Developmental Reading Students Research Articles

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Hybrid Developmental Reading Course at One Urban Community College: A Quasi-Experimental Comparative Study


 
 
 Based on the response for the need to engage students in developmental reading, the purpose of this study was to examine whether a hybrid method of instruction has an impact on student reading achievement. To measure reading achievement, quantitative data in the form of student grades on end of the semester exit exams was collected. Data was analysed using dependent-samples paired t-test and the results indicated a significant impact on reading achievement: t=.360, p=0.011. Future research is needed to determine the impact of the hybrid method of instruction on developmental reading students in differing socioeconomic backgrounds and geographic locations.
 
 

ADVANCING THE COMPLETION AGENDA IN ADULT DEVELOPMENTAL READING AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE LEVEL: A QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH STUDY

In order to assist community college students in completing their program of study at a more rapid pace, this quantitative, correlational study examined the effectiveness of acceleration as a method to help community college students complete the developmental reading sequence quickly and more successfully. Acceleration is a curricular redesign that includes challenging readings and assignments and reduces the number of required classes in the developmental sequence. Past research does not adequately measure student success in the current community college trend of securing the most efficient pathway possible for attaining an associates degree or career certificate. Students who scored 80 or higher on the post-course, COMPASS reading placement test skipped a developmental class and were eligible to take college-level gateway courses sooner, for the purpose of saving them time and money. Retention and grade-point-average of developmental reading students who pursued an accelerated path was compared to developmental reading students who followed the traditional, two-tiered course sequence to determine first year success. In the college of the study, findings indicated developmental reading intervention, regardless of model, was effective for the students who persisted, as measured by their literacy skill gains.

A Process Evaluation of a Learning Community Program: Implemented as Designed?

Learning communities can be useful to counter some of the challenges encountered by first-semester students as they transition to college. This 2-year process evaluation examines the launch of a campus-wide learning community initiative for developmental reading students at a community college in the USA. Students, instructors, and administrators were interviewed about the implementation of the program, and program-related materials were reviewed. Findings suggested ways to enhance the effectiveness of learning communities of the linked-course variety through program implementation that is more faithful to key design aspects. Suggestions include (1) implement team-teaching across linked courses; (2) carry out an integrated curriculum across courses; (3) provide in-depth and continued instructor training as well as specialized resources; (4) expand support services available to students and require them to use at least some; and (5) create tools/methods for instructors and administrators to regularly assess processual aspects rather than just program outcomes.

The Role of Literacy in Developmental Readers’ Lives

The purpose of this study was to explore the role literacy played in developmental reading students’ lives. As higher education is funded based on student performance, it is in all college stakeholders’ interest to help students, including developmental learners, succeed. Learning from developmental reading students has been proven to be advantageous in understanding their experiences and assisting with their academic success.Using a descriptive multiple case-study design, data were collected from 16 developmental reading students through literacy tracking and two semi-structured interviews. Five participants’ data were further explored through a cross-case analysis. The study found developmental reading students appreciated and valued reading, though not always in ways academia would require. The results of this study have important curricular implications for developmental reading education.

Digital Literacies in Multiuser Virtual Environments among College-Level Developmental Readers

As the rate of developmental reading students continues to climb, so does the surge in digital platforms as a means to deliver postsecondary instruction. Students enrolled in developmental reading courses should not be assumed to have digital literacy skills simply because they have been termed a “digitally literate generation.” In this study, one digital technology—multiuser virtual environments (MUVEs)— provided a platform that allowed students to engage in learning opportunities congruent with digital literacy. Examined in this study were (a) the digital literacy skills of developmental readers, (b) the differences in digital literacies between developmental reading students who used a MUVE and those who did not, and (c) the behaviors exhibited by students indicating their degree of digital nativeness. Participants in the experimental group demonstrated digital literacy through reading activities and observations in the MUVE, Second Life, and made higher reading achievement gains over the control group.

Optimal Experience in Virtual Environments among College Level Developmental Readers

In this study, we examined optimal experience and the antecedents of flow as reported by college-level developmental reading students using Second Life, a multi-user virtual environment. In an educational context, Second Life provided a space for demonstrating 21st century skills including communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and creativity. The researchers in this study examined optimal experience or flow, in particular, toward discovering the extent to which participants reported a prolonged, focused concentration during reading activities within Second Life that either preceded or paralleled the aforementioned 21st century skills. Participants were 42 students enrolled in two developmental reading courses in the fall 2009 semester. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed, yielding results that confirmed that optimal experience was attained and that further served as a catalyst toward demonstrated 21st century skills.

Using WebCT as a Supplemental Tool to Enhance Critical Thinking and Engagement among Developmental Reading Students

The purpose of this research was to examine possible outcomes of developmental students' critical thinking and motivation to read when the online learning community, WebCT, was implemented. My role, in addition to instructor, was that of participant-observer. I implemented WebCT tools, such as discussion board and chat, over a four-month period into my instruction to enhance critical thinking and motivation to read in my Developmental Studies in Reading II classroom. A mixed-method approach for intervention evaluation was employed, and improvements were noted in both reading engagement and critical thinking skills by using these online tools. By incorporating this technology into the developmental studies curriculum, we, as developmental education instructors, will be encouraging and supporting our students' needs to become independent thinkers and learners.

E-mail “Booktalking”: Engaging Developmental Readers with Authors and Others in the Academic Community

Faculty at two distant universities wondered how having their developmental reading students use E-mail to respond to literature would affect the students' engagement with their readings. Students from each university were paired as booktalk partners and participated in the activity for eight weeks. The faculty collected the students' E-mail conversations and interviewed key informants. Qualitative analysis provided a detailed view of the nature of the students' engagement and showed that using quality literature, E-mail, and authentic audiences engaged many students in academic discourse.

Remembrance of Books Past …Long Past: Glimpses into Alteacy

Abstract Developmental reading students’ aliterate behaviors were examined to discover what students report, in retrospective journal responses, as some of its possible origins, and to trace the (de‐)evolution of students’ self‐reported reading histories. Participants were 90 college freshmen enrolled in a strategic learning course at a large southeastern university. Participants were asked to respond in journal assignments to questions about (a) their reading histories, and (b) a novel they had read for class. Comparative analysis revealed that most participants had had early enabling literacy experiences, but even those experiences did not provide a hedge against later aliteracy. In response to the assigned novel, more than half the participants, many of whom had not read a book in years, reported a strong negative initial reaction to the assignment but that the experience became much more enjoyable as they “got into” the book, to the point that their ideas about reading for pleasure were changed signif...

Transfer of College Developmental Reading Students' Textmarking Strategies

In this study transfer of textmarking strategy use was examined. Four college developmental reading students were asked to use textmarking strategies in their introductory biology course, but not in any other content course in which they were concurrently enrolled. However, at the semester's end, participants produced any textbooks in which they had marked for analysis of spontaneous textmarking. Results revealed that: (a) participants exhibited strong resistance to annotation, had difficulty distinguishing important from trivial information, and organizing and paraphrasing information; (b) participants cited existing knowledge of content material and test expectations as major reasons for textmarking adjustment; (c) participants' statements of textmarking utility were generally consistent with strategy use; and (d) participants gave similar reasons for lack of textmarking transfer. Implications for developmental reading programs based on a strategic learning approach are indicated. Findings support strategy training through direct explanation, including training in specific strategy components and text structure awareness, and integrated strategy instruction in which study strategies instructors are paired with content area specialists.

An investigation of learner‐control variables in vocabulary learning using traditional instruction and two forms of computer‐based instruction

Abstract The study investigated the ability of 60 college developmental reading students to monitor adequacy of vocabulary instruction in traditional workbook‐like tasks, as opposed to two different computer‐based formats: video game and text game exercises. Each format allowed learner‐control over time‐on‐task. Following the study, subjects were required to estimate the effectiveness level and interest level of each format. Analysis compared results of subjects who rated formats as highly and not‐highly effective. Results raised serious questions about the effectiveness of learner‐controlled instructional formats, as subjects were unable to accurately monitor the success or failure of their learning. No relationships were found between subjects’ ratings of effectiveness and their time‐on‐task or their achievement on a multiple choice posttest. Effectiveness of learner control was equal for computer‐based instruction and for traditional tasks.

STUDENTS' APPLICATIONS OF SELF‐QUESTIONING STUDY TECHNIQUES: AN INVESTIGATION OF THEIR EFFICACY

This article describes the results of a study in which college developmental reading students were taught how to use study techniques which involved self‐questioning. Over a nine‐week period, subjects were trained in the application of SQ3R (Robinson, 1961), REAP (Eanet & Manzo, 1976), and self‐questioning (Andre & Anderson, 1978‐79) to content area prose materials. Quantitative results indicated that the SQ3R group significantly outperformed the REAP group on a posttest measure of comprehension. No other significant differences were found. In addition, a qualitative analysis was conducted to determine how well subjects processed information during the application of their specific study techniques. These findings indicated that: (1) structured study techniques may be more effective for aiding students' retention of content area prose materials; (2) students are more concerned with detail or factual information than “higher level” forms of information; and (3) instructors of college developmental reading students need to instruct their students as to how to generate questions at all levels of comprehension.

Personalized instruction: An exploration of its effects on developmental reading students’ attitudes and self‐confidence

Personalized instruction: An exploration of its effects on developmental reading students’ attitudes and self‐confidence