Improving Reading Comprehension for Third Graders (Thesis Proposal Sample)

Improving Reading Comprehension for Third Graders

by
Student Names
An Applied Dissertation Submitted to the
Abraham S. Fischler School of Education
in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Doctor of Education
Nova Southeastern University
2016
Approval Page
This applied dissertation was submitted by Maureen C. Wallace under the direction of the persons listed below. It was submitted to the Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education at Nova Southeastern University.
_____________ ___________
Sherry Burke, Ed.D Date
Committee Chair
___________________ ____________
Marcia Adams O'Neil, Ed.D Date
Committee Member
______________________ ____________
Lynne Schrum, Ph.D Date
Dean
Statement of Original Work
I declare the following:
I have read the Code of Student Conduct and Academic Responsibility as described in the Student Handbook of Nova Southeastern University. This applied dissertation represents my original work, except where I have acknowledged the ideas, words, or material of other authors.
Where another author’s ideas have been presented in this applied dissertation, I have acknowledged the author’s ideas by citing them in the required style.
Where another author’s words have been presented in this applied dissertation, I have acknowledged the author’s words by using appropriate quotation devices and citations in the required style.
I have obtained permission from the author or publisher—in accordance with the required guidelines—to include any copyrighted material (e.g., tables, figures, survey instruments, large portions of text) in this applied dissertation manuscript.
Signature
___________________________
Name
Jan 26, 2016
___________________________
Date
Abstract
This capstone project is aimed at examining ways of improving reading comprehension for third grade students by providing training on the collaborative strategic reading (CSR) framework strategy. Additionally, the project seeks to determine whether CSR increases reading comprehension in the third grade students. An evaluation of the CSR strategy will help in determining its efficacy. The proposed study setting is in a school located in the Southeastern part of the United States. The school serves African Americans, Hispanics, and Caucasians who are considered at-risk groups due to their low levels of reading comprehension. The problem of low mastery levels in comprehension requires resolution through the adoption of student-centered instructional strategies. The knowledge derived from the proposed study by school or district administrators will be instrumental in formulating student-centered approaches to enhancing reading comprehension.
Table of Contents
 TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc441903035"
Approval Page  PAGEREF _Toc441903035 \h
1
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Statement of Original Work  PAGEREF _Toc441903036 \h
2
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Abstract  PAGEREF _Toc441903037 \h
3
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Table of Contents  PAGEREF _Toc441903038 \h
4
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Chapter one: Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc441903039 \h
6
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Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc441903040 \h
6
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Statement of the Problem  PAGEREF _Toc441903041 \h
7
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Background and Justification  PAGEREF _Toc441903042 \h
10
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Deficiencies in the Evidence  PAGEREF _Toc441903043 \h
11
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Audience  PAGEREF _Toc441903044 \h
12
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Proposed Study Setting  PAGEREF _Toc441903045 \h
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Purpose of the Study  PAGEREF _Toc441903046 \h
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Chapter 2: Literature Review  PAGEREF _Toc441903047 \h
16
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Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc441903048 \h
16
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Epistemological Beliefs towards Third graders  PAGEREF _Toc441903049 \h
17
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How Children in the Third Grade Learn  PAGEREF _Toc441903050 \h
20
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Improving Reading Capabilities among Third Grade Students  PAGEREF _Toc441903051 \h
21
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Vocabulary Instruction  PAGEREF _Toc441903052 \h
22
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Development of Conceptual and Content of Knowledge  PAGEREF _Toc441903053 \h
23
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Strategies for Promoting Comprehension  PAGEREF _Toc441903054 \h
23
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Reading Away from School  PAGEREF _Toc441903055 \h
25
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Interventions to be Implemented by Schools  PAGEREF _Toc441903056 \h
25
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Role of Research Based Reading Comprehension Strategy  PAGEREF _Toc441903057 \h
27
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Teaching Learners about Reading Comprehension on Individual Basis or in Groups  PAGEREF _Toc441903058 \h
29
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Identifying and Connecting Part of a Narrative Text  PAGEREF _Toc441903059 \h
30
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Challenges in Improving Third Grade Reading  PAGEREF _Toc441903060 \h
31
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Research Questions  PAGEREF _Toc441903061 \h
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Chapter 3: Research & Methodologies  PAGEREF _Toc441903062 \h
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Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc441903063 \h
34
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Target Population  PAGEREF _Toc441903064 \h
35
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Sampling Technique  PAGEREF _Toc441903065 \h
35
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Instruments for Data Collection  PAGEREF _Toc441903066 \h
36
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Procedures  PAGEREF _Toc441903067 \h
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References  PAGEREF _Toc441903068 \h
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Appendices  PAGEREF _Toc441903069 \h
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Appendix 1: Pre-Survey and Post-Survey Questions  PAGEREF _Toc441903070 \h
51

Chapter one: Introduction
Introduction
Today’s economies are service and information driven, with increasing demand for a competent workforce that is well educated. However, Bolt et al. (2011) note that the proportion of adults classified as experiencing difficulty in comprehending text remains high. The ability to comprehend and read texts has a bearing on students’ academic success and may affect their social well-being and self-esteem (Stahl & Nagy, 2006). Additionally, it is imperative for students to actively participate in the learning process. Students can enhance their fluency in reading and comprehension by continually sourcing and reading printed texts. Therefore, enhancing the students’ level of understanding of various texts is to their overall literacy, which is pertinent to their academic success.
Many authors have researched different methods for helping to improve pupils’ level of reading comprehension. For instance, Wong (2011) evaluated activities that crucial included questioning, summarizing, predicting, clarifying, and summarizing. Such an approach can lead to improvement in the quality of questions asked and the summaries made from texts. Pupils are likely to develop the ability to read and comprehend a text accurately if they are allowed to engage in the four activities, which are part of reciprocal teaching.
Educators need to emphasize that pupils should identify confusing parts of the texts in order to improve their reading comprehension. Additionally, inferences made from reading texts can be used as better methods of monitoring comprehension. If children can be taught how to infer the message decoded from the passage, they can then be in a position to read and comprehend subsequent texts. Bowyer‐Crane and Snowling (2005) examined different ways that texts read by students are used to measure the students’ capacity to comprehend learning content. Their study determined that different tests of reading tapped different skills of inference among students. This study discovered that students who were less skilled in comprehension had difficulty in gaining and applying knowledge that would be applicable in their daily lives.
Strategies to improve reading comprehension of unclear texts (those that are not easily understood or discernable) have also been investigated by different authors. For instance, Riedel (2007) conducted a study to determine how to improve comprehension monitoring. The study asked students to read and answer probing questions regarding their ability to recall read texts. The results showed that most readers were not adept at identifying the confusing parts of texts. The author concluded that it was important for educators to help poor readers identify any confusing parts in a text.
Additionally, Schmitt, Jiang, and Grabe (2011) studied the vocabulary present in a text and comprehension monitoring. The results showed that the number of words in a text affects the reader’s ability to understand and decode the text. The study brings to the fore the importance of summarization when teaching students to understand a text. If a text has much vocabulary, it poses difficulties in understanding for some students. Therefore, teachers should focus on texts with less vocabulary in order to enhance comprehension.
Statement of the Problem
The problem is despite the...