Fluency Of Students Research Articles

A Comprehensive Approach to Improving Reading Fluency for Students with Disabilities

A Comprehensive Approach to Improving Reading Fluency for Students with Disabilities

Multimodal literacy practice and identity in standard English learning: A case study in Taiwan

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to understand the impact of four high school students’ multimodal literacy practices in blogging and instant messaging (IM) on academic writing and how they construct their identities in terms of language use in Taiwan. Sources of data are questionnaires, academic writings, blog entries, chatting scripts, and online interviews. Computer-mediated discourse analysis was employed to examine the impact of IM features in academic writing and identity construction when engaging literacy practices in English. Data were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The study confirms that online context is an important site for literacy practices, and it affects language use and identity. Findings showed that literacy practice online provided fluency in students’ writing. Students also performed different identities to practice English in IM. The study suggests future researchers and educators can incorporate and validate students’ favorite sites for literacy practice and learning.

Examining the Validity of Standards-Based Assessments for Initially Fluent Students and Former English Language Learners

To date, assessment validity research on non-native English speaking students in the United States has focused exclusively on those who are presently English language learners (ELLs). However, little, if any, research has been conducted on two other sizable groups of language minority students: (a) bilingual or multilingual students who were already English proficient when they entered the school system (IFEPs), and (b) former English language learners, those students who were once classified as ELLs but are now reclassified as being English proficient (RFEPs). This study investigated the validity of several standards-based assessments in mathematics and science for these two student groups and found a very high degree of score comparability, when compared with native English speakers, for the IFEPs, whereas a moderate to high degree of score comparability was observed for the RFEPs. Thus, test scores for these two groups on the assessments we studied appear to be valid indicators of their content knowledge, to a degree similar to that of native English speakers.

Endurance of Multiplication Fact Fluency for Students With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

This study examines the relationship between a critical learning outcome of behavioral fluency and endurance, by comparing the effects of two practice procedures on multiplication facts two through nine. The first procedure, called whole time practice trial, consisted of an uninterrupted 1 minute practice time. The second procedure, endurance building practice trials, had three 20 second practice trials. A total of 3 students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder participated. Results indicated that multiplication facts with the endurance building practice trials produced more efficient learning when compared to the whole time practice trial procedure for all 3 participants. Additionally, results show that even with the amount of practice time being equal, 1 minute in both conditions, on average participants practiced 30% more problems with the endurance building practice trials procedure than they did with the whole time practice trial procedure.

Troubleshooting assessment: an authentic problem solving activity for it education

To evaluate the effectiveness of an instructional unit for game design and computer programming, we designed an authentic assessment with five troubleshooting scenarios. This assessment was completed by 24 middle grades students (age 12 – 14 years) after 10hours of instruction using a visual programming environment. Students successfully completed most of the tasks in 45minutes. Results from the Troubleshooting Assessment demonstrated that students developed sufficient fluency with programming to be able to apply their knowledge to new problems. These results suggest that troubleshooting scenarios can be used to assess student fluency in computer programming and computer-based problem solving.

Effects of Peer Tutoring on Reading Fluency of Students with Mental Retardation in Middle School

Effects of Peer Tutoring on Reading Fluency of Students with Mental Retardation in Middle School

Repeated Reading Interventions for Students with Learning Disabilities: Status of the Evidence

For students with or at risk for learning disabilities, developing fluency with reading connected texts remains a formidable challenge. In response, teachers often use repeated reading practices designed to provide students with multiple exposures to the same words. This study examined research focused on determining the efficacy of repeated reading approaches for improving reading fluency for students with or at risk for learning disabilities. Studies employed experimental/quasi-experimental and single-subject research designs. Results suggest that repeated reading is not supported by rigorous research as defined by the quality indicators used and, therefore, is not an evidence-based practice based on those criteria for students with and at risk for learning disabilities. Implications for future research and for practice are discussed.

Developing Behavioral Fluency for Students With Autism

With the increase of students with autism in public schools, alternative schools, and in-home programming, attention to effective learning procedures has increased. A general model based on precision teaching for practicing behavior to fluency is presented as a guide for teachers and parents. This model applies to a wide variety of skills and can be tailored for individual students. The procedure for conducting efficient practice fall into four broad categories: (a) planning the practice routine, (b) developing the practice routine, (c) implementing the practice methods, and (d) analysis of data.

Teacher Knowledge About Reading Fluency and Indicators of Students' Fluency Growth in Reading First Schools

This study examines the role of teacher knowledge about reading fluency in students' fluency growth. Specifically, the effects of teacher knowledge on fluency with nonsense word reading and oral passage reading were examined. Students' vocabulary was also considered as a predictor of fluency development. Results demonstrated that teacher knowledge about reading fluency is a significant predictor of first-grade students' decoding growth and second-grade students' oral reading fluency growth. Effects on third-grade students' reading growth are less pronounced. Implications for future research and professional development practice are discussed.

Effects of self-graphing and goal setting on the math fact fluency of students with disabilities.

We evaluated the impact of goal setting and students' participation in graphing their own performance data on the rate of math fact calculations. Participants were 3 students with mild disabilities in the first and second grades; 2 of the 3 students were also identified with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). They were taught to use Microsoft Excel® software to graph their rate of correct calculations when completing timed, independent practice sheets consisting of single-digit mathematics problems. Two students' rates of correct calculations nearly always met or exceeded the aim line established for their correct calculations. Additional interventions were required for the third student. Results are discussed in terms of implications and future directions for increasing the use of evaluation components in classrooms for students at risk for behavior disorders and academic failure.

Helping engineers learn mathematics: a developmental research approach

A mathematics module in the undergraduate programme for first year engineers aims to enable those with low mathematical qualifications to understand and use efficiently calculus and related topics. The teaching approach is designed to develop student's fluency, understanding and responsibility through creating an inquiry community, encouraging students to engage with materials and support opportunities and extending their thinking through investigative problems. Research is exploring the provision and outcomes of the module. Findings so far indicate highly variable patterns of attendance at sessions and scores on class tests. Attitudes to the module, relationships with students attending sessions and appreciation of materials and support are generally good. Achievement of the aims of the module, however, is relatively low.

문제발견 능력과 화학 문제해결 능력과의 관계

purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between high school students' Problem Finding Ability (PFA) and chemistry problem solving ability. To achieve this purpose, the interrelationship between the results of PFA in ill-structured scientific problem situation and the scores of sham examination in chemistry I of College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT) was analyzed. The results of this study turned out to be as follows: There was correlation (r=.346) between the score of PFA test and that of sham examination in chemistry I of the CSAT. And a little correlation (r=.390) between PFA and students application ability which is one of the sub factors in sham examination of the CSAT. Especially, in the high achievers group there was high correlation (r=.446) between students fluency which is one of the sub factors in PFA, and application ability. This implies that the application ability of high achievers has something to do with their PFA for a variety of problems. As for the PFA between high achievers and low achievers, there was no significant difference (t=.830, p=.411).

Language Affirmation and Positive Psychology

Observing and assessing student presentations can be exhilarating or exhausting. During an evening class, after numerous student presentations, a simple idea altered the learning environment, changed perceptions, and enhanced my appreciation as a professor teaching effective interpersonal relationships for the power of language or voice affirmation. Let me set the stage. was teaching a class that included students whose first language was Spanish, French, or Creole. Each of the students was required to deliver a presentation on the topic of interpersonal relationships during the final days of class. One of the students whose first language was not English, got up to deliver her presentation. The student spoke haltingly, clearly struggling with finding the fight words; equally important, she appeared to be unprepared to give her presentation. Inexplicably, asked the student to deliver the last two minutes of her presentation in her first language and then translate it back into English. have no idea why asked the student to deliver her presentation in her native language. Maybe it was my attempt to add some interest to a long evening, or, it could have been something instinctual. But within the context of Van Maanen's (1998) notion of a confessional tale, suspect it was more my unfavorable perception of her presentation, which in my assessment was vocally halted and stressed, contained lengthy pauses, lacked energy and focus, and revealed vocal variance. Then, the student began to speak and the other students and were captivated. Her facial expressions, confident movement, rich vocal qualities, musically rhythmic speech, vitality and conviction overwhelmed us. And as the student continued to deliver her presentation in her native language, my initial unfavorable perception began to change to one of admiration. When the student finished her presentation, a spontaneous round of applause filled the room. We now saw a student, who in giving her presentation in her first language, was speaking from a place of strength; and in doing so, transcended the meaning of words. Then, a different type of dialog began; one that would change and enhance my appreciation as a learning and teaching steward for the power of language and voice affirmation. Presenter: I did not speak much in class because was afraid you would make fun of me. Students: Oh no, we think it is wonderful you [that you sic] speak two languages and one by one, the students confirmed and reaffirmed this student. The student returned to her seat, with tears flowing freely down her face; yet the other students and could see that she was returning to her seat with a quiet confidence, previously unseen at the outset of her presentation. After class, found myself musing over several key questions. Did my students and observe a transformative experience? Or, was it the students and who had a transformative experience? And if it were and the students who encountered a transformative experience, were we transformed as a result of our lack of appreciation, ignorance, preconceptions and/or misperceptions towards the challenges that non-native speakers of English encounter while speaking English? would ponder these questions for days to come, especially as reflected on the obvious and dramatic change in my student's fluency of speech, pace, energy, focus and facial expression as she returned to her seat. Positive Psychology as described by Snyder and Lopez (2007) focuses on uncovering individual strengths and promoting positive functioning. As my story shows, my request to a student to speak in her native language was not only affirming; it uncovered impressive verbal and nonverbal behaviors, culminating in a deep-felt smile and confident walk. This change was not only perceptual in the student, but could also be seen on the faces of her listening audience, as well as in their voices, as they expressed their appreciation. …

The Massachusetts math wars

This article recounts the battle in the “math wars” that took place in Massachusetts, United States in 1999–2000 over the scope, content and teaching of the state’s K-12 mathematics curriculum. Harsh controversies arose between the partisans of a “reform-math” movement stressing an undefined “conceptual understanding” and student-created algorithms and those, including the author, advocating an academically stronger mathematics curriculum as well as fluency in students’ computational skills with whole numbers and fractions. While “reform-math” supporters privileged and fought for a radical constructivist view of mathematics learning, the Massachusetts Board of Education decided to implement mathematics standards that linked strong academic content to the development of authentic computational competencies in students. Following the introduction of newly revised mathematic standards in 2000, real progress was reached in terms of student achievement. According to the results of the 2007 tests in reading and in mathematics for Grade 4 and Grade 8, reported by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Massachusetts ranked first nationwide in mathematics and tied for first place in reading, with its students having made significant gains from 2005 to 2007. The article makes a strong case for evidence-based curriculum design and implementation, freed, as much as possible, of mythologies and misconceptions. It explains why it was necessary to reject the theoretical assumptions and pedagogical strategies embedded in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ 1989 and 2000 standards documents. It also highlights the importance of a strong personal life and working “principles” underpinning the mission of curriculum developers: successful reform “strategies” are indeed meaningless in the absence of such durable personal beliefs and values.

Using Experimental Analysis to Determine Interventions for Reading Fluency and Recalls of Students with Learning Disabilities

This study assessed the efficacy of experimental analysis for determining a best intervention program for improving oral reading fluency for students with learning disabilities. Following a two-session baseline condition, four treatments to increase reading fluency (repeated reading, listening passage preview, repeated reading with easier material; and listening passage with easier materials) were administered in one session each for the purpose of briefly assessing which method was most effective for each student. The methods producing the highest response rate for each student were then subjected to an extended analysis. Finally, the best interventions for each student were implemented and their effectiveness was monitored across time. Functional relationships among the number of words read correct per minute and best intervention programs determined through brief experimental analysis were shown for all students in instructional passages. Generalized outcomes were consistent only when a reinforcement criterion for generalization was applied. Additionally, the best intervention program had an effect on the number of recalls for instructional passages. The results suggest that experimental analysis is an effective procedure for determining the comparative usefulness of instructional methods to increase oral reading fluency, especially within the context of a thorough educational assessment.

Effects of Reciprocal Peer Tutoring and Self-Graphing on Reading Fluency and Classroom Behavior of Middle School Students With Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an intervention involving reciprocal peer tutoring and self-graphing of reading data on the disruptive behavior, active responding, and reading fluency of students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). Four middle school students with EBD participated in this research. Results indicated that during the intervention phase students' disruptive behavior decreased and active responding increased. Furthermore, during the intervention phase each student made progress on words read correctly per minute. This is represented by each student attaining the goal of typical reading growth, compared with only one student achieving this goal during the baseline phase. Limitations of the study and implications for practice and future research are discussed.

Information Literacy and IT Fluency

Academic librarians are currently challenged by a variety of nomenclature issues, nowhere more evident than in the expanding cluster of terms centered on concepts and processes of accessing, evaluating, and using information. This development is undoubtedly caused by the nature of library and information science itself, which is a soft applied discipline, or one without a prevailing explanatory paradigm, and with an overriding concern for application rather than pure theory. (1) It is also partly caused by the multiplying educational reform agendas connected with critical thinking, resource-based learning, and a variety of pedagogies of engagement, and also by the sometimes overlapping and sometimes diverging cluster of terms centered on technology skills--information technology (IT) fluency, technology literacy, computer literacy, digital literacy, and others. This welter of terminology with converging and diverging meanings can indeed be challenging in professional discourse, particularly because librarians see a greater need than ever to collaborate with other academic professionals and with interest groups and stakeholders beyond their home restitutions. The two primary terms that have emerged in the United States that address the concepts of accessing, using, and evaluating information are information literacy and IT fluency. The two concepts have distinct lineages that are now converging in program development and curricular applications at some institutions. Information literacy is now understood by most tn the academic library community as an evolving set of abilities focused on defining information needs, searching, evaluating, using, and managing information, and also understanding something of its social and legal implications. This conception of information literacy, developed in the United States, is primarily attribute- and standards-based, and assumes that there are normative and definitive characteristics of information literate students. (2) IT fluency is another normative conception, with requisite knowledge and skills of IT fluent students promulgated by a group of experts from the research and academic computing communities. (3) While these are the concepts used in the United States, other conceptions using the same or similar terms have emerged internationally that provide a broader context for understanding the two United States-based concepts. These other conceptions are either relational and research-based (the Bruce tradition originating in Australia), or developmental in orientation-the Seven Pillars model created by the Society of College, National, and University Libraries (SCONUL) group in the United Kingdom. (4) The potential for each of these traditions to compensate or correct for deficiencies in the others is only beginning to be understood in the international arena. In the United States, only recently have the sociocuhural dimensions of information literacy, as an educational reform agenda, begun to be explored. (5) This article explores three diverging concepts and terms--information literacy, IT fluency, information fluency--and examines how their divergences and convergences are manifested in such emergent agendas as ICT assessment and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. During the late 1980s and throughout most of the 1990s, information literacy was the preferred term in the academic library community in the United States to describe a programmatic, curriculum-infused, institutional approach to research and information competency. During this time, academic librarians were challenged to consider the full implications of information literacy as a catalyst for change. A new agenda that aims to reform the curriculum includes questions of how to make sure that information literacy is not just library-sponsored, but includes many stakeholders who claim ownership. (6) Equally important new agendas include the idea that learning, not just teaching or pedagogy, should be the overarching concern in program development; that the concept must include a major focus on the digital, networked environment and that the focus on the individual student as the locus of learning should be transformed to considering the social dimensions of learning. …

Improving a mathematical key skill using precision teaching

Mathematics is a core subject in the UK curriculum, with high standards achievement a policy of the UK government. Innovative approaches and strategies have been advocated to achieve these high standards. One approach that has been advocated is Precision Teaching, supported by its successful application in schools in the United States. For this study, a 12-week programme was devised to develop student fluency in the multiplication timetables. A key skill task was devised and scores compared before and after programme implementation. Pre-programme scores revealed poor student performance on this key skill. Post-programme results show an improvement for children using Precision Teaching, with some outperforming the average of their classmates. The paper endorses previous findings that fluency is important for student progress through the curriculum. It also endorses research findings that adding practice and timed assessment improve student performance levels. These results were achieved with minimal disruption and materials. The paper recommends educational practitioners to support further research into the practicalities and suggested benefits of fluency-orientated education.

The Effects of Alternate Forms of Performance Feedback on Elementary-Aged Students’ Oral Reading Fluency

Within the context of a brief experimental design, the current study examined the effects of providing two different types of performance feedback, performance feedback on words read correctly (PFWC) and performance feedback on words read incorrectly (PFWI), on the oral reading fluency of six elementary-aged students. For all of the participants, PFWI resulted in higher levels of oral reading fluency than PFWC. In addition, for a majority of the participants, PFWC resulted in lower levels of oral reading errors than PFWI. These results suggest that providing students with performance feedback on the number or words read correctly may enhance the reading fluency of students experiencing reading difficulties. The implications of these results for intervention selection are discussed.

Motivational Issues in Learning Disabilities

Our motivation behind this special issue on Motivation in Learning Disabilities stems from the fact that motivational orientations, attributes, and characteristics are highly predictive of subsequent student engagement and behavior in academic and nonacademic tasks (Dweck, 1988; Sabatino, 1982). In her pioneer work, Dweck (1986) and Dweck and Leggett (1988) demonstrated that students of equal ability displayed significantly different behaviors during an academic activity, with some of them persisting and achieving high levels of performance and others giving up. Dweck and her colleagues attributed those findings to motivation, and in particular to two motivational styles, which were associated with unique networks of cognition, affect, and behavior. Several studies have since documented the importance of motivation in the academic behavior and achievement of students with learning disabilities (LD) (Bouffard & Couture, 2003; Fulk, Brigham, & Lohman, 1998; Pintrich, Anderman, & Klobucar, 1994; Thomas & Oldfather, 1997). In some of these studies, motivation acted as a moderator of achievement (Poskiparta, Niemi, Lepola, Ahtola, & Laine, 2003), a mediator (Quirk, 2004; Sideridis, 2003), or both (Kaplan & Midgley, 2000; Linnenbrink, 2005; Sideridis, in press). Nevertheless, evidence points to the fact that motivation exerts significant effects on the academic functioning of students with LD. These effects have been found in both quantitative and qualitative studies. For example, Sideridis (1995) described a student with mental retardation and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) whose spelling achievement improved dramatically using a classwide peer tutoring intervention (Greenwood, Terry, Arreaga-Mayer, & Finney, 1992). Using an ABAB design, the student, Charles, managed to come third in his class during the first intervention phase (B1). Interesting, during the reverse-to-baseline condition (A2), this student approached the principal investigator and said, When will we start doing that tutoring thing again? My grades started going down ...! Thus, the intervention managed to increase this student's motivation to a very high level with collateral positive effects on his academic achievement and social functioning; in addition, he stopped being rejected and neglected by his peers (for more information, see Sideridis et al., 1997). Even though motivation is acknowledged as being important in the education of all students (Adelman & Taylor, 1983), relatively little research has been conducted on the topic for students with LD. This is paradoxical, given its documented importance (Chapman, 1988; Chapman & Tunmer, 1995). For example, based on a meta-analysis of all intervention studies targeting enhanced reading fluency in students with LD, Morgan and Sideridis (in press) reported that the two most effective interventions included strong elements of motivation (goal setting and feedback, with or without reinforcement). This recent study suggests that educational interventions may be particularly effective when they combine elements of motivation. This proposition has been also validated in previous studies (Garcia & de Caso, 2004, in press; Lepola, Saloner, Vauras, & Poskiparta, 2004; Pappa, Zafiropoulou, & Metallidou, 2003). Thus, the first important area of research involves incorporating motivation into the curriculum. In another area of research, motivation was found to account for significant amounts of the variability of LD classification. For example, Sideridis, Morgan, Botsas, Padeliadu, and Fuchs (2006) demonstrated across five studies that motivation was a strong predictor of LD group membership. This finding is particularly important given that several cognitive variables have reportedly been poor predictors of LD classification (see Watkins, 2005; Watkins, Kush, & Glutting, 1997; Watkins, Kush, & Schaefer, 2002). Thus, another important line of research pertains to deciphering the role and power of motivation to account for significant variance in group membership (typical vs. …