2. Using Action Research To Empower North Carolina Educators A Race to the Top Initiative NC Department of Public Instruction Educator Effectiveness Division

3. Presentation at Surry Community CollegeApril 27, 2015 Mark Fuhrmann, Teacher of Exceptional Children North Surry High School, Mount Airy, NC Participant in the 2014-15 North Carolina Governors Teachers Network Let’s Read More!!! Increasing Adolescent Reading Motivation

4. What is Action Research? Systematic inquiry conducted by teachers and other educators to find solutions for critical, challenging, relevant issues in their classrooms and schools. Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

5. What is Action Research? Main Goals Include: Positively impact student outcomes Identify and promote effective instructional practices Create opportunities for teachers to become reflective practitioners Share research results with other educators Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

6. What is Action Research? A systematic research process to: ● Identify an area of focus (critical, challenging issue) ● Develop an action research plan ● Implement action research plan in classroom/school ● Collect, analyze, and interpret data ● Share findings to inform practice Mills, Geoffrey E, Action Research: A Guide for the Teacher Researcher, 2014

7. Good teaching motivates students to learn. Good teachers inspire each other when they share their most innovative and creative practices. In January 2014 North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, in partnership with the NC Department of Instruction, established the Governors Teachers Network (GTN). The GTN initiative, funded by the state’s Race to the Top grant, is designed to provide a statewide platform for teachers to share their best work in both student instruction and practice development for teachers. What is the Governors Teachers Network?

8. NCDPI GTN Video (click to play)

9. The purpose of the study was to determine whether a systematic approach of providing students with a wide variety of informational texts, chosen according to research-based principles of adolescent reading motivation, increases the interest of high school students (ages 14 to 17) in the Occupational Course of Study (OCS) to read various types of written product for academic and vocational success, transition planning, and self-enjoyment Purpose of the Study

10. Choice – All students are more motivated to read when they have opportunities to make choices about what they read and how they engage in and complete reading tasks. Opportunity for Success – Students are more motivated to read when they have the support of instructors and the opportunities to be successful with challenging material. Relevance – Students, especially teenagers, are more motivated to read when the reading tasks and activities are relevant to their current lives and their future success and happiness. Guiding Principles for Choosing Reading Materials What Does the Research Say?

11. Access – Students are more motivated to read when they have easy access to a wide range of reading materials. Opportunities to Engage – Teenagers are more motivated to read when they have ample opportunities to engage in sustained reading. Social Interaction – Students, especially teenagers, are more motivated to read when they are given opportunities to socially interact with others, especially their peers, about the material they are reading. Guiding Principles for Choosing Reading Materials What Does the Research Say?

12. The participants in the study were ten 9th and 10th grade students in the first or second years of the OCS program that I taught or co-taught English and/or Occupational Preparation courses during the 2014 – 2015 school year. All of the students were identified by the school system to receive special educational services based upon either a Mild/Moderate Intellectual Disability or a Specific Learning Disability. All of the students read below grade level and most were described throughout their educational years by testing and by their teachers as “struggling readers.” Students in My Study

13. Can a program for high school students enrolled in OCS be implemented that will increase their motivation to read for academic, vocational, and transition benefits as well as for self-enjoyment? What factors or principles in the development and implementation of the reading motivation program are the most effective for OCS students? Questions to be Answered ????

14. Many high school students who are receiving special educational services, particularly those in the OCS program exhibit little or no motivation to read, either for their academic courses or for pleasure. As many of the students have been “struggling readers” throughout their educational years, the lack of motivation to read is likely to compound their difficulties with content area subjects and with appropriate social and community interaction as they prepare to transition to adulthood. The goal of the project was to increase student engagement and motivation in reading various types of written product for academic success, transition planning and self-enjoyment. During 30-minute sessions two or three times weekly in either their English or Occupational Preparation class, students were given various literary and information texts for reading followed by class or small-group discussions about the material and the level of student interest in the information presented. What Is Happening and What Can Educators Do About It?

15. Each participant’s present level of reading performance was reviewed. Initial discussions, including a student survey assessing reading motivation, was held with students to determine areas of interest and possible reasons for their reduced motivation to read. The survey used was the Adolescent Reading Motivation Profile (ARMP) which includes 20 multiple choice questions, with a quantitative scoring rubric, related to student attitudes about reading as well as specific questions for a conversational interview between students and their teacher. See Appendices A and B The Process – Initial Assessment

16. Individual reading plans were developed according to ARMP results and after conversations with each student. Students participated in two or three 20-30 minute sessions weekly for 12 weeks during either regular English classes or during Occupational Preparation classes. Each sessions including a mixture of individual reading time and class or small-group discussion. The Process – Implementation of Individual Plans

17. Each student’s level of reading motivation was assessed and the ARMP given both prior to and after program implementation. Teacher observations were also recorded weekly. The results of the ARMP, student interviews, and teacher observation were analyzed to determine if the program was effective in increasing student reading motivation. The Process – Data Collection and Analysis

18. September and October Student assessment and development of Individualized Reading Plans October- January Program implementation – weekly review and possible modifications February and March Student surveys and data analysis April and May Presentations and submission to NCDPI Wiki Timeline

19. First, percentage scores were obtained through the use of the High School Reading Profile Survey in two separate areas – a student’s “self-concept as a reader” and how the student valued reading in general. Ten questions in each of the areas were included randomly in the 20-question survey and four answer choices were provided and scored on a “1 to 4 scale representing student agreement with the survey question. Higher scores indicated a greater student self-concept as a reader and a greater appreciation of the value of reading. Scoring System Quantitative Data

20. Pre-program scores on a 100 scale ranged from 35 to 80 in the area of self-concept as a reader and from 26 to 88 in the area of the value of reading. Average scores in both areas were relatively similar – 62 for self-concept as a reader and 63 for the value of reading. After the development of the individualized plans of reading and implementation of the discussion sessions for 10 weeks, average scores increased for both areas – 80 for self-concept as a reader and 72 for the value of reading. Program Results

21. ARPS - Self-Concept as a “Reader”

22. ARPS – Value of Reading

23. The data, however, indicated that the increases in the average scores were a result of substantial increases for 6 students, each of whom were active participants in the choice of material and in the classroom discussions. Three students remained relatively consistent in their post-program responses while one student showed a slight decrease in both self-concept as a reader and in the value of reading. Individual Student Analysis

24. The results from the conversational interviews conducted before and after the program, mirrored the results of the surveys. The six students who increased their stated motivation to read were enthusiastic about their participation and in their desire to read more. The four students who began as the most “reluctant readers” did not demonstrate an increase in reading motivation, either by their answers to the survey or by their conversational interview. All four of these students were still quick to express their lack of desire to read any informational or fictional text and that reading was a little value in their life and that their friends were also not readers. Analysis of Conversational Interviews Qualitative Data

25. In the analysis of individual questions within the survey, it does appear that even the most uninterested readers indicated a belief that they “read pretty well” or that they “understood most of what they read.” However, when more open-ended questions were asked in the conversational interviews, most students indicated that their lack of desire to read was, in some part, based upon their difficulty in understanding written text. While this should not be surprising to experienced educators – the spiral of “lack of reading skill-lack of desire to read-continued low reading levels,” it was a glaring confirmation of the difficulty facing many students, and their teachers. Further Analysis

26. My first reaction to post-program interviews was that the majority of students, including those who identify themselves as “struggling” readers, do value reading at some level and do want to be able to read more for self- improvement and personal enjoyment. Only one of the 10 students in the project maintained a position of simply “I’m not going to read” while the others increased to varying degrees their motivation to read. Implications for the Classroom

27. Of the various principles of engagement suggested by the research, the most significant according to the conversational interviews, were (1) choice of materials and (2) a designated time to read. All of the students who expressed increased reading motivation believed that being able to choose what they could read was very important. All participants agreed that textual material had to be appropriate for their reading level and for their areas of greatest interest. Implications for the Classroom

28. Many students also indicated that if they had a better understanding of why some material was important to them, they would be more likely to read the material. Seven of the ten students indicated that having a time set aside for reading, even if only 15 to 20 minutes, was a benefit to them. Three indicated that simply knowing when they could stop helped them focus. Implications for the Classroom

29. Another factor that was evident during the project was that student reading motivation is very often influenced by the reading environment students encounter outside of school. While I was somewhat surprised that only one parent of my students returned the survey that I distributed to them, the socioeconomic presentation of our rural high school’s catchment area often reveals families with limited reading resources. Something to Keep in Mind

30. I will implement this project again next fall as 9 incoming 9th graders are expected to enter high school in the Occupational Course of Study. I believe that a larger sample of students, hopefully 20 students in Fall 2015, would be beneficial to further research as a broader variety of reading choices could be available and students would have a greater opportunity for group discussions about their readings. Future Plans

31. My most significant take-away from the project was that “all educators must always listen to their students’ interests and their needs, especially with regard to reading motivation and hopefully, in turn, to better reading comprehension. “ While it may appear to be common sense, students are far more likely to read what they want to read and if they have a designated time to read. Yes, there are text material they must learn to read and comprehend as they transition to adulthood, but that desire will come from initial increased reading in areas of choice. The “One Big Thing”

32. Thank You for Your Particpation Contact Information Mark Fuhrmann, A Teacher of Exceptional Children North Surry High School - Surry County Schools 336-789-5055 (School) 336-429-0652 (Mobile) fuhrmannm@surry.k12.nc.us ***After May 15, 2015, all information regarding this project can be accessed at http://gtnpd138.ncdpi.wikispaces.net/About+the+Project

33. Questions ?????? Comments!!!!!!!

34. Cambria, J. & Guthrie, J. T. (2010). Motivating and engaging students in reading. The New England Reading Association Journal, 46(1), 16-29. Howell, E. (2014). Factors affecting adolescent motivation in reading. Reading Matters, 14(1), 18-24. Melekogula, M. A. & Wilkerson, K. L. (2013). Motivation to read: How does it change for struggling readers with and without disabilities. International Journal of Instruction, 6(1), 77-88. Pitcher, S. M., Albright, L. K., DeLaney, C.J., Walker, N. T., Seunarinesingh, K., Mogge, S., et al. (2007). Assessing adolescents’ motivation to read. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50(5), 378- 396. Perrault, A. M. (2011). Reaching all learners: Understanding and leveraging points of intersection for school librarians and special education teachers. School Library Media Research, 14(1). http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ954599.pdf (accessed July 23, 2014) Bibliography

35. A.High School Reading Profile Survey & Scoring Sheet B.Adolescent Reading Profile – Conversational Interview C.Parent Survey D.Sample Informational Texts E.Summary of Professional Articles Appendices