Reading Comprehension Interventions For Upper- Elementary and Middle School Students

1. Reading Comprehension Interventions For Upper- Elementary and Middle School Students Presented by: Kettely DeJesus Educ 7202T Dr. O’Connor-Petruso Fall 2012

2. Table of Contents • Research Design • Threats to Internal Validity • Threats to External Validity • Proposed Data • Pre-Test /Post Test Results • Proposed Data Analysis and Correlation • Reference

3. Research Design The pre experimental design that I will be implementing for my research is One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design. The symbolic design for my research is OXO, meaning that a single group will be pretested (O), exposed to a treatment (X), and then post-tested (O)(O’Connor-Petruso).

4. Threats to Internal Validity • History • Maturation • Testing/Pre-Testing Sensitization • Instrumentation • Mortality • Statistic Regression • Differential Selection of Subjects • Selection-Maturation Interaction

5. Threats to Internal Validity • History: Many events may disrupt students’ participation during the pretest, treatment, and posttest. Such events include, fire drills, visitors in the class, lateness, illness of students, phone calls, assemblies, testing of new fire alarm and p.a. system and academic intervention services (pull-out of special education students and ELLs). Other disruptions are vacation breaks, and school trips. • Maturation: Students may lose interest due to constant test prepping for state examinations. Students may show little effort and lose focus in performance, due to test fatigue. • Testing/Pre-test Sensitization: Students will be tested before and after the treatment. They may lose interest during the posttest treatment. They may also answer the questions without much thought, just to get it out of the way.

6. Threats to Internal Validity • Instrumentation: It is crucial for the students to answer the questions on the questionnaires and survey truthfully. Their answers will help me to structure the treatment in a way that is both beneficial and efficacious. Learning about their reading and studying habits will be helpful. • Mortality: Overall, I do not think that mortality will affect my research. Due to the instability and lack of infrastructure in Haiti, (i.e. kidnapping, robbery, etc.), many parents opt not to travel with their children to Haiti. However, it is very possible that an extraordinary situation may present itself during my research. • Statistical Regression: My students are at various stages of acquiring English. Out of 38 students, ten (10) students are identified as SIFE, Student with Interrupted Formal Education, twenty-four (24) students are long-term ELLs (in the country for over five (5) and have not passed the NYSESLAT), three (3) have IEPs, five (5) are in the process of assessments. My students vary in age and reading levels. • Differential Selection of Subjects: This will not affect my research because I am using one group of students and they will all receive the same pretests, posttests and treatment. • Selection Maturation Interaction: My students vary in age, and although they are all of Haitian descent, parents have various style of parenting. Many parents are ‘Americanized’ and have different parenting styles, and culture.

7. Threats To External Validity • Ecological Validity • Multiple Treatments • Experimental Effects • Specificity Variables

8. Threats to External Validity • Ecological Validity: With a few exceptions, my students can read, however, they are reading at various levels. And their comprehension levels differ. • Multiple Treatments: Not applicable to my research. All my students will receive the same treatment for equal amount of time. • Experimental Effects: • Passive element: Working in a class with 38 students, students who are not part of the research might feel left out and not work on their task because they are not getting my attention. • Active element: I am the classroom teacher and the students will want to perform to please me. • Specificity of Variables: During the treatment, instruction for each activity may be different and may not be clear to all students.

9. Proposed Data • Pre and Post Tests: • New York Ready and Buckle Down: English Language Arts Tests • Student Surveys: Demographics and Reading Comprehension Survey

10. Sample Questions from Survey • 7. My parents have to remind me to go read a book. Paran fe sonje pou m li on liv. • 8. My parents have to remind me to go read a book. Paran fe sonje pou m li on liv. • 9. I love to read/I am an avid reader/Mwen renmen li/Mwen voras pou li. • 10. When I read, I apply such reading comprehension strategies as preview, questions, and rereading parts I do not understanding • 11. I read different genres of literature/Mwen li diferan jan de liv. • 12. How many books do you read each month?/Konbyen liv ou li pou on mwa? • 0.

11. Pre-Test/Post –Test (projected) Results

12. Survey Results & Analysis rxy =0.86 indicating a very high positive correlation between independent reading and ELA test score.

13. Data Analysis… rxy=-0.55 which indicates a negative correlation with hours spent at the library to high test scores.

14. References: • New York Ready Instruction, Curriculum Associates, Inc., 2010 • Buckle Down to the Common Core State Standards New York 2nd Ed. 6th grade, Triumph Learning, LLC, 2011. • O’Connor-Petruso, S. (2012, February 4). Descriptive Statistics and Threats to Validity. (PowerPoint Lecture) presented in James Hall Rm. 2104 at the Brooklyn College Campus, Brooklyn, NY.