amounts of research supporting what instruction strategies are most effective, many children still struggle with learning to read. One of the most popular methods of reading instruction is a phonics-based approach. Phonics is the relationship between letters and sounds (Mesmer & Griffith, 2005). This is EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 9
important in the English language because English has an alphabetic script, meaning it uses letters to represent sounds in words. This differs from languages, such as Japanese or Mandarin, which written components are based on symbols instead of letters (Mesmer & Griffith, 2005). Students must have a strong foundational knowledge of the alphabetic principal, how letters represent sounds, and phonemic awareness, recognizing phonemes or small units of sound, in order to identify letter and sound patterns. Identifying these patters is the basis of reading any alphabetic language, though the ultimate goal is the ability to read words by sight (Hurford et al., 2013) (Mesmer & Griffith, 2005). When choosing a reading program, schools are greatly influenced by federal policy and law (Afflerbach, Cho, Kim, Crassas, & Doyle, 2013). No Child Left Behind was legislation passed in 2002 to hold schools accountable for all students achieving high standards, regardless of their race, background or socioeconomic status. Schools must show adequate yearly progress is being made in all student subpopulations or they could lose federal funding (Hurford et al., 2013). No Child Left Behind also requires schools to adopt reading programs based on scientific research (Afflerbach et al., 2013). The freedom to the schools is in the legislations lack of specifying which research the programs should be based, though it does require the phonics component of the reading program to be explicit and systematic (Mesmer & Griffith, 2005). While phonics programs may differ in their instructional strategies, the ultimate goal of each is to teach the relationships between letters and sounds. They normally begin with phonemic awareness and progress to phonological awareness, when the student practices identifying sounds, syllables and rhymes. Letter-sound pairs are usually taught in a specific, pre- determined order (M. Brooks & J. Brooks, 2005). Programs are explicit when students are directly instructed on the sounds of individual letters. This contrasts with more implicit EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 10
programs, where children acquire knowledge of letter-sound relationships through heavy exposure to words in reading and writing (Lapp & Flood, 1997). In recent years, the terms explicit and systematic have been in reference to the National Reading Panels report on reading instruction (NICHD, 2000). This report declared explicit, systematic phonics was significantly more effective than non-phonics programs. Some of the instructional programs considered explicit and systematic include synthetic phonics, embedded phonics, analytic phonics and teaching phonics through spelling (Mesmer & Griffith, 2005). The National Reading Panels report found these programs do not differ significantly in regards to effectiveness, though. As long as schools are using an explicit, systematic phonics program, they are free to choose the type of program (Wyse & Goswami, 2008). This freedom has led to some confusion and debate, though. In their 2005 study, Mesmer and Griffith observed that the terms explicit and systematic were often misused and their meanings had become unclear among educators. Explicit and systematic are not synonymous. Explicit is how direct the teacher is in delivering the instruction. Systematic instruction must contain a broad scope of phonics skills in sequence (Mesmer & Griffith, 2005). Mesmer and Griffith (2005) believe the National Reading Panel report defines explicit and systematic in broader terms than how they are traditionally accepted by educators. They surveyed 382 kindergarten through first grade classroom teachers to learn how these terms were applied to classroom instruction. Overall, explicit and systematic instruction involved teacher-student interactions and high levels of student engagement, including involvement and accountability on the individual level. The curriculum most likely to be deemed explicit and systematic by the educators included direct instruction of phonics elements in progressive steps with abundant opportunities for the student to practice using phonics to read words (Mesmer & Griffith, 2005). EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 11
Whole-language Reading Instruction While phonics-based programs have been advocated for in recent years, there are still educators and researchers who support a more balanced, whole-language approach to reading instruction. Reedy (2012), a past President of the United Kingdom Literacy Association, remarked that while phonics is an important component of teaching reading, phonics instruction alone does not lend itself to fluency, comprehension or motivation to read. He called for a more balanced or whole-language approach that stresses high exposure to words and complex language structure through reading and writing. By interacting with text in various ways (reading, discussions, dramas, illustrations and writing), students can acquire knowledge of phonemic awareness, vocabulary and grammar without direct instruction. Reedy (2012) argued explicit instruction is often teacher-led while the students listen passively. Whole-language instruction is more student-centered, where the students learn by talking and doing. In addition to phonics, this style of instruction puts the focus back on comprehension, student motivation and class engagement (M. Brooks & J. Brooks, 2005). Neither whole language nor phonics instruction programs alone are guaranteed to improve the reading skills of all students (M. Brooks & J. Brooks, 2005). Fritzer and Herbst (1999) assert that choosing just one method will fail to meet the needs of diverse learners in todays classroom. Rather, a middle ground is needed. Modern, balanced reading programs often involve a literature-based curriculum which includes explicit instruction in phonological awareness, phonics and comprehension (Hurford et al., 2013). Explicit instruction of phonemic awareness and decoding skills has shown to improve reading rates (Foorman & Torgesen, 2001). Unfortunately, phonological processing and alphabetic awareness are often not directly taught to teacher candidates. Hence, teachers rely solely on reading curriculums to know how and when to EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 12
instruct students in phonics, causing young students to receive inconsistent and possibly inadequate reading instruction (Hurford et al., 2013). This may explain why Slavin et al. (2009) noted the most successful primary reading programs included professional development for instructors. Motivation to Read While research shows proficient readers use prior knowledge, phonics and textual context to identify words, successful readers must also be metacognitive, intrinsically motivated and have high self-efficacy towards their reading abilities (Lapp & Flood, 1997) (Afflerbach et al., 2013). Intrinsic motivation is engaging in an activity solely for the reward of engaging in it. Intrinsically motivated readers engage in different types of text, enjoy discussing what they are reading and value the ability to choose their own texts. Reading is perceived as a beneficial challenge by students who are intrinsically motivated. Others may view it as a pointless hurdle (Marinak, Malloy, & Gambrell, 2010). Turner and Paris (1995) studied motivation in primary classrooms and concluded the daily tasks in the classroom affected motivation more than the chosen reading program. Students were more motivated when they had control over the process and final product of an assignment or activity. For example, students were provided choices for their reading and writing and allowed to alter tasks to fit their interests. They were also more motivated when allowed to collaborate with peers (Turner & Paris, 1995). In 2007, Nolen found primary students are intrinsically motivated to read and write until they master basic literacy skills. Then, they need social-based literacy activities and the freedom to pick their own reading materials in order to maintain motivation. EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 13
Baker and Wigfield (1999) had previously studied reading motivation for fifth and sixth grade students. They concluded that while children are motivated to read for different reasons, self-efficacy and challenge most strongly correlated between choice of reading activity and motivation. Teachers can develop a motivation to read in their students by making available content that matches the students background and interests, modeling a high level of enthusiasm for literacy and allowing students to discuss their opinions and ideas of literacy choices with their peers (Marinak, Malloy, & Gambrell, 2010). In her 2012 article, Toppel gave several real-world examples for connecting students interests and backgrounds to reading in a primary classroom. Many of these activities, such as personal alphabets and family word associations, allow the students families to become more involved in their education. Toppel (2012) writes, Even small changes that elicit student voice and opportunities for students to incorporate their own experiences and what makes them unique can be impactful (p. 102). Learning Styles Besides considering students skills and interests, schools successful in teaching reading must also consider a students learning style (Reedy, 2012). Howard Gardner introduced eight types of intelligence in a 1993 article: logical-mathematical, linguistic, musical, spatial, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, naturalistic and intrapersonal. Teachers should incorporate as many of these modes as possible in their instruction to increase effectiveness (Morgan, 2010). Unfortunately, research has shown teachers naturally tend to teach the way they learn themselves (Bennett, 2007). This generalization of instruction favors those students with the same learning style as the teacher, while other students may become anxious in the classroom and negatively respond to the instruction (Morgan, 2010) (Oxford & Lavine, 1992). EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 14
A students learning style can often be explained by their cultural norms and values (Morgan, 2010). Minority students may encounter difficulties in school if a teacher mismatches or lacks knowledge of their learning style. A mismatch in learning style has been connected to students negative attitudes toward instruction and poor performance (Morgan, 2010). How can this mismatch of learning styles be resolved? Oxford and Lavine (1992) offered four possibilities for teachers. The first is to completely differentiate for all learners, which would require more time than many teachers can afford. Secondly, schools can group teachers with students who share their learning style, though this would hinder students developing addition study techniques to copy with the disparity. Third, teachers can assess students learning styles and alter their own behavior. Lastly, teachers could instruct students using a broad range of learning strategies and styles (Oxford & Lavine, 1992). Using multiple learning strategies and styles even benefits classes with little cultural diversity, since members of any cultural groups vary greatly in their individual learning needs (Morgan, 2010). Observations and consultations with parents can assist a teacher in determining a students learning style, or students can complete a learning-style preference survey (Morgan, 2010) (Leopold, 2012). Learning styles can also be categorized by a students sensory preferences. These are the perceptual learning channels students are most comfortable learning through (Oxford & Lavine, 1992). They are categorizes as visual learning, auditory learning and kinesthetic learning. Visual learners enjoy reading and learn best from visual aids, such as graphic organizers, drawings or charts. These students may be confused by verbal instruction without visuals. Auditory learners learn through oral and aural modes such as discussions, read alouds and chants. They can sometimes struggle with writing. Kinesthetic learners learn through activities that require physical movement. They learn using objects and will not enjoy sitting in one place for a long EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 15
period of time (Leopold, 2012) (Oxford & Lavine, 1992). Teachers who incorporate all three learning styles into instruction offer instruction that is more inclusive and engaging for the entire class. This ensures one student is not advantaged over another just due to their learning style (Leopold, 2012). Leopold (2012) shared an interesting way to modify a prewriting lesson to meet the needs of the three learning styles. For auditory learners, traditional brainstorming and discussions are adequate for prewriting, while visual learners can use a graphic organizer and kinesthetic learners may play a game in which each student represents a piece of information and they organize themselves. Poetry and Chants One tool shown to promote students reading skills is poetry (Rasinski, Rupley, & Nichols, 2008) (Rasinksi & Hoffman, 2003). Poetry gives students a chance to encounter phonograms (word families or rimes) in entertaining and memorable texts. Rhymes in poetry not only allow students to master phonograms, but repeated readings promote fluency and better word recognition. It also allows the student to better comprehend spelling patters (Rasinski, Rupley, & Nichols, 2008). Rasinski and Hoffman (2003) observed repeated poetry readings allow students to read with more automaticity and expression, more accurately recognize words and develop as more confident readers. This was especially the case when the teacher modeled fluent reading and read orally along with the students. When introducing poetry, teachers should first share a specific word family with the students. The teacher can then introduce the poem, identify words in the poem that belong to the word family and reread the poem in several ways (partner read, choral EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 16
read, etc.) The teacher can then provide follow up activities, such as word sorts, to reinforce the phonogram (Rasinski, Rupley, & Nichols, 2008). Even with the research promoting the efficiency of poetry in promoting reading skills, it still has its critics. Fritzer and Herbst (1999) warn that phonics through poetry and chants is at the lowest end of Blooms Taxonomy because essentially students are learning by rote. While this may benefit auditory learners, and research has shown it can benefit lower level learners and students who speak other languages, it should not be the only method used to instruct all learners (Fritzer & Herbst, 1999). Songs and Musicality Similarly to poetry and chants, songs help students remember content due to their rhythm, repetition and novelty (Woolfolk, 1995). Historically, songs have been used as a means of storytelling due to the way the musicality lends itself to better retention. Not only does music synchronize both hemispheres of the brain, but it promotes optimal learning by promoting interest in the student. Music also alters brain waves, making the brain more receptive to learning (Davies, 2000). Music can also help to meet the needs of diverse learners. Hanson, Silver & Strong (1991) recognized four types of learners: sensing thinking, sensing feeling, intuitive thinking and intuitive feeling. Traditional schooling benefits sensing and intuitive thinking students. Sensing feeling student are sociable and value relationships. Intuitive feeling students like completing assignments in new and creative ways. Music allows for all of these needs to potentially be met (Hanson, Silver & Strong, 1991). Gromko (2005) conducted a study to investigate how traditional music instruction affected kindergarten students reading skills. She compared four kindergarten classes that EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 17
received a 30-minute music class once a week to classes that did not participate in music class. The students learned folk songs and incorporated kinesthetic movements to reinforce rhymes. After four months, the classes which received the music instruction had significant gains in their phonemic awareness, especially in regards to their fluency and ability to segment phonemes, even though the traditional music class did not explicitly teach reading strategies (Gromko, 2005). Though poetry, chants and songs promote fluency, word recognition and phonemic awareness, teachers must remember they do not ensure the students comprehension (Davies, 2000). Summary Overall, the literature reviewed strongly supports balanced literacy instruction that incorporates explicit, systemic phonics instruction with authentic literature readings and opportunities for students to incorporate activities which match their learning style. While The Phonics Dance is explicit, systemic instruction, it is meant to be incorporated in Guided Reading and poetry read-alouds. The chants and musicality of The Phonics Dance should promote student motivation and involvement, while the added gestures ensure the curriculum meets the needs of visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners.
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CHAPTER 3 Methodology Introduction The purpose of this study is to determine how The Phonics Dance curriculum affects students reading in a first grade classroom in rural Northeast Texas. Additionally, this study will investigate how the curriculum affects the students motivations to read and general reading interests. First grade is a key year in the development of a childs reading ability and interest, but many students become frustrated trying to decode larger, more difficult words. While focus should be spent on learning sight words, the curriculum of The Phonics Dance provides a way for students to learn specific phonemes, diagraphs and other phonics patterns in a fun, engaging manner. Research Question How does The Phonics Dance curriculum affect students reading in a first grade classroom in rural Northeast Texas? Research Design This study will be action research because I will be conducting the study in my own classroom as a participant. As a teacher researcher, I will decide which phonics skills to introduce or reinforce to my students each week, depending on their reading needs. I will keep a journal throughout the semester to document my observations and interactions with students and their parents. Though bias will be a limitation in my action research, I will be as subjective as possible in my reflections and use multiple means of data to support my findings.
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Procedural Details As the teacher researcher, I will make observations, reflect on them subjectively and interview parents and students throughout the 18 weeks of a fall semester. Diagnostic Reading Assessments will be conducted at the beginning of the year to establish a baseline for each students reading level and comprehension. The Phonics Dance curriculum will be taught beginning in the first week of school. It will take approximately two weeks to introduce the alphabet song to the students. The Hunks and Chunks cards will be taught throughout the fall semester, approximately two each week. Both chants will be practiced each morning during the morning meeting. The students will participate in twenty minutes of guided reading each day where I will reinforce The Phonics Dance curriculum to the students. I will make observations on the students reading interest, motivation and ability during this guided reading time. At the end of each six weeks, I will conference with parents or guardians to discuss the students reading habits at home. At the end of the 18-week fall semester, the Diagnostic Reading Assessment will be conducted again. Setting The setting is a self-contained, first grade classroom in rural Northeast Texas. The class will have one teacher and approximately 20 students. The class is part of a school of approximately 336 Pre-Kindergarten to fourth grade students. The school population is 16.4% African American, 27.7% Hispanic, 49.7% White and 6.3% two or more races. 64.9% of the schools students are economically disadvantaged, while 19% of students are English language learners. 34.2% of the students are deemed to be At-Risk. Upon entering the door, the front of the classroom is to the left. This is where the smart board and class meeting area are located. The Hunks and Chunks cards from The Phonics Dance EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 20
curriculum will be displayed here. Cards will be added as they are taught to the class, approximately two a week. The alphabet cards will also be displayed in the front of the room, along the top of the whiteboard. Students will be able to reference these cards during their reading centers. Students have individual desks but they are grouped into pods of four or five desks each. There is a horseshoe-shaped table on the left side of the room for guided reading groups. The five reading centers are spaced throughout the room. The computer center is on the right side of the room. The listening center is in the front of the room, next to the meeting area. The library is on the left side of the room next to the guided reading table. The writing center is in the back of the room. The final center, word work, is completed at the students desks. These five centers (listening, computer, library, writing and word work) are completed each day by every student. Throughout center time, students are also pulled to the guided reading table to work with the teacher. Participants The participants in this study will be approximately 20 first grade students, their parents or guardians and myself. The students will range in age from six to seven years old. The class will be about half male and half female students. The ethnic makeup of the class will reflect the school data mentioned previously. The exact demographics will be available after the 2014-2015 school year begins. The students parents and guardians will also be participants, as they will be surveyed to find if and how the students reading skills and interests are changing at home. The teacher will also be a participant in the study as the teacher researcher. It will be my first year of employment as a certified teacher, though I will have one complete year of experience in teaching The Phonics Dance curriculum to first grade students. EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 21
Data Collection Observations As the teacher researcher, I will begin making observations the first week of school. I will observe the students reading habits during their reading centers and independent reading time. I will also observe how the students respond as I introduce The Phonics Dance curriculum the first week of school. Because the first two weeks of school are spent conducting Diagnostic Reading Assessments, I will not start guided reading until the third week of school. Starting the third week, most of my observations will occur during guided reading time. I will record how the students utilize The Phonics Dance curriculum to decode difficult words. I will also record my observations on their self-efficacy and motivation. Reflections I will write subjective reflections on each student every three weeks. While observations will be written daily, I will reflect on the data every three weeks to better observe any progress or pattern in the students reading. Interviews Informal questioning of the students will take place throughout the semester. Most questioning will occur during guided reading time and center on the students attitudes toward reading. Due to the nature of lower elementary classes, though, questioning will take place informally and will likely take place as appropriate throughout the school day. At the end of each six weeks, I will ask the students parents or guardian about the students reading behaviors at home. These questions will include if the student is using The Phonics Dance curriculum to decode words at home and how well the students is motivated to EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 22
read at home. All of the results from my informal questioning will be documented along will my observations in order to allow for further reflection. Diagnostic Reading Assessment The Diagnostic Reading Assessment, currently in its second edition as the DRA2, assesses a students reading level, reading comprehension and reading interest along with specific reading skills such as predicting and summarizing. I will conduct beginning of the year DRAs to establish a baseline of data for my students. They will be repeated at the end of the semester to assess any changes to the students reading. This data will be used in conjunction with the other data to conclude how The Phonics Dance curriculum affected my students reading abilities. Timeline of Data Collection The data will be collected within one fall semester, approximately 18 weeks of study. At the beginning of the semester, a DRA will be given to each student to establish baseline reading habits. Daily instruction will take place through a 20 minute guided reading session and daily recitations of The Phonics Dance chants. The teacher researcher will make observations during guided reading and reading center time. At the end of each six weeks, the teacher researcher will discuss the students reading habits with their parents or guardians and write subjective reflections on the students reading habits. At the end of the 18-week semester, DRAs will be conducted again to measure the students reading abilities and habits. After research is completed, the teacher researcher will examine all data to determine how The Phonics Dance curriculum impacted the students reading.
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Trustworthiness The trustworthiness of the study considers four criteria that validate the naturalists inquiry: credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). Lincoln and Guba match these terms to the positivist paradigm of intern validity, external validity, reliability and objectivity. The credibility of the study seeks to establish that the inquiry was conducted in such a manner so that the participants are accurately identified and described. This allows the inquiry to be credible to the realities of the participants. Methods used in this study to increase the credibility of the study will be prolonged engagement by the teacher researcher over the course of 18 weeks, triangulation of data, peer debriefing and member checking (Marshall & Rossman, 1989). Transferability of the findings of this study will be provided through the rich descriptions of my reflections and participants. The purpose of the study will be to understand how The Phonics Dance curriculum affects the reading abilities of the students in my own classroom, not to make assumptions that these findings are accurate predictions of what may occur in other classrooms. Others may read the data and make generalizations of how the findings may fit into their own area of interest. The generalization of these findings to other settings will be enhanced by triangulation of data (Marshall & Rossman, 1989). The dependability of this study refers to the positivist idea of reliability. One of the assumptions inherent in qualitative studies is that the social world is always changing. Therefore, any attempt to replicate a qualitative study is problematic (Lincoln & Guba, 1985). The confirmability of a qualitative study is aligned with the positivist aspect of objectivity. As the teacher researcher, this study should respond to my natural subjectivity EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 24
(Marshall & Rossman, 1989). Attempting to stifle this subjectivity would take away from the qualities of teacher researcher. The teacher researchers insights increase the possibility that the world will be accurately portrayed by the interpretations that are reached. The teacher researcher will provide controls for bias in this interpretation. Limitations of Study There are three main limitations to this study. The first is that is study will be conducted in just one classroom, my own. The effectiveness of The Phonics Dance curriculum on the students in my class might differ from other classes. Their past reading habits, motivation and self-efficacy may also contribute to the degree of reading improvement observed. Results may also be affected by how the curriculum is presented. The second limitation is time. The study will be conducted over one fall semester of 18 weeks. Bias is the final limitation. As an educator who was introduced to The Phonics Dance curriculum during my student teaching and purposefully brought it to my own classroom, I believe it is an effective program in strengthening my students reading abilities. Also, as a teacher, I want to observe growth in my students reading abilities. To overcome these limitations, I will use multiple means of data. Student observations, my subjective reflections, informal parent and student interviews and Diagnostic Reading Assessment results will all contribute to my findings. I will remain open to findings that support or oppose the effectiveness of The Phonics Dance curriculum. I believe this study will still provide valuable data that may lead to further research of The Phonics Dance. Data Analysis Four different sources of data will be uses for this study. The first will be my own observations. I will observe my students during their guided reading, independent reading and EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 25
reading center times. Secondly, data will be obtained through interviewing of my students and their parents or guardians. Informal questioning of the students will occur throughout the day but especially during guided reading times. These questions will focus on their attitudes towards reading. I will also inquire with the parents or guardians about the students reading habits at home. These questions will occur at the end of each six week period. The third source of data will be the DRA results. The baseline DRA will be compared to the end-of-semester assessment to support any changes to the students reading. My own subjective reflections on my observations will be the final source of data. I will reflect on my observations of each student at least once every three weeks to better note any progress or pattern to the students reading. These multiple sources of data will be used to triangulate my findings and get a more accurate depiction on how The Phonics Dance curriculum affects my students reading. I will use the causal comparative method to analyze my data. I will analyze my data as it is obtained instead of waiting until research is finalized. By encoding my data, I will be looking for patterns and from these patterns, I will develop themes. As issues and themes arise, my study may change direction if needed. Conclusion This chapter described the design of this proposed research study. The research question was stated along with a description of the research procedures. The setting and participants were described so the reader can determine any transferability from this study to their own area of education. The plan for data collection was outlined along with a discussion of this studys trustworthiness and limitations. The chapter ended with information on how the data will be analyzed. This proposed study will hopefully be carried out during the fall semester of the 2014- EFFECTS OF THE PHONICS DANCE CURRICULUM 26
2015 school year and display findings that will lead to further research of The Phonics Dance curriculum.
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