Free Voluntary Reading
DATA ANALYSIS
Pre/Post Test
Each student completed a pre and post-test via google forms. The questions surveyed how they felt about reading in Spanish, what % of words they understood, how they would rate themselves according to the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) standards, and what their confidence level was in relation to reading in Spanish.
Between the pre and post-test, a greater number of students progressed from novice to intermediate. Several more progressed from intermediate to advanced.
I surveyed students to see how confident they felt with their ability to read in a foreign language. Prior to the study, 23.81% disagreed and 4.76% strongly disagreed. A large portion felt neutral. After the study, a greater portion of students agreed (23.81%) or felt neutral (57.14%). The increase shows a possible change in attitude towards reading.
Prior to the study, the majority of students understood 50% or fewer of words read in Spanish. After the study, more than 50% of students understood 50% or more of words read in Spanish.
Reading Journal
The second piece of data I collected was students' reading journal. Over the course of a month, students kept track of their reading in their journals. They included a summary, along with comments, connections, and questions regarding the text. I graded the first and last journal responses using a rubric. The total score was out of 8 points.
A paired-samples t-test was conducted to determine the effect of the use of free response reading on students’ achievement. There was a significant difference in the scores prior to implementing summarizing strategies (M=75, SD=14.43) and after implementing (M=83.93, SD=15.49) the summarizing strategies; t(21)= 3.25, p =0.0020. The observed standardized effect size is large 0.71 That indicates that the magnitude of the difference between the average and μ0 is large. These results suggest that the use of free response reading had a positive effect on students’ achievement in Spanish class. Specifically, the results suggest that the use of free response reading increased reading achievement.
Reading Journal Examples
2.2 Reading Test
At the end of this unit, students took a test to assess their knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar we had studied. I specifically pulled the reading section of their test to use as data points. The reading section was worth 13 points in total. These results did not necessarily match the growth that I had seen from students in other areas. Twelve students were passing (69% and above), while 9 students were below passing (54% or lower). That means that only 50% of my 21 students passed that portion of the test. Ideally, my scores would have followed more of a natural bell curve, with more scores in the high/middle range, instead of that large portion of scores in the 54-38% range.
Recurring Areas of Need
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During this time, I noticed that my students sometimes struggled to stay focused on reading during the 10 minutes. To assist with this issue, we started reading right after our warmup, instead of waiting later during the class. I also provided the logs while they were reading, so they were free to work at their own pace instead of waiting to share their ideas.
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I noticed the majority of my students needed help with comprehension based questions. To support them, I created some practice readings that we completed before taking the 2.2 reading test.
Remaining Questions
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How can I continue to support my students with reading in the target language?
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What can I do to continue engaging them in reading?
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What other comprehensible input methods might aid FVR?
When looking at all three data sets, a common thread emerged; students showed growth in their comprehension and confidence in reading in Spanish. My first data set, a pre and post-test, showed that students grew more confident and skilled in their reading abilities due to increased time spent reading in the target language, as well as being able to identify more words when reading in Spanish. My second data set, reading journals, showed significant growth between the first and last entries in terms of length, detail, and connections made to the text, meaning that my students were understanding more words and comprehending more of what they read. My third data set, the 2.2 reading test, showed that the majority of my students could successfully answer comprehension based questions in Spanish. Because all three data sets demonstrated growth in reading comprehension, my purpose statement held true.
The only lingering question is why students did not perform as well on the 2.2 reading test as they did on the other data I collected. I inferred that the 2.2 reading test used more comprehension based questioning, which we hadn't practiced as much, and also involved reflexive verb vocabulary and grammar, which was hard for my students. The assessment was also given on a day that we had a pep rally and it was right before spring break when schools started to shut down due to COVID-19, meaning it was difficult for many students to focus.