Data Collection and Summary
Data Collection and Summary
Data Collection
Rachel Furhman
The goal of this action research study is to demonstrate that by allowing students to
choose the books they read not only will they increase their motivation, but also improve their
comprehension skills. I will be exploring how students’ motivation and comprehension will
increase when they are given time to read independently in class as opposed to being given
assigned passages. The study will consist of the 65 seventh-grade students in my three LAL
classes; 39 girls and 26 boys. Of these 65 students, two have 504 plans and two other students
have IEPs. During this study, I will be using a survey to collect qualitative data to determine if
there was a change in students’ motivation to read. To determine the improvement in students’
comprehension, I will be using the scores provided on SuccessMaker, a district provided reading
assessment tool that identifies students’ reading levels and shows any increase or decrease in
students’ abilities. I will also be using district created benchmark scores to show an
improvement in reading. Each marking period, students take a district wide assessment in
reading, if their comprehension is improving, their scores on this assessment should improve as
well.
The plan for this study is that over the course of a marking period, students’ will be
provided with time to read independently during class as well as at home. According to Stephen
Merrill and Sarah Gonser, “When students get to make decisions about their learning, it can be
powerfully motivating” (2021). Students will have the opportunity to choose what they read
from the class library, their homes, town library or any other bookstores they choose. The only
requirement will be that the books are on or above grade level and that they are appropriate for
adolescents. To increase motivation, not only will students be provided with time to read in
class, but I will also be utilizing a reading competition that is both individual and class oriented.
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For each book a student reads, a sticker will go on the chart. At the end of the second and fourth
marking periods, the student in each class who has read the most books will receive a prize. To
make the challenge even more rewarding, the class with the most books read will also receive a
prize. The final piece to increasing motivation is the allowance for extra credit. When students
complete a book, they can create a review for other students to see. Each review is worth extra
credit at the end of the marking period. My goal is to increase student motivation when it comes
to reading.
“The National Reading Panel (as cited by Reutzel, Spichtig, & Petscher, 2012) concludes
there is little question the opportunity to read, whether silently or aloud, has been shown to be
strongly associated with gains in students’ reading achievement” (Jones, 2021). My second goal
with this study is to show how having a choice in reading material can improve reading
comprehension. At the beginning of the year, students utilize SuccessMaker to identify their
independent reading level. Throughout the year, students practice with this program to improve
their reading abilities. However, the students are not engaged in what they are given to read.
My plan is to cut the amount of time spent on the program in half and use the extra time to allow
for independent reading in hopes that students’ reading levels will progress with the opportunity
to read what they choose. The more students actively read, the greater their comprehension
becomes. When reading material of their choosing, the hope is that they will be reading more
actively.
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The plan for data collection can be seen in the triangulation matrix below:
When collecting data, researchers look at two main forms of information: quantitative
ended questions, observations described in words, and literature reviews that explore concepts
and theories” (Streefkerk, 2019). For the purpose of this research study, I will be using a survey
with a variety of questions to help interpret students’ opinion on reading to gather qualitative
experiments, observations recorded as numbers, and surveys with closed ended questions”
(2019). To gather quantitative data, I will be looking at the students’ independent reading levels
I will be providing students with a survey (see below) at the start and end of the study to
help answer the following questions: What activities could be implemented in the classroom to
motivate students to become avid readers independently and will allowing students’ choice in
their reading materials lead to a greater connection between students and reading? Using
modified surveys from several places, I created a survey to reflect the data I wanted. To
determine what genre of books students, enjoy reading, I used a survey from Smekens’ Reader
Interest Inventory (2010). I compiled questions from Assessing Motivation to Read, to help
understand the amount of time students spend reading independently (2014). Lastly, I used a
survey from McCloud to help create questions regarding how students prefer to read and how
1 2 3 4 5
Hate it! Not my fave. It’s OK. Like it. Love it!
Mystery 1 2 3 4 5
Horror 1 2 3 4 5
Current Events 1 2 3 4 5
Sports News 1 2 3 4 5
Fantasy 1 2 3 4 5
Action/Adventure 1 2 3 4 5
How-to books 1 2 3 4 5
Biographies 1 2 3 4 5
Poetry 1 2 3 4 5
Science Fiction 1 2 3 4 5
Historical Fiction 1 2 3 4 5
Realistic Fiction 1 2 3 4 5
Non-Fiction 1 2 3 4 5
Chick-lit (Drama) 1 2 3 4 5
Humor and Jokes 1 2 3 4 5
Graphic Novels 1 2 3 4 5
(Smekens, 2010)
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Explain_______________________________________________________________
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Online media
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reading material will aid in improving reading comprehension. To measure this, I will be using
the reading scores shown in SuccessMaker, a reading diagnostic tool created by Savvas
Learning Company. My plan will be to have the students track their progress on the program
using a plot chart like the one below. At the start of the study, I will have students mark their
starting reading level. At the end of each week, I will have them chart their progress and at the
end of the study, I will record how many students improved compared to those who remained
atthe same level or a lower level. I will also look at the amount of increase shown by each
student. District benchmark scores will be used as another form of quantitative data, I will be
comparing the students’ scores from prior to the study with the scores from after the study to see
References
Gonser, S. & Merrill, S. (2021, September 16). The importance of student choice across all
across-all-grade-levels
url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/increasing-reading-achievement-
applied-research/docview/2545962031/se-2?accountid=7374
Malloy, J.A., Marinak, B. A., Gambrell, L. B., & Mazzoni, S. A. (2013, December-2014,
January). Assessing motivation to read: The motivation to read profile revised. The
to-Read-Profile-Revised.pdf
McCloud, A. (2020). Perfecting independent reading in the classroom. Repository at St. Cloud
article=1107&context=sped_etds
Sagor, R.D. & Williams, C. (2017). The action research guidebook. (3rd edition). Corwin: A
https://bibliu.com/app/#/view/books/9781506380582/epub/OEBPS/s9781506380629.i66
5.html#page_147
https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/16294/urlt/ReadInterInvent612.pdf
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https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/qualitative-quantitative-research/