Action Plan

RUNNING HEAD: READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES 1
READING COMPREHENSION
STRATEGIES: EXAMINING THE
EFFECTS OF HIGH INTEREST
LEVEL READING MATERIAL AND
BEST PRACTICE READING
COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES
FOR LEARNERS IDENTIFIED WITH
LEARNING DISABILITIES AT THE
MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL
By
Victoria J. Judkins
EDU690: Action Research
University of New England
April 16, 2014

Statement of Academic Honesty: I have read and understand that plagiarism
policy as outlined in the Student Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct
document relating to the Honesty/Cheating Policy. By attaching this statement to
the title page of my paper, I certify that the work submitted is my original work
developed specifically for this course and to the MSED program. If it is found
that cheating and/or plagiarism did take place in the writing of this paper, I
acknowledge the possible consequences of the act/s, which could include
expulsion from the University of New England.

Abstract
This action research will investigate the effects that teaching the following reading comprehension
strategies have on improving reading comprehension for students: self-monitoring, self-regulating,
graphic organizers, summarizing, and vocabulary development. The guiding principles for this
action research project focus on best reading practices, daily reading instruction, and the impact of
appropriately leveled high interest materials paired with choice in order to enhance the learning
outcomes in reading comprehension for students identified with specific learning disabilities.
A mixed method approach of data collection will be utilized which includes observational field
notes, daily attendance, student attitude surveys, student interviews, teacher Likert Scale, student
Likert Scale, Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessments and student work samples. The
participants in the study will be eight middle school students who are part of a Life Skills program
and are all struggling with reading comprehension. The researcher has hypothesized that following
an 18 week trial period of high interest, level-appropriate reading material exposure paired with
best practice reading comprehension strategies, students will show increased gains in reading
comprehension, aiding them with better access to assessments evaluating state standards, as
comparative to peers who are given level-appropriate reading which is not tailored to interest.

Keywords: life skills, middle school, reading comprehension, high interest low level material


Table of Contents
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 2
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 7
Sample Population . 7
Statement of Problem ..................................................................................................................... 8
Research Questions ...................................................................................................................... 10
Hypothesis..................................................................................................................................... 10
Literature Review ..... 11
Literature Review Procedures... 12
Best Strategies... 13
Daily Reading....... 21
High Interest Low Level Books 25
Summary... 29
Methodology .... 31

Statement of Problem ... 31
Research Questions .. 31
Hypothesis ........ 32
Research Design ... 32
Data Collection Plan ........ 35
Instruments ... 37
Validation ..... 39
Research Timeline ....... 42
Data Analysis ... 43
Limitations ... 51
Summary....... 52
Action Plan ... 52
Local Approval 52
Projected Time Line . 53
Anticipated Outcomes .. 54

Summary .. 57
References. 59
Appendices ... 62
Appendix A: Observational Field Notes .. 62
Appendix B: Pre and Post- Assessment ... 63
Appendix C: Teacher Likert Scale ... 64
Appendix D: Student Likert Scale ... 65
Appendix E: Attendance Record . 66
Appendix F: Student Survey 67
Appendix G: Student Interview ... 68
Appendix H: Graphic Organizer .. 69
Appendix I: Draft Letter to Superintendent . 70
Tables ... 36
Table 1: Data Collection Matrix .. 36
Table 2: Projected Research Timeline . 42

Table 3: Student Attendance 51
Figures ...... 46
Figure 1: Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Scores ........... 46
Figure 2: Whole Group Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Scores .... 47
Figure 3: Control Group Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Scores ... 47
Figure 4: Teacher Likert Scale Data .... 48
Figure 5: Concept Map for High Interest ..... 49
Figure 6: Concept Map for Student Attitudes .. 56


Reading Comprehension Strategies: Examining the Effects of High Interest Level Reading
Material and Best Practice Reading Comprehension Strategies for Learners Identified with
Learning Disabilities at the Middle School Level
The researcher, Victoria Judkins, is a second year special education teacher formally in
employment with a prosperous school district in Ellsworth, Maine. She has a Bachelor of Science
in Exceptionalities in Students/Elementary Education/ESOL/Reading from the University of West
Florida. The researcher has primarily worked with ninth to twelfth grade special education
students as the case manager in all content area classes. Currently, she is working towards a
Masters degree in Education with a concentration in Inclusion. She holds her professional license
in the state of Florida for K-12 special education and K-6 regular education with ESOL and
Reading endorsements. She additionally holds her professional license in the state of Maine for K-
12 special education and K-8 regular education.
The teacher participating in the study teaches at Ellsworth Elementary Middle School in
Ellsworth, Maine. She teaches students grades five through eight in a Life Skills program. She
specializes in teaching students identified with exceptionalities and is viewed as a veteran teacher.
There will additionally be four para-professionals; all of whom are assigned to the teachers
classroom for the students requiring one-on-one assistance. The para-professionals levels of
expertise range from novice to veteran with this population of students. When considering the
classroom teacher and para-professionals, there will be five professionals participating in the study.
Sample Population
The action research will take place in a prosperous school district in Ellsworth, Maine
within a combined fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade Life Skills classroom. The reading

comprehension lessons and activities will be conducted all within the classroom and regular school
hours. The students will be randomly divided into two small groups. One group will be provided
opportunity for choice while the other group will be assigned their reading material. The group
that will be provided the opportunity for choice will be the control group. Based on the literature
reviewed for this action research, it was determined that the classroom should be provided
extensive opportunity to see strategies being modeled and for practice with the strategies being
taught. Due to this new information, the students will be having an additional group reading class
three days a week in lieu of individual work station time. The participants will be eight students
selected from a combined fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth grade Life Skills program. The Life
Skills program consists of eight students with moderate to severe mental, physical, and/or
emotional disabilities. There will be three females and five males who will be participating in the
study. One of the participants speaks French in the home but is fluent in English as well. The
participants home life vary from single parent to traditional home life. The socioeconomic status
for the students range from below poverty level to middle class. None of the students participating
in the study are performing at grade level. They average four levels below grade level. Of those
four students, two additionally require one-on-one assistance to manage behavioral concerns.
Primary instruction is conducted in the Life Skills classroom; six of the eight students receive some
secondary services in alternative settings such as inclusion classrooms or co-curricular classes.
Statement of Problem
The Department of Education has deemed it essential to pass laws and mandates that
govern the treatment of and processes associated with providing a fair and equitable education to
all students regardless of educational aptitude and ability. Within these guidelines passed by the

Department of Education, two such mandates passed are the No Child Left Behind Act (2002) and
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004). Within the IDEA (2004) a
minimum of 60 references were made to the NCLB (2002), in part these references were to the
inclusion of students with disabilities in state and district based assessments (Weishaar, 2007).
These mandates ensure that fair and equitable education opportunities are provided for all students;
whilst having provisions within those acts that account for the differences inherent to the students
that the acts were intended to protect. Alternative assessments are permitted for students who
cannot reasonably access the state assessment with modifications due to specific learning
disabilities that impact their ability to access the assessment. Alternative assessments are
individually developed at the state level and vary from state to state.
Students identified with moderate to significant learning disabilities are not granted
eligibility for alternative assessments with the diagnosis alone. Some students do not meet the
requirements for alternative assessments, yet they struggle to access the state assessment. More
specifically, the reading comprehension component of the assessment is a major area of concern.
A large part of assessments involve reading comprehension, tasking students to comprehend what
is being assessed. When examining the current state of affairs in education one might be surprised
to find that more than 8 million students, nearly 40% in Grades 4 through 12 fail to meet grade-
level expectations in reading and often have regular difficulties reading and learning from texts in
school (Hall, 2012). Students with learning disabilities require specific reading comprehension
strategies to access assessments requiring reading comprehension skills. The result being, students
will not perform as high on these standardized tests. When reviewing data from previous school
years of students in the life skills program who did not qualify for the alternative assessments or

partial alternative assessments, those students scores were significantly below that of their same
age peers, and they did not meet state standards. By the time a student reaches middle school, the
struggling reader has often made several failed attempts at becoming a better reader and is often
unwilling to try again, this becomes further exacerbated by the fact that their inability to read at the
appropriate level becomes magnified with each passing year (Spadorcia, 2005). For a student with
a learning disability, this problem becomes even graver. Not surprisingly, many students identified
as having learning disabilities experience problems in the area of reading comprehension. An area
of concern across the board for the population of students being examined was reading
comprehension. A solution is to identify best practices for reading comprehension strategies to
help students with learning disabilities have the aptitude to access assessments.
Research Questions
The following research questions were created for this study:
What are the best strategies for improving reading comprehension for individuals with
learning disabilities?
What effect do daily reading sessions have on improving reading comprehension
outcomes?
Does providing high interest level material, combined with the opportunity for choice,
impact the students reading comprehension outcomes?
Hypothesis
Following an 18 week trial period of high interest, level-appropriate reading material
exposure paired with best practice reading comprehension strategies, students will show a
20% increased gain in reading comprehension, aiding them with better access to

assessments evaluating state standards, as comparative to peers who are given level-
appropriate reading which is not tailored to interest.
Literature Review
When examining the current state of affairs in education one might be surprised to find that
more than 8 million students, nearly 40% in Grades 4 through 12 fail to meet grade-level
expectations in reading and often have regular difficulties reading and learning from texts in school
(Hall, 2012). Though this number is shocking it is not without hope. Over the past several
decades much has been done in terms of research to try to find a root cause and possible solutions
to this dilemma facing students, however little has actually been accomplished in the school
systems. Despite advances in our understanding of effective practices to improve reading
comprehension, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported that problems
of lower performing students in reading comprehension persist, with only a slight percentile
variance seen from 2002 to 2009 for such students (from 244 to 243 for those at 25
th
percentile and
from 220 to 219 for those at the 10
th
percentile) (Kim, Linan-Thompson, & Misquitta, 2012).
When the focus changes from what works to how can it be implemented to see success often
results follow. There is powerful evidence from previous studies of the casual relationship
between comprehension strategy use and comprehension (Dermitzaki, Andreou, & Paraskeva,
2008), but one must take into consideration that simply using strategies does not necessarily make
one a better and more engaged reader (Hall, 2012). This becomes even more important when
working with students who have been identified with a learning disability.
By the time a student reaches middle school the struggling reader has often made several
failed attempts at becoming a better reader and is often unwilling to try again, this becomes further

exacerbated by the fact that their inability to read at the appropriate level becomes magnified with
each passing year (Spadorcia, 2005). For a student with a learning disability, this problem
becomes even graver. Not surprisingly, many students identified as having learning disabilities
experience problems in the area of reading comprehension. These students struggle to construct
meaning from written text, connect meaning to words, make inferences, draw conclusions, recall
and summarize information, and actively monitor their comprehension (Watson, Gable, Gear, &
Hughes, 2012). Sadly according to Spadorcia (2005) those students are additionally receiving
even less instructional time in those essential areas than their regular education peers. This is
compounded by limited working memory (WM) capacity, inhibitory problems, prior knowledge,
misconceptions, text structure knowledge, planning, and language difficulties, rather than a simple
issue of decoding (Watson, Gable, Gear, & Hughes, 2012).
The research conducted for this literature review focused on three guiding principles: best
reading practices; daily reading instruction; and the impact of appropriately leveled high interest
materials paired with the opportunity for choice.
Literature Review Procedures
First, the researcher conducted a computerized search of literature on reading
comprehension strategies for students with learning disabilities by using the University of New
England library to access the ERIC-EBSCO and ProQuest databases under education from January
2004 to January 2014. An advance search was conducted to limit the results to full text, peer-
reviewed articles from professional journals. Descriptors for the database search included the
following combinations: reading comprehension, learning disabilities, best practice, peer reading,
daily instruction, high interest, and assessments. After identifying relevant resources, the

researcher conducted an ancestral search of studies using the reference lists of potential articles that
focused on reading comprehension and cognitive reading strategies.
Best Strategies for Reading Comprehension
A great deal of research has pointed out the benefits of providing students with instruction
on how and why they should use comprehension strategies. In the Boulware-Gooden, Carreker,
Thornhill, & Joshi (2007) study, it was found that the metacognitive reading comprehension
instruction significantly improved the academic achievement of third-grade students in the
domains of reading comprehension. According to Hall (2012), comprehension strategies are
deliberate, goal-oriented attempts to control and modify the readers efforts to decode text,
understand words, and construct meanings of text; they are the various rehearsal, elaboration, and
organizational strategies, such as analyzing and combining activities and choosing between main
and trivial information. It is important for students to be able to recognize what information is key
and what information is extraneous. They enable students to make progress and to build
knowledge (Dermitzaki, Andreou, & Paraskeva, 2008). It is vital for educators to recognize the
importance of teaching and using cognitive strategies to help address reading deficits.
According to Jitendra, Burgess, & Gajria (2011), educators have widely used cognitive
strategy instruction to address reading comprehension deficits evidenced by students with learning
disabilities. They additionally point out that educators may attribute comprehension failure in
students with learning disabilities to a lack of appropriate cognitive strategies or ineffective use of
such strategies. Even though metacognitive strategies are considered to be of value for adequate
text comprehension, classroom teachers often fail to teach this process (Boulware-Gooden,
Carreker, Thornhill, & Joshi, 2007). Simply providing a student with a list of comprehension

strategies does not help a student become a strong reader, they must be able to appropriately access
the strategies and know when to use them. According to Hall (2012), helping all students, and in
particular struggling readers, learn how to use comprehension strategies is critical in reading
development. Although reading comprehension depends on various text, situational, and student
variables, mastering and applying appropriately multiple strategies and appropriate learning
behaviors in reading discriminate skilled readers from less skilled readers (Dermitzaki, Andreou, &
Paraskeva, 2008). It should be noted that struggling readers, although being provided instruction
on how to use comprehension strategies, are less likely to be able to fluently use these strategies to
comprehend texts in school (Hall, 2012). Research suggests exposing students to a variety of
comprehension strategies.
Several strategies have been identified to improve comprehension for students with
learning disabilities, such as the use of a self-monitoring strategy, identifying the main idea,
using inferences, the use of semantic mapping and graphic organizers, and reciprocal teaching.
It is important to note that with all of these strategies, students must be provided with adequate
time to learn and practice each of these strategies in many different settings. Identified strategies
to enhance reading comprehension include explicit instruction in reading comprehension,
employing multiple strategies, and emphasizing comprehension versus word attack skills or
fluency (Kim, Linan-Thompson, & Misquitta, 2012). It is not uncommon for students with
learning disabilities to often use only one strategy, even when the strategy is not appropriate for
the task at hand. Students need to be able to use multiple different strategies. Another effective
instructional practice for students with learning disabilities includes using content enhancements
(e.g., advance and graphic organizers, visual displays, study guides, computer-assisted

instruction) (Jitendra, Burgess, & Gajria, 2011). For the purposes of this study, the strategies that
will be closely examined will include: self-monitoring, self-regulating, graphic organizers,
summarizing, and vocabulary development.
Self-monitoring. According to Kim, Linan-Thompson, & Misquitta (2012), reviews of
the literature have identified self-monitoring to be associated with improvement in reading
comprehension. Self-monitoring involves the active participation of students in learning and
continuous engagement. Demanding that a struggling student reads will not achieve increased
reading comprehension; providing the students with opportunities to read paired with engaging
activities will. Through continuous opportunities, the student will benefit from exposure to
various text and will increase their awareness and self-monitoring abilities. It should be a
continuous strategy used combined with other comprehension strategies. Research on reading
comprehension recommends the use of self-monitoring strategy in combination with other
strategies (Kim, Linan-Thompson, & Misquitta, 2012). Four activities that are believed to aid in
comprehension-fostering and comprehension-monitoring activities are self-questioning,
summarizing, clarifying, and predicting (Boulware-Gooden, Carreker, Thornhill, & Joshi, 2007).
For instance, when a student is self-questioning what they have just read and decides to reread
the sentence, this is an example of a comprehension strategy in action paired with self-
monitoring. As Hall (2012) points out, regardless of the quality or amount of instruction
students receive, it is ultimately the students themselves who decide if, when, and how they will
use strategies or any form of instruction which is part of self-monitoring.
Self-regulating. Information on engaged, self-regulated readers are those who set realistic
goals, select effective reading strategies, monitor their understandings of the text, evaluate progress

towards their goals, and are highly motivated to read and learn (Dermitzaki, Andreou, & Paraskeva,
2008). According to Mason, Meadan-Kaplansky, Hedin, & Taft (2013), self-regulation includes
techniques considered to be internal, such as talking to oneself, and external, such as manipulating the
environment. It has been proposed that not only the knowledge of use of learning strategies are essential
for learning and achievement but that the various individual characteristics of learners influence their
ability to be self-regulated and to act strategically during learning (Dermitzaki, Andreou, & Paraskeva,
2008). Mason, Meadan-Kaplansky, Hedin, & Taft (2013) explain that when examining the development
of self-regulated learning, four expectations must be met.
The first expectation is that the students must be active participants in the construction of
goals. It is important for the students to help in the process of creating their own reading goals.
Providing a student with a list of goals will not suffice. Students must be able to identify what they
want to achieve from reading a text. The second expectation, identified from Mason, Meadan-
Kaplansky, Hedin, & Taft (2013), is for the students to be able to monitor, control, and regulate
their own cognition, motivation, and behavior to the greatest degree possible. In order to be able to
achieve their cognition and motivation, the behavior piece must first be identified. It is vital for
educators to help students identified with behavior problems to set in place the necessary supports
and plans that will help the individual student monitor, control, and regulate their own behavior.
The next step requires a criterion or goal be set to evaluate the students performance (Mason,
Meadan-Kaplansky, Hedin, & Taft, 2013). The student must know how their performance should
be evaluated and they should be actively creating their own goals. The last expectation, identified
by Mason, Meadan-Kaplansky, Hedin, & Taft (2013), is for the activities to serve as meditators
between the students characteristics and their final performance achievement.

According to Dermitzaki, Andreou, & Paraskeva (2008), prominent researchers propose
that self-regulated learning can be viewed as a three-phase process: before dealing with the task at
hand, during dealing with it, and after the task is completed. The student needs to be regulating
their learning during the entire process, not just during one of the three. They need to identify how
they will approach the task prior to starting an activity. From there, students need to be able to
recognize how they are dealing with the task during the activity. Last, they need to review their
work through summarizing activities or other comprehension strategies. It should be noted that
although there is a signicant amount of literature that suggests that effective self-regulatory
processes have a positive impact on learning achievement (Mason, Meadan-Kaplansky, Hedin, &
Taft, 2013), the theoretical and empirical research that examines the integration of learning process
and self-regulation is limited. More research should be conducted to examine the integration of the
two in order to help support students struggling to comprehend the meaning of text. To conclude,
student engagement and self-regulation is critical for promoting reading comprehension for
students with, and without, disabilities who struggle with understanding text. Supporting all
aspects of self-regulated strategy use, therefore, is critical for these students who typically produce
poorer quality work than their average achieving peers, do not generalize what they learn, and fail
to maintain what has been learned (Mason, Meadan-Kaplansky, Hedin, & Taft, 2013).
Graphic organizers. Cognitive strategies are the various rehearsal, elaboration, and
organizational strategies, such as analyzing and combining activities and choosing between main and
trivial information (Dermitzaki, Andreou, & Paraskeva, 2008). Graphic organizers help students organize
the information presented in text and make sense of the meaning in text. For instance, the construction of
a pyramid style graphic organizer provides students with a visual representation of the structure of

expository text and helps to reinforce the key elements of the text so that the more the students read
expository text, the more aware they become of what to think about while they were reading (Boulware-
Gooden, Carreker, Thornhill, & Joshi, 2007). There have been several types of graphic organizers
identified to help readers successfully comprehend text. According to Watson, Gable, Gear, & Hughes
(2012), one widely researched graphic organizer is the concept map (or diagram) which is used to
represent concepts or ideas connected by lines showing the semantic relationship of concepts. Story
mapping has been shown to be an effective reading comprehension strategy as well.
Simply providing students with graphic organizers will not be sufficient. To be effective,
strategy instruction must teach students why the graphic organizer is useful, how it can be used to
display the relationship among the ideas in a particular text, and in what ways the tools might be
applied to other texts and settings (Reed & Vaughn, 2012). Graphic organizers should be used to
help students implement the various comprehension strategies and should be viewed as an essential
part of the reading process. When strategies such as story mapping, using clue words (e.g.,
different), and visualization that are designed to teach students text structure are explicitly taught,
students are better able to comprehend what they read (Watson, Gable, Gear, & Hughes, 2012).
Summarizing. Summarization, the ability to tell what the text is about in a concise manner,
helps students to concentrate on the major points of a text and compact the information to better
comprehend and remember what they read (Watson, Gable, Gear, & Hughes, 2012). Students should be
provided learning activities that challenge them to identify key ideas in a paragraph or chapter and write a
summary. By having the students practice this skill more frequently, they will gain awareness of the
meaning of the text. One method of summarization is a strategy known as paraphrasing. According to
Kletzien (2009), paraphrasing can be seen as part of the monitoring aspect of metacognition.
Paraphrasing helps students monitor their understanding and encourages them to access what they already

know about a topic. When students understand how and why a strategy works, it becomes part of their
metacognitive repertoire and available for independent use. Kletzien (2009) identified that when teaching
students to use paraphrasing to monitor comprehension, it is important for educators to make certain that
students understand the purpose of the strategy, as well as how to do it. In order to accomplish this,
educators should model paraphrasing to students using material set at the instructional level. This can be
done through think-alouds and other activities similar in nature.
Kletzien (2009) stresses the importance of exposing students to a variety of passages
while modeling in order to gain familiarity with the strategy and not just a type of text. Using
both narrative and expository short passages exposes students to the different types and makes
certain that students know why we stop at the end of each paragraph to paraphrase. According to
Watson, Gable, Gear, & Hughes (2012), the multiple and complex structures of expository texts,
as opposed to the usual single structure of narrative texts (i.e., story grammar), make
comprehension challenging for many students with learning disabilities.
Vocabulary. Boulware-Gooden, Carreker, Thornhill, & Joshi (2007) identify that
comprehension is the reason for reading, and vocabulary plays a significant role in
comprehension. They additionally noted that vocabulary acquisition has been found to be a high
predictor of reading comprehension. Vocabulary is viewed as a main factor in reading
comprehension due to the strong correlation between reading comprehension and vocabulary.
Yildirim, Yildiz, & Ates (2011) stated that all research about reading comprehension and
vocabulary, including correlational, factorial, and readability, has showed that vocabulary is an
essential component of reading comprehension. Students must have a strong vocabulary base in
order for them to recognize the words and make sense of the text. Vocabulary is associated with
prior knowledge, linguistic skill, and metacognitive awareness since all practices differentiate

during the reading process for determining word meanings according to the readers background
knowledge, ability, metacognitive skills, and motivation (Yildirim, Yildiz, & Ates, 2011).
Students face many different types of text in school, and need to be able to understand the
meaning of words in different contexts. By having a strong understanding of a large variety of
words, students are able to approach reading with more confidence. In classroom settings, as
mentioned by Yildirim, Yildiz, & Ates (2011), greater effort is needed to instruct meanings of
new words to students. Hence, teachers should provide not only explicit instruction but also
teach some vocabulary strategies to make students learn independently meanings of new words.
Although instruction in word recognition is critical for students with reading difficulties, some
students continue to struggle with comprehending or acquiring knowledge from text despite
having adequate word-recognition skills. These students experience greater difficulty in the
upper elementary grades, when the focus shifts from learning to read to reading to learn
(Jitendra, Burgess, & Gajria, 2011). Students experience difficulty in comprehending expository
texts due to the fact that these texts include very difficult words compared to narrative texts
(Yildirim, Yildiz, & Ates, 2011).
Regardless of the comprehension strategies selected for helping to improve reading
comprehension, it is important to recognize that all cognitive strategies share a common goal,
which is to help students learn how to interact with the content in order for learning to become
more deliberate, self-directed, and self-regulated (Jitendra, Burgess, & Gajria, 2011). According
to Watson, Gable, Gear, & Hughes (2012), regardless of the particular strategy, the delivery of
instruction should follow certain procedures that have been shown to facilitate learning.
Providing students with a list of strategies is not sufficient, there must be appropriate modeling

of the strategies and opportunity for practice. The learning process involves many variables.
Monitoring, evaluating, and regulating the cognitive processes involved in reading are highly
valued by researchers, as identified by Dermitzaki, Andreou, & Paraskeva (2008), as important
facilitators of learning and performance. In all cases, cognitive strategy instruction appeared to
be effective for students with learning disabilities who experienced difficulty with reading
comprehension, and it therefore is perhaps most useful for upper elementary and middle school
students who need to learn the skills necessary for reading to learn (Jitendra, Burgess, & Gajria,
2011).
Effects of Daily Reading Sessions on Improving Reading Comprehension Outcomes
When learning how to read, one does not simply pick up a book for the first time and
read. The reading materials used to support a particular reading curriculum need to reinforce the
instruction in place by offering opportunities for the student to apply what is being taught
(Spadorcia, 2005). Students must be provided with instruction and opportunity to practice new
skills presented to them. According to Reis, Eckert, McCoach, Jacobs, & Coyne (2008), to
promote successful literacy development and continued academic achievement, students must
experience large amounts of print representing a variety of genres and print types and a sense of
student agency (e.g., self-determination and choice). Struggling readers may have few
opportunities to learn how to select and use strategies in a purposeful manner (Hall, 2012). Daily
reading sessions provide students with the opportunity to be exposed to reading in action and
help to increase their level of confidence as a reader through modeling, opportunity to practice,
working with others, and motivation.


Intrinsic versus Extrinsic Motivation
Learning to read is an effortful, long-term process that requires sustained motivation on
the part of the reader (McCrudden, Perkins, & Putney, 2005). Reading is not accomplished in a
day. It takes a significant amount of time and effort. Students must feel motivated to read in
order to be active learners. There are two types of motivation that must be considered; intrinsic
and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation signifies motivation that is focused by an interest or
enjoyment in the task itself. It exists within the individual rather than relying on outside
components. For instance, reading a book for pleasure is considered intrinsic motivation. The
student wants to read because they enjoy reading, not because they have to. Extrinsic motivation
denotes to the completion of an activity in order to attain an outcome, whether or not that activity
is also intrinsically motivated. For instance, earning a good grade in reading might be an
extrinsic motivation for the student. For extrinsic motivation, it might be if the student
completes a task, they will receive a prize. Some motivational attributes of effective learners
identified in recent literature are interest, curiosity, initiatives and high levels of students
activation, autonomous work, persistence in the face of difficulties, and maintaining self-
motivation toward the task at hand (Dermitzaki, Andreou, & Paraskeva, 2008). Educators need
to recognize that students who are interested in a task are more likely to use effective learning
strategies, such as elaborations of ideas, which in turn increases cognitive engagement and
promotes understanding (McCrudden, Perkins, & Putney, 2005). If a student is not interested in
a task, there is little to no motivation to complete the task.
According to Dermitzaki, Andreou, & Paraskeva (2008), successful readers take
initiatives, show high levels of self-activation, persist in the face of reading difficulties, and

motivate themselves effectively throughout the activity. There is a relationship between student
motivation and the use of reading strategies (Watson, Gable, Gear, & Hughes, 2012). Positive
transformation of students identities and reading development, as mentioned by Hall (2012), is
likely to occur as students and teachers work together to explore their successes and struggles
with reading and look for ways to solve them. A critical component of incorporating discussions
in classroom instruction is actively involving students in processing text and critiquing the ideas
contained therein (Reed & Vaughn, 2012). Motivation to read increases as students work
together to identify both their successes and ways to improve areas that a group or individual
might be struggling with. There should be both intrinsic and extrinsic levels of motivation
available to the student.
Daily Discussion
Each day teachers make on-the-spot decisions about reading materials for group reading
instruction or helping students in choosing independent reading materials (Spadorcia, 2005).
Being able to identify students strategic strengths and weaknesses during performing the task at
hand enables teachers to choose the most appropriate instructional methods and practices for a
particular student and the particular type of task (Dermitzaki, Andreou, & Paraskeva, 2008). Part
of the reading instruction process is discussing what has been or is being read. To help all
students improve their reading comprehension abilities, Hall (2012) mentions that researchers
have stressed the importance for subject matter teachers to provide explicit instruction on
comprehension strategies and give students time to regularly discuss texts. As part of the explicit
instruction, educators need to increase students awareness of the task demands, instruct them as
to which are the appropriate skills and strategies to employ in order to facilitate task completion,

and teach them how to monitor and regulate the application of these strategies in different
situations (Dermitzaki, Andreou, & Paraskeva, 2008). Daily discussions focusing on text help to
improve a students ability to comprehend the meaning of the text. During the discussion,
readers share their experiences, knowledge, strategies used, and their take on the text. Peer-led
discussions can help students become more responsible for their participation and learning as
well as construct more complex understandings about texts (Hall, 2012).
Poor readers tend to focus on a handful of strategies they use regardless of the particular
reading situation and they have difficulties monitoring whether these strategies are working and
evaluating their outcomes and the achievement of their reading goals. Students failure to
control and regulate their learning and problem-solving processes and limited strategic
skillfulness has been associated to poor performance and learning problems (Dermitzaki,
Andreou, & Paraskeva, 2008). A potentially productive way to engage students is to frame
classroom reading practices around struggles and how students work through them (Hall, 2012).
By providing practices that focus on struggles, it increases the students exposure to different
strategies that can help them overcome their struggles. As students read texts and have the
opportunity to apply comprehension strategies, they can further develop their content knowledge
and strengthen their reading abilities by participating in discussions (Hall, 2012). Additionally,
providing discussions in a group format will help students identify that they are not alone when
feeling lost or frustrated with reading. Struggling readers can benefits when they have regular
opportunities to observe how their peers engage with texts and use strategies to improve their
comprehension (Hall, 2012).


Group Size
It is important for students to be exposed to a variety of readers through different reading
groups. It is ineffective for the student to only ever be exposed to one person reading. They
must to able to listen to different people in order to observe how each approaches reading. In
group settings, students are able to share common strategies and help model to one another
different strategies. When selecting a grouping format, teachers should look for alternatives to
whole group instruction which was seen to be least effective among the various grouping formats
(Kim, Linan-Thompson, & Misquitta, 2012). An important element to consider when having
students work in groups is the size of the group. Several grouping formats have been adopted to
teach reading to students with learning disabilities, for example, one-on-one tutoring, paired
instruction, small-group formats, and whole group instruction (Kim, Linan-Thompson, &
Misquitta, 2012). There is a wealth of research available on groups, most of which stress the
importance of keeping groups to a limited amount of students in order to keep the size small
enough. Most students with learning disabilities are identified as performing well when working
in small groups of two or three. It should be noted that remediation of reading difficulties in
older students may require considerable intensity and differentiation of instruction. A significant
problem is that intensive, small-group instruction provided by highly skilled teachers is an
expensive and infrequently applied instructional practice within most educational settings
(Wanzek, Vaughn, Roberts, & Fletcher, 2011).
Providing High Interest Level Material with the Opportunity for Choice
As Naceur & Schiefele (2005) mention, most studies found significant relations between
measures of interest and text learning. Students are more likely to engage actively in the reading

process when they are interested in the text. McCrudden, Perkins, & Putney (2005) identified
that moderate to high levels of interest help students comprehend what they are reading. Levels
of interest vary from student to student and therefore it is important for students to play a role in
selecting activities or material to read. Decades of psychological research suggest that all kinds
of people (e.g., workers, the elderly, children), but students in particular, may feel more
competent, more in control, more motivated, and perform better when they are able to express
their preferences and make choices (Patall, 2013). When a student is provided an opportunity for
choice, and the choices are linked to material of interest, the individual student will often
perform higher due to the student feeling more in control, motivated, and interested in the task at
hand.
A common problem is that when struggling readers advance in grade level, the material
set at an appropriate reading level for them is often not of interest to them. Often, material
concerning areas of interest for struggling readers in the middle school and secondary level is
typically only present in higher level material that is too challenging for the reader. Given this
information, students struggling to read often select texts that are not appropriate for them.
Debate still exists among reading researchers about the level of text difficulty in independent
reading that must be present for growth to occur (Reis, Eckert, McCoach, Jacobs, & Coyne,
2008). There is evidence that mentions students have three levels of reading. Their independent
level, which is the grade level material that they are able to read independently, their
instructional level, which is the grade level material that students should be receiving instruction,
and their frustration level, which is the grade level material that students shut down and are
unable to move forward with the reading task.

The efficient processing of lower level reading skills (i.e., word recognition)
characterized by fluent reading frees up cognitive resources for higher level reading skills (i.e.,
comprehension). Thus, if the reader has to spend too much time and energy figuring out what
the words are, she or he will be unable to concentrate on what the words mean (Reis, Eckert,
McCoach, Jacobs, & Coyne, 2008). By identifying text that is of both interest and an appropriate
challenge level, students are able to increase their level of comprehension. Topic interest was
most highly (and significantly) related to outcome measures indicating deep levels of learning,
such as answers to deep-comprehension questions, recall of main ideas, elaborations, and
coherence of recall of main ideas (Naceur & Schiefele, 2005). To achieve growth in student
reading skills and ensure later school success, teachers must provide all students with
appropriately challenging instructional materials (Reis, Eckert, McCoach, Jacobs, & Coyne,
2008) that is additionally of interest to them.
Defining High Interest Low Level Material
Many students with reading difficulties in grades 4 through 12 experience challenges in
understanding and learning from text (Reed & Vaughn, 2012). Ideally, texts for reading
instruction should contain equal amounts of high-frequency words and regularly decodable
words, as well as engaging content and language in order to provide the student with a balance of
tasks and opportunities for increasing reading proficiency (Spadorcia, 2005). Often, due to high
interest low level texts not being readily accessible, a strategy used by many teachers is to limit
the amount of sentences in a passage. The teacher reduces the number of sentences, in a given
passage, that are perceived to be unnecessary for the student to gain the main idea in order to
make the passage easier. When in fact, instead of making a book easier, shortening sentences

can actually make it harder by reducing both the syntactic maturity of the sentences and the
overall passage coherence (Spadorcia, 2005). Although in theory it might appear to help a
student by reducing the number of sentences, it has the potential to cause more damage towards
the students level of comprehension.
Spadorcia (2005) suggested that there are a variety of types of books for teachers to
choose from when making decisions about materials for this population of students. The genre
now includes groups of books that support the struggling older reader with high interest and
appropriate vocabulary, but with more suitable sentence structure and a greater concern with
overall passage coherence. These books are referred to as high interest low level books. As
noted by Spadorcia (2005), these high/low books have been created to fill material gaps faced
by teachers providing reading instruction to older struggling students. The books are written
with varying reading levels below the grade placement of the targeted students (in this case,
below the middle grade), but, at the same time, contain themes, topics, and subjects that are
generally of interest to a more mature reader, and therefore matched to the targeted students
grade level on this dimension. This type of material presents topics of interest to students that
are appropriate for their age, but are at a level that they are able to comprehend and learn from.
For instance, there are high interest low level books concerning social media and being a smart
digital citizen. These types of books focus on topics that concern older students but they are
written at an appropriate instructional reading level. Reading instructional texts are most
supportive of instruction when they provide appropriate levels of success and challenge while at
the same time contain topics of interest to readers (Spadorcia, 2005).


Summary
The researcher identified reading comprehension to be an area of concern for individuals
with learning disabilities and their ability to access standardized assessments. According to Kim,
Linan-Thompson, & Misquitta (2012), reading comprehension difficulties for students with
learning disabilities have repeatedly been documented in the literature, supporting the notion that
reading comprehension remains an area of concern. As previously stated, reading
comprehension is the most critical skill students need in order to be successful in school.
Comprehension requires students to detect the meaning of the written text as a connected whole
rather than as a series of individual words and sentences (Watson, Gable, Gear, & Hughes,
2012). Accessing and understanding text is essential as it promotes the requisite conceptual
knowledge of a subject (Reed & Vaughn, 2012). Given this fact, and the nature of secondary
textbooks, it is important for teachers to make use of rigorously tested reading strategies that can
improve students comprehension skills (Watson, Gable, Gear, & Hughes, 2012). All middle
school students, regardless of their reading abilities, need continued reading instruction in order
to meet the growing and complex reading demands that are placed upon them both in and outside
of school (Hall, 2012). Daily reading sessions provide students with the opportunity to be
exposed to reading in action and help to increase their level of confidence as a reader through
modeling, opportunity to practice, working with others, and motivation.
The purpose of the researchers work is to identify best practice strategies for improving
reading comprehension. Watson, Gable, Gear, & Hughes (2012) stress that when selecting
strategies for building secondary students reading comprehension skills, it is important that
teachers identify the type of problem the student is evidencing in order to match an intervention

to that particular problem. It is important to approach each student as an individual, as one size
does not fit all. However, students who usually struggle with reading comprehension benefit
from explicit instruction in paraphrasing, inferencing, story mapping, and other evidence-based
reading comprehension strategies (Watson, Gable, Gear, & Hughes, 2012). The researcher was
successful in gathering supportive information on evidence-based reading comprehension
strategies and the need for daily instruction.
An area that posed problematic for the researcher was the limited availability of research
on reading interventions for middle school students with learning disabilities. Beyond inclusion,
resource rooms, and other standard special education practices, there is relatively little research
on reading interventions for middle school students with reading disabilities. (Wanzek, Vaughn,
Roberts, & Fletcher, 2011). Additionally, there is limited information on high interest low level
reading material and the impact it plays on reading comprehension performance. There was little
evidence found supporting the benefits of high interest low level reading material and the impact
it has on students performance on standardized assessments. There was however over forty
years of research supporting the notion that prior knowledge increases students reading
comprehension skills (Watson, Gable, Gear, & Hughes, 2012). When a student is interested in
something, they often possess prior knowledge of the subject. Given this information, paired
with the wealth of information on the importance of reading comprehension, there is a definite
need for further investigation on this topic.
The researcher has hypothesized that following an 18 week trial period of high interest,
level-appropriate reading material exposure paired with best practice reading comprehension
strategies, students will show a 20% increased gain in reading comprehension, aiding them with

better access to assessments evaluating state standards, as comparative to peers who are given
level-appropriate reading which is not tailored to interest.
Methodology
Statement of the Problem
As previously mentioned, students identified with moderate to significant learning
disabilities are not granted eligibility for alternative assessments with the diagnosis alone. Some
students do not meet the requirements for alternative assessments, yet they struggle to access the
state assessment. More specifically, the reading comprehension component of the assessment is a
major area of concern. A large part of assessments involve reading comprehension, tasking
students to comprehend what is being assessed. By the time a student reaches middle school the
struggling reader has often made several failed attempts at becoming a better reader and is often
unwilling to try again, this becomes further exacerbated by the fact that their inability to read at the
appropriate level becomes magnified with each passing year (Spadorcia, 2005). For a student with
a learning disability, this problem becomes even graver. Not surprisingly, many students identified
as having learning disabilities experience problems in the area of reading comprehension. An area
of concern across the board for the population of students being examined was reading
comprehension. A solution is to identify best practices for reading comprehension strategies to
help students with learning disabilities have the aptitude to access assessments.
Research Questions
The following research questions were created for this study:

outcomes?
Does providing high interest level material, combined with the opportunity for choice,
impact the students reading comprehension outcomes?
Hypothesis
Following an 18 week trial period of high interest, level-appropriate reading material
exposure paired with best practice reading comprehension strategies, students will show a
20% increased gain in reading comprehension, aiding them with better access to
assessments evaluating state standards, as comparative to peers who are given level-
appropriate reading which is not tailored to interest.
Research Design
This action research focuses on the effectiveness of specific interventions used with
students identified with learning disabilities in order for them to be able to successfully access
standardized assessments in reading comprehension. The researcher initially recognized reading
comprehension for students identified with learning disabilities to be an area of concern through
first-hand experience and observation. The purpose of the data is to evaluate the level of
effectiveness the interventions have in improving the students reading comprehension abilities.
Interventions. The researcher intends on using the Woods & Moe (2007) teacher edition
of standards-based assessment that include reading passages of varying levels. This will be used
throughout the project for pre-intervention, intervention, and post intervention. These assessments
will be used to determine the appropriate reading level for each individual student and identify any
patterns or themes.

For this action research project, the researcher will be observing the classroom teacher and
teaching assistants as they model and guide students in using reading comprehension strategies as a
whole class, a small group, and during individual work time. The students will be receiving
instruction during whole class lessons, small strategy groups, and individual conferences during the
daily reading class. For whole group instruction, the students will receive instruction on a
comprehension strategy that will last approximately fifteen minutes. The class will be reading
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan and applying the comprehension strategy presented
during the fifteen minutes of instructional time. During whole group instruction, the students will
be following along as the classroom teacher reads and models comprehension reading strategies.
Such strategies will include summarizing, retelling, writing down unfamiliar words, referring back
to the text, and using a graphic organizer. The students will have opportunities to choral read
which involves the whole class reading aloud in unison. The students will construct the graphic
organizer (Appendix H) together. Furthermore, students will receive new vocabulary words at the
beginning of each week that is specific to their whole class book in order to enhance vocabulary
development.
During the small strategy groups, the class will be divided into two groups. The control
group will be given opportunity for choice and the other group will have the books assigned to
them. The book selection that will be used during this section of intervention will be from High
Interest Publishing (HIP). The researcher purchased books from HIP after considering the
designated middle school classroom. The researcher identified the following books to be
exceptional books that the students would find to be interesting while written at their instructional
reading level:

Hacker by Alex Kropp: This chapter book involves high school students and a
computer crime. Two students must identify who the hacker is to help stop any more
trouble from happening.
The Last Dragon by C.A. Rainfield: This chapter book is the first of three books in the
Dragon Speaker Series. It is set in the year 1144 and involves Lords, dragons, and
heroes.
A Heros Worth by D.M. Ouellet: This chapter book is the second of three books in the
Dragon Speaker Series. It involves castles, dragons, prisoners, and a battle with a Lord.
Dracos Fire by E.L. Thomas: This chapter book is the third of three books in the
Dragon Speaker Series. It involves betrayal of friends, a comet stone, and magic.
Legend Of The Ring by D.M. Ouellet: This chapter book is the first of three books in
the Skinwalkers Series. It involves soldiers, ancient artifacts, and mystery forests.
Skinwalkers are similar to the concept of werewolves.
Walking Both Sides by C.A. Rainfield: This chapter book is the second of three books
in the Skinwalkers Series. It involves revenge after betrayal.
Wolves At The Gate by E.L. Thomas: This chapter book is the third of three books in
the Skinwalkers Series. It involves taking down a King and joining a new clan in the
woods.
Show Off by Paul Kropp: This chapter book is about a young girl facing challenging
life decisions and how to deal with identifying who she is and how to turn her life around
before she joins a gang.

It should be noted that the books are written at an age-appropriate level for the students.
The researcher has read all of the books to ensure that the topics would not be graphic or
inappropriate for the students. All of the above books are fictional. During this section, students
will participate in Think-Pair-Share. They will read a chapter, have time to think about what they
have read and document how they applied a reading comprehension strategy, and share their
thoughts with the group. Additionally, the students will work together to identify the best strategy
to use for different reading tasks. They will work together to construct graphic organizers and
summarize what they have read at the end of each reading session as a small team.
During the individual conference section, students will individually meet with the
classroom teacher to discuss a book they selected to read during morning reading. Morning
reading is a fifteen minute session at the beginning of each day where the entire school silently
reads independently. Students are given the opportunity to select their own books. The students
will use a notebook to record the strategies they are aware of using during morning reading. The
classroom teacher will review the notebook once a week. The individual conference will be held
on Thursdays. Together, the classroom teacher and student will create a reading goal for the
following week. Possible goals include trying a new reading strategy or using a different graphic
organizer.
Data Collection Plan
A mixed-method approach to data collection will be utilized for this action research.
According to Mills (2014), qualitative data collection techniques are experience-based and
quantitative data collection techniques are number-based. When considering the problem
statement, both methods of data collection are relevant and therefore the researcher concluded that

a mixed-method approach would be most appropriate. The literature supports that the area of
focus and research questions will determine the best data collection techniques for the individual
research project (Mills, 2014).
Multiple means of data, which is part of the triangulation principle, will be collected for
this action research. The multiple means of data include reviewing data of standardized tests,
teacher-made tests, student work samples, attitude scales, a Likert Scale, and observation. The
researcher will review the classroom teachers weekly reading lesson plans to note how often the
teacher and support staff are incorporating reading comprehension strategies during instruction.
Additionally, the researcher will be going into the classroom as an observer to witness how the
strategies are being modeled and watch for opportunities to practice. The strength of educational
research lies in its triangulation, collecting information in many ways rather than relying solely on
one facet (Mills, 2014). The researcher has created a data collection matrix to show the multiple
facets being used to collect data. Table 1 shows this data collection matrix. It should be noted that
the data will be collected during an 18 week trial still to be determined.
Table 1
Data Collection Matrix
Research
Questions
Data
Source 1
Data
Source 2
Data
Source 3
Data
Source 4
Data
Source 5
Best Strategies for
Improving Reading Comprehension
Observation Pre-Test Post-Test Lesson
Plans
Teacher
Likert
Scale
Effects of Daily Reading Sessions Attendance Reading
Scores
Observation Student
Work
Samples
N/A
Effects of Providing High Interest
Low Level Reading Material and
Opportunity for Choice
Student
Attitude
Student
Survey
Student
Interview
Observation Student
Likert
Scale


Instruments
Throughout the action research, data will be collected pre-intervention, during intervention,
and post-intervention, using a variety of instruments. The data collection matrix (Table 1)
highlights which instruments will be used to collect data in relation to the three research questions
investigated.
Observation. Prior to implementing the identified strategies in the literature review,
students will be observed over a four day span during the first twenty minutes of the reading class.
During the intervention, the classroom teacher will be an active participant while the researcher
observes. Observations will be recorded using an Observation Field Notes form (Appendix A)
created by the researcher for this action research. Qualitative observation will consist of student
engagement, the activities the students willingly participate in, and opportunity for practice.
Pre-Test. Prior to implementing intervention, students will take a reading assessment
requiring them to read short passages and answer reading comprehension questions (Appendix B).
This assessment is from the Readers Passages to accompany Analytical Reading Inventory:
Comprehensive Standards-Based Assessment for All Students, Including Gifted and Remedial
(Woods & Moe, 2007). This data will provide the researcher with baseline quantitative data.
Post-Test. Upon completion of the trial intervention, students will take the same reading
assessment that tasks them to read short passages and answer reading comprehension questions
(Appendix B). This assessment is from the Readers Passages to accompany Analytical Reading
Inventory: Comprehensive Standards-Based Assessment for All Students, Including Gifted and

Remedial (Woods & Moe, 2007). This data will provide the researcher with comparative
quantitative data.
Teacher Likert Scale. The researcher developed the Teacher Likert Scale (Appendix C)
for this action research to record the classroom teacher and support staff members thoughts on
reading comprehension strategies and how they rate them for level of importance and relevance to
instruction. The qualitative data collected from the Likert Scale will provide the researcher with
important information that will help the researcher proceed with the interventions.
Student Likert Scale. The researcher developed the Student Likert Scale (Appendix D) for
this action research to record the students thoughts on how interest affects their reading and how
they rate different types of reading. The qualitative data collected from the Likert Scale will
provide the researcher with important information that will help the researcher proceed with the
interventions.
Attendance. Student attendance (Appendix E) will be recorded to note how many sessions
students miss. Daily attendance is taken in the classroom and the researcher will be provided
copies. It is imperative that the research provides an accurate depiction of how often the students
were provided opportunity to practice the reading strategies presented to them in the classroom.
The attendance records will provide quantitative data for the researcher. The attendance records
are maintained electronically on a district network. The researcher has additionally created a
weekly attendance record for this action research and will be recording attendance to ensure
accuracy. The researcher will highlight absent days with a green highlighter.
Student Survey. The Reading Survey (Appendix F) was developed for this action
research to record participants attitudes and perceptions of reading in general and on their attitudes

and perceptions related to their ability to read. The researcher used Survey Monkey to create the
survey, however for accessibility the questions have been included in the appendix. Due to the
individual needs of the students, the survey will be administered individually with the questions
being read to the students by the researcher. The survey will be used at the beginning and end of
the intervention, used as qualitative data.
Student Interview. The researcher will conduct Student Interviews (Appendix G) which
were created for this action research to investigate what they like and dislike about reading. The
researcher will have the assistance of the classroom aide for effective communication with the
participants. This will provide the researcher with qualitative data.
Reading Scores. Periodic classroom reading scores will be obtained to review progress.
The reading scores are collected through the classroom teacher and support staff. The reading
scores are obtained through district assessments (Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Assessment) and
teacher-made assessments. This will provide the researcher with quantitative data that shows the
degree of progress during periodic stages of the intervention rather than just two stages of
intervention. Table 4 provides an example of how the researcher will organize test scores.
Student Work Samples. The researcher will periodically collect student work samples
related to reading activities specific to reading comprehension. These will include the graphic
organizers used to complete activities. An example blank graphic organizer is the KWS organizer
(Appendix H) that is a resource that the researcher has used during their previous time in the
classroom teaching.
Validation

With all data collection, attention to three important concepts of validity, reliability, and
generalizability are imperious for researchers in order to ensure the value of their work (Mills,
2014). The researcher considered each data collection instrument and measures prior to applying
them in this action research project.
Validity. Mills (2014) describes validity as the degree to which scientific observation
actually measure or record what they purpose to measure. The data collection measures will be
closely examined prior to being included in this action research. Data will be collected based on
the triangulation principle and colleagues will be consulted for review of validity and feedback.
Peer Review. Three former colleagues were consulted in order to increase the validity of
the data collection plan. Peers in the researchers graduate level course will also be consulted for
feedback and direction. Colleague A gave specific suggestions on the improvement of the teacher
Likert Scale. She suggested that it should have a wider rating scale. The original teacher Likert
Scale was limited to three levels of rating (unimportant, neutral, and important) for each statement.
The researcher took the suggestion of colleague A into consideration and expanded the options to
include unimportant, somewhat important, neutral, important, and very important. Colleague B
suggested that the students should be able to complete the survey using the classroom Ipad to
increase their level of motivation. The researcher was concerned that this might be seen as a bribe
to complete the survey, however colleague B pointed out that the students are provided ample
opportunities to use the Ipad and that it is not limited to just the survey. The researcher will use
Survey Monkey to complete this. Colleague C suggested that attendance be considered as a means
of data collection. The researcher had not previously considered this, but agreed that it would be
essential to include in the research.

Credibility. Mills (2014) defines credibility as the researchers ability to take into
account the complexities that present themselves in a study and to deal with patterns that are not
easily explained. The researcher intends on taking several measures to ensure the credibility of
the research and data. Mills (2014) discusses Gubas article, Criteria for Assessing the
Trustworthiness of Naturalistic Inquires and highlights the following specific methods such as
prolonged participation at the study site, persistent observation, peer debriefing, triangulation,
collecting documents, member checks, structured corroboration, and establishing referential
adequacy. The researcher intends on spending a significant amount of time in the classroom
conducting observations over an 18 week trial intervention. Additionally, the researcher intends on
discussing their insights with colleagues in order to help them reflect on their insights and growth
with the research. These are two examples of how the researcher intends on ensuring credibility.
Reliability. Mills (2014) describes reliability as the degree to which a test consistently
measures whatever it measures. This means that if the study were to be conducted by someone
else, they would collect similar data that has been documented by the researcher thus producing
similar results. One way in which the reliability of this action research will be addressed is that the
researcher will be the only person collecting observational data on the students during the reading
instruction. All observations will be recorded in order to avoid the potential omission of pertinent
data or trends. The researcher will record abbreviated observations during the instruction time and
expand upon the abbreviations each day upon leaving the classroom.
Generalizability. Mills (2014) describes generalizability as the applicability of findings
to settings and contexts different from the one in which they were obtained. The purpose for this
action research is to closely examine a concern identified by the researcher through personal

teaching experience in the classroom and is specific to a population of students. Generalizations to
outside populations have not been made, however they could potentially be made with students
identified with learning disabilities across grade levels.
Triangulation. Mills (2014) highlights the benefits of collecting multiple types of data in
order to help ensure validity. The researcher will use multiple instructions when collecting data.
Such instruments include observations, surveys, Likert Scales, student attitudes, pre- and post-
assessments, and student interviews in order to ensure a balance of data collection. It is important
not to convey on one source of collection. Mills (2014) identifies that the strength of educational
research lies in its triangulation, collecting information in many ways rather than relying solely on
one instrument.
Research Timeline
The action research will take place over twenty-one weeks. The intervention with the
students will be a duration of an eighteen week trial period. Table 2 outlines the projected actions
to be performed in order to complete this project.
Table 2
Projected Timeline for Action Research Project
Dates Actions Performed
Week 1 Obtain approval from school administration
Week 2 Hold a meeting with parents to review the proposed action research
Week 3 Pre-Assessment completed for initial data and initial observations
Week 3 Student Attitudes, Surveys, and Likert Scales completed
Weeks 2-20 Observational data and field notes
Weeks 2-20 Daily Instruction
Weeks 4-22 Analyze data weekly
Week 21
Week 21
Post-Assessment completed
Student Attitudes, Surveys, and Likert Scales completed


Data Analysis
The researcher spent a significant amount of energy contemplating the most efficient way
to organize, present, and analyze the data collected throughout the duration of the action research.
All data collected will be valuable and confidential. The researcher recognizes the importance to
review data throughout the intervention, and not wait until the very end. As Mills (2014) identifies
that the researcher must move beyond the description of the phenomenon they have studied and
make sense of what they have learned. When considering this information, the researcher intends
on committing several hours a week in a quiet room combing through all of the data collected
prior, during, and after as it is vital to the study to assign times to review the data and not just try to
review it all at once.
Informed consent. The researcher will obtain informed consent of parents prior to
conducting the research. Informed consent ensures that research participants enter the research of
their free will and with an understanding of the study and any possible dangers that may arise
(Mills, 2014). The researcher will offer an informational session for the parents of all the students
that are going to be included in the study. If any parent is unable to attend the meeting or would
like more information, an additional meeting will be established. The teacher and support staff that
are involved in the study will be gathered for a meeting with the researcher. The researcher will
outline how the study will take place and how the researcher will maintain the confidentiality of
the participants involved in the study as well as the staff members. The researcher will provide the
classroom teacher the results after the study is completed.

An aspect that has been considered is the close relationships between the teacher and
parents. The teacher works closely with the families of the students, helping advocate for their
individual student. Therefore, a parent might feel obligated to provide consent without truly
feeling comfortable about providing consent. Additionally, the researcher has considered the
cognitive level of each individual student and their capability of providing informed consent.
Although the legal guardian will be providing consent for their individual student to participate, the
researcher wants to provide each student with the utmost respect and dignity. The most complex
issue action researchers face is how to safeguard the rights and freedoms of the students in the
classroom (Mills, 2014). The researcher will work closely with the classroom teacher to ensure
that each individual student is capable of understanding what they are consenting to. The
researcher will make sure to stress that participation is voluntary and students are able to withdraw
from the study at any point if they no longer wish to be a participant.
Ethical Consideration. As highlighted by Mills (2014), it is essential that the researcher
protect the identity of the action research findings to ensure that subjects are protected from
embarrassment or stress. In order to protect the identity of all students and staff involved in the
action research study, each participant will be assigned pseudonyms. The students and teachers
will be assigned a letter at random and all of the data collected will have their names removed and
in its place the letter assigned. The researcher will obtain confidentiality with the subjects,
however there will not be anonymity with the participants due to the researcher actively observing
the students. According to Mills (2014), if the researcher knows participants identities, there can
be confidentiality, but no anonymity. To keep the data organized, the data will have numbers
assigned preceding the individually assigned letter in the order it is collected.

The intervention will simply introduce an additional learning format, in this case high
interest low level reading material. The students educational setting and placement will not be
altered, except to increase reading sessions. The researcher and teacher will ensure that other
educational interventions or accommodations will not be modified, nor will the external
environment. It will be essential for the researcher to ensure open communication throughout the
entire process with not only the classroom teacher and school personnel, but also the student
participants and parents as well. To conclude, the researcher will need to ensure that respect is
continually the priority for all parties involved. According to Mills (2014), respect and concern for
the researchers own integrity and the participants dignity and welfare are the bottom lines of
ethical research.
Organizing Data. To organize the data, the researcher will be identifying themes, as
discussed in Mills (2014). To begin, the researcher will write data on all notes, making two
photocopies of all notes and keeping the originals, making back up files for all electronic work
obtained, and noting themes and patterns throughout the data collection process as they emerge.
The researcher will additionally be using a color flag system to help keep the information
organized. This involves assigning each theme a specific color and flagging specific data that
concerns the theme with the assigned color. Last, the researcher intends on relying on trusted
colleagues to help analyze the data in order to achieve fresh lens when reporting patterns and
conclusions that they might identify when reviewing the data.
Data Representation. The Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark scores of the students will be
collected periodically throughout the intervention. Scores will be obtained prior to intervention,
during intervention, and post intervention. The researcher will compare the scores and determine

the percentage gain for each individual student. Figure 1 shows an example of how the collection
of Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark data will be displayed.

Figure 1
Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Scores
Student Code Pre-Intervention Post-Intervention Change
A 3.2 3.8 +0.6
B 4.1 4.5 +0.4
C 4.3 5.0 +0.7
D 1.4 1.8 +0.4
E 2.2 2.8 +0.6
F 2.4 2.0 -0.4
G 4.3 5.3 +1
H 3.0 1.0 -2
Average 3.1 3.3 +0.4
Source: Fictitious data, for illustration purposes only
This data will additionally be graphed into two separate line graphs. Figure 2 will illustrate the
scores for the whole class pre-intervention and post-intervention while the Figure 3 will illustrate
the scores of the control group pre-intervention and post-intervention. The purpose is to represent
scores in both a numerical and visual manner for readers. By creating a control group graph, this
will serve to isolate the scores of the control group for clearer data analysis.


Figure 2
Whole Group: Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Scores

Figure 3
Control Group: Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Scores

0
2
4
6
A B C D E F G H
Whole Group: Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Scores
Pre-Intervention Post-Intervention
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
A B C D
Control Group: Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark Scores
Pre-Intervention Post-Intervention Column1

For the teacher and student Likert Scales, the researcher will organize this information in
two different bar graphs to organize the rating of each question. The first bar graph will be for the
teacher Likert Scale and a second bar graph will be for the student Likert Scale. Figure 4 shows an
example of how the collection of data will appear for both bar graphs. Only one bar graph is
illustrated, however it should be noted that the student Likert Scale bar graph will be similar in
appearance.
Figure 4
Teacher Likert Scale Data

Sour
ce:
Fictit
ious
data,
for
illust
ratio
n
purposes only
After interviews, observations and surveys are collected in regards to this action research,
the data will be organized and presented. As the researcher initially reviews the data, notes will be
written concerning initial thoughts and identified patterns. All data collected will be described in
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Participant A
Participant B
Participant C
Participant D
Participant E
Teacher Likert Scale Data
Question 5 Question 4 Question 3 Question 2 Question 1

chronological order. Categories identified and themes that emerge will be showcased in a concept
map. Stringer (1996), as cited by Mills (2014), suggests concept maps are another useful strategy
that helps action research participants visualize the major influences that have affected the study
(p. 140). Figure 5 shows an example of the concept map.

Figure 5
Concept Map of Reading Interest Level Impact on Comprehension

Source: Fictitious themes, for illustration purposes only
The results of the survey from surveymonkey.com will provide the researcher with valuable
insight into the individual students attitudes towards reading. Notes will be written and
information will be described in chronological order as suggested by Mills (2014). The researcher
will identify themes that emerge from the survey. After the data is carefully analyzed, a concept
Reading Interest
Level Impact on
Comprehension
Theme 1-
Willing to read
Theme 2-
Easier to
understand
Theme 3-
More
meaningful
Theme 4-
More
motivated to
read the
material

map will be created to identify concerns that emerge. Figure 6 shows an example of the concept
map. Themes have yet to be identified. The illustrated themes in Figure 6 are an example of
potential themes that the researcher has created and currently are not supported by data but rather a
sample of what could be anticipated.

Figure 6
Concept Map of Students Attitudes Towards Reading

Source: Fictitious themes, for illustration purposes only
The researcher will record the attendance record using a table. Table 4 shows an example of the
attendance data. The illustrated attendance record in Table 3 is an example of a potential
attendance sheet that the researcher has created and currently is not supported by data but rather a
sample of what could be anticipated.

Theme 1- Pointless Theme 2- Boring
Theme 4- Difficult Theme 3- Frustrating
Students Attitudes
Towards Reading

Table 3
Student Attendance

Student Code Number of Days in
Attendance
Number of Days
Absent
Percentage of
Attendance
A 100 0 100%
B 63 37 63%
C 89 11 89%
D 100 0 100%
E 76 24 76%
F 99 1 99%
G 75 25 75%
H 93 11 93%
Average 87 14 87%

Limitations
The researcher recognizes that the action research is taking place in a Life Skills classroom
and therefore potential obstacles include behavior problems, disruption to lessons, student
attendance, students not following directions, and observational error or bias. Furthermore, the

research is limited to a small population of students in a specific demographic. The research taking
place includes only middle school students identified with specific learning disabilities from one
school. Other limitations to this study include limited resources available for high interest low
level reading material. By broadening the field size and criteria, future research may indicate to be
more conclusive.
Summary
In reflection of the entire methodology process for this action research project, the
researcher intends on identifying best practice strategies for improving independent reading
comprehension for students identified with specific learning disabilities. The researcher has
identified a mixed method to be the optimal approach for data collection in order to investigate
the identified research questions for this project. The researcher will use the triangulation
principle to help ensure the validity of the research. Upon completion of the action research
project, the researcher hopes to gain insight in order to determine if the utilized data collection
tools were appropriate to the study. Furthermore, the researcher hopes to gain insight on future
research questions that might prove more beneficial to the research upon reviewing the data
results. The researcher intends on using the data results collected as a learning opportunity. As
Mills (2014) identifies, the researcher must move beyond the description of the phenomenon
they have studied and make sense of what they have learned.
Action Plan
Local Approval
When inquiring about the process of obtaining local approval for conducting this action
research process, the researcher obtained information from a former colleague who is part of a

teacher certification board for the local high school. For the researcher to obtain local approval,
they must write a request letter to the building principal and superintendent. Additionally, the
researcher must include a letter of recommendation from their university instructor. There are
no guidelines for what information is to be included in the letter for the local school district that
the researcher has proposed to conduct their research in. The researcher worked with their
former colleague to compose a draft letter (Appendix I). Additionally, the researcher determined
that including the action research proposal paper would deem essential as the paper presents
supporting information highlighting a need for this research to be conducted.
Projected Time Line
The action research will take place over twenty-one weeks. The researcher predicts that
the local approval will take at least a month. In the timeline, the researcher has included the first
week as obtaining the approval, however it should be noted that work prior to this will need to
take place. Upon receiving local approval will be the beginning of the timeline, as the researcher
is not certain how long it will take for a decision to be made. The intervention with the students
will be a duration of an eighteen week trial period. This action research project was created
based upon an identified need through experience working with students identified with specific
learning disabilities. If upon the completion of the study the hypothesis is supported, the
researcher intends on sharing this information with former colleagues who would find the study
beneficial in their practices. Additionally, the researcher will be sharing the information with the
school district to review. Furthermore, the researcher will be helping to build a new life skills
curriculum and will use the obtained information to help formulate key curriculum choices.
Below outlines the projected actions to be performed in order to complete this project:

Week 1
Obtain local approval from school superintendent and principal
Week 2
Hold an informational meeting with the parents to review the proposed research
Obtain informed consent
Initial classroom observation of the classroom teacher and educational support staff
Week 3
Pre-Assessment completed for initial data
Regular observations completed by the researcher
Weeks 3-21
Observational data and field notes
Daily instruction in reading with high interest low level books
Daily instruction in reading comprehension strategies
Weeks 4-22
Analyze data weekly
Week 21
Post-Assessment completed
Weeks 22-24
Analyze the data and complete the action research project
Week 25

Share results of the study with the classroom teacher, support staff, and administration
Anticipated Outcomes
The researchers goal was to identify best practices for reading comprehension strategies
in order to help students with learning disabilities have the aptitude to access assessments. The
researcher created questions to help guide in the data collection process which were:
outcomes?
Does providing high level material, combined with the opportunity for choice, impact the
students reading comprehension outcomes?
Additionally, the researcher hypothesized that following an 18 week trial period of high
interest, level-appropriate reading material exposure paired with best practice reading
comprehension strategies, students will show a 20% increased gain in reading comprehension,
aiding them with better access to assessments evaluating state standards, as comparative to peers
who are given level-appropriate reading which is not tailored to interest. It should be noted that
the researcher has not completed the data collection for this action research study yet. The goal
is for the researcher to continue on with the action research study upon completion of their
graduate program.
Although the researcher has not completed the data collection process at this time, the
researcher has predicted that the data will indicate increased gains in reading comprehension
when provided material of interest as well as opportunities to practice the reading comprehension

skills. Providing daily reading sessions does not necessarily mean increased reading
comprehension. The researcher feels that the daily reading sessions will prove beneficial,
however without direct instruction on reading comprehension strategies it would not be effective.
According to Hall (2012), comprehension strategies are deliberate, goal-oriented attempts to
control and modify the readers efforts to decode text, understand words, and construct meanings
of text; they are the various rehearsal, elaboration, and organizational strategies, such as
analyzing and combining activities and choosing between main and trivial information. It is
important for students to be able to recognize what information is key and what information is
extraneous.
The researcher feels that teachers need to be conscious of the need to continue to review
previous reading comprehension strategies while introducing and working on a new strategy so
that learners will continue to utilize comprehension strategies as needed in order to expand their
understanding of text rather than just knowing a strategy in theory and not practice. It is the
researchers belief that improving reading comprehension should always be the focus of strategy
instruction. By the time a student reaches middle school the struggling reader has often made
several failed attempts at becoming a better reader and is often unwilling to try again, this
becomes further exacerbated by the fact that their inability to read at the appropriate level
becomes magnified with each passing year (Spadorcia, 2005). For a student with a learning
disability, this problem becomes even graver. Not surprisingly, many students identified as
having learning disabilities experience problems in the area of reading comprehension. This is
an area of significant concern and should be a priority to investigate ways for improvement.

When reviewing the proposed action research project, the researcher felt as though two
research projects had been combined into one. In the future, the researcher would separate the
two topics and focus on either best practice reading comprehension strategies or high interest low
level reading material. Both topics are very important, and therefore require individual
attention. It should be noted that this study was specific to a need identified by the researcher for
a specific demographic of students. Furthermore, the researcher hopes to gain insight on future
research questions that might prove more beneficial to the research upon reviewing the data
results. The researcher intends on using the data results collected as a learning opportunity. As
Mills (2014) identifies, the researcher must move beyond the description of the phenomenon
they have studied and make sense of what they have learned. The researcher has predicted that
further research will be necessary and that this action research project is a starting point for
future studies on the topic of improved reading comprehension and the effects of providing high
interest low level reading material with the opportunity for choice.
Upon completion of the study, the researcher intends on sharing the information obtained
from this action research with fellow colleagues in order to help improve the educational
outcomes for all students identified with learning disabilities. The study will be available as a
reference to professionals in the field of education and the researcher will be available to
colleagues for discussion of the information acquired.
Summary
As a result of this action research project, the researcher has gained further insight into
the understanding of how to instruct students when implementing reading comprehension
strategies. Rather than teaching and modeling strategies in a way that requires students to only

show that they understand the strategy, the researcher is now more concerned with how and
when the students use specific reading comprehension strategies. A change in focus from
demonstrating the use of the strategy to demonstrating an understanding of which strategy to use
when reading is a significant impact on student achievement. The researcher hopes to continue
to improve their understanding of reading comprehension in order to improve the learning
outcomes of students identified with specific learning disabilities. To conclude, this is only the
beginning of a lifelong learning process and search for improved learning opportunities for
students in order to enhance their learning capabilities.


References
Boulware-Gooden, R., Carreker, S., Thornhill, A., & Joshi, R. (2007). Instruction of metacognitive
strategies enhances reading comprehension and vocabulary achievement of third-grade
students. Reading Teacher, 61(1), 70-77.
Dermitzaki, I., Andreou, G., & Paraskeva, V. (2008). High and low reading comprehension
achievers strategic behaviors and their relation to performance in reading comprehension
situation. Reading Psychology, 29(6), 471-492.
Hall, L. A. (2012). Moving out of silence: Helping struggling readers find their voices in text-
based discussions. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 28(4), 307-332.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, 20 U.S.C. 1400 et seq.
Jitendra, A. K., Burgess, C., & Gajria, M. (2011). Cognitive strategy instruction for improving
expository text comprehension for students with learning disabilities: The quality of
evidence. Council for Exceptional Children, 77(2), 135-159.
Kim, W., Linan-Thompson, S., & Misquitta, R. (2012). Critical factors in reading comprehension
instruction for students with learning disabilities: A research synthesis. Learning
Disabilities Research & Practice, 27(2), 66-78.

Kletzien, S.B., (2009). Paraphrasing: An effective comprehension strategy. The Reading Teacher,
63(1), 73-77, DOI:10.1598/RT.63.1.7.
Mason, L.H., Meadan-Kaplansky, H., Hedin, L, & Taft, R. (2013). Self-regulating informational
text reading comprehension: Perceptions of low-achieving students. Exceptionality: A
Special Education Journal, 21(2), 69-86, DOI: 10.1080/09362835.2012.747180.
McCrudden, M. T., Perkins, P. G., & Putney, L. G. (2005). Self-efficacy and interest in the use of
reading strategies. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 20(2), 119-131.
Mills, G. E. (2014). Action research: A guide for the teacher researcher. Boston, MA: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Naceur, A., & Schiefele, U. (2005). Motivation and learning- the role of interest in construction of
representation of text and long-term retention: Inter- and intraindividual analyses.
European Journal of Psychology of Education, 20(2), 155-170.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, 20 U.S.C. 70 6301 et seq. (2002)
Patall, E. A. (2013). Constructing motivation through choice, interest, and interestingness. Journal
of Educational Psychology, 105(2), 522-534.
Reed, D. K., & Vaughn, S. (2012). Comprehension instruction for students with reading
disabilities in grades 4 through 12. Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 10(1),
17-33.
Reis, S. M., Eckert, R. D., McCoach, D. B., Jacobs, J. K., & Coyne, M. (2008). Using enrichment
reading practices to increase reading fluency, comprehension, and attitudes. The Journal of
Educational Research, 101(5), 299-314.

Spadorcia, S. A. (2005). Examining the text demands of high-interest, low-level books. Reading &
Writing Quarterly, 21(1), 33-59.
Wanzek, J., Vaughn, S., Roberts, G., & Fletcher, J. M. (2011). Efficacy of a reading intervention
for middle school students with learning disabilities. Council for Exceptional Children,
78(1), 73-87.
Watson, S. M., Gable, R. A., Gear, S. B., & Hughes, K. C. (2012). Evidence-based strategies for
improving the reading comprehension of secondary students: Implications for students with
learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 27(2), 79-89.
Weishaar, M. K. (2007). Case studies in special education law: No child left behind act and
individuals with disabilities education improvement act. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:
Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
Woods, M. L., & Moe, A.J. (2007). Readers passages to accompany analytical reading inventory:
Comprehensive standards-based assessment for all students, including gifted and remedial.
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
Yildirim, K., Yildiz, M., & Ates, A. (2011). Is vocabulary a strong variable predicting reading
comprehension and does the prediction degree of vocabulary vary according to text types.
Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 11(3), 1541-1547.


Appendix A: Observational Field Notes

Field Note No: ___________

Date: ___________________

Time Start: ______________

Time Stop: ______________

Location: ________________

Occasion: _______________

Description Interpretation Concepts/
Themes
Footnotes


Appendix B: Pre and Post-Assessment
Sample Passage: A Woman Jockey
I know that I was last in the race, announced Robyn Smith, but I am determined to be
the best jockey, even if I am a woman!
It was a rainy morning in 1969, and as Robyn stood outside talking to a horse trainer, Frank
Wright, she was so dripping wet that water came running out of the top of her boots. Wright never
doubted her ability, and so he gave her a chance to prove herself. One December afternoon Robyn
won fourth place in a tough race. People noticed that she had a special way with horses that made
them run fast for her.
Then Robyn got another chance. She was to compete against a famous horse named
Onion. At race time Robyn mounted her horse, and he nervously pranced back and forth.
Everyone thinks you are wild on the track! she said in a soft voice. North Star, you and I will
defeat Onion, she said, and he quickly calmed. Then, to everyones surprise, she won the race.
Now the whole world would accept her as an excellent rider.
Comprehensive Questions
1. Who are the two main characters in this story?
2. What is Robyns goal?
3. Why was water running out of Robyns boots?

4. What do you know about the phrase never doubted her ability?
5. What makes you think that Wright thought she could be a good rider?
6. What do you know about the phrase had a special way with horses?
7. In your opinion, what was so unusual about Robyns career?
8. What made her victory so special?

Reference:
Woods, M. L., & Moe, A.J. (2007). Readers passages to accompany analytical reading inventory: Comprehensive standards-based assessment for
all students, including gifted and remedial. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
Appendix C: Teacher Likert Scale

Teacher Code: ________________ Date: ________________
Directions: Please draw an X in the box that best matches how you feel about each tool or
strategy.
Unimportant Somewhat
Important
Important Very
Important
Neutral

Graphic Organizers

Modeling

Group Reading

Silent Reading

Vocabulary

Summarizing

Daily Practice

Interest Level

Self-Monitoring

Self-Regulating

Motivation


Appendix D: Student Likert Scale

Student Code: _________________ Date: ________________
Directions: Please draw an X in the box that best matches how you feel about each statement.
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree Somewhat
Agree
Agree Strongly
Agree

I enjoy reading.

Reading is important.

I need to like what I am reading.

I like to read books to find out
information.

I like to read books that are imaginary.

I like to read about animals.

I like to read about computers.


I like to read about sports.

I like to read about famous people.

I learn better when I like what I am
reading.

Appendix E: Attendance Record
Weekly Attendance Record
Week ____: ________________ - _______________
Student
Code
M T W Th F
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H

Week ____: ________________ - _______________
Student
Code
M T W Th F
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H

Key: A: Absent P: Present

Appendix F: Student Survey

1. Do you like to read?

2. What do you like to read?

3. Is reading important?

4. Can reading be fun?

5. How often should you read?

6. Who needs to be able to read and why?

7. What makes someone a good reader?

8. Do you think you are a good reader?

9. How can you improve your reading?

10. Do you want to be a good reader?
Appendix G: Student Interview
1. Do you enjoy reading?

2. Do you like to read with a friend?

3. Do you like to read in a group?

4. What about reading is hard for you?

5. When you read, and something doesnt make sense, what do you do?

6. What strategies do you use to help you understand what you are reading?

7. Do you ask yourself questions while you read?


8. When you become frustrated with something you are reading, what do you do?

9. What do you dislike about reading?

10. What would make you like reading more?

Appendix H: Graphic Organizer

Name _______________________________________________ Date ______________________

KWS Chart Add details to each column.

Topic: ___________________________________________________________

What I Know

What I Want to Learn

Possible Sources


Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All Rights Reserved.

Appendix I: Draft Letter to Superintendent
Victoria Judkins
PO Box 389.Bucksport.Maine.04416

Superintendent of School
Ellsworth.Maine.04605

Dear Superintendent of Schools,

My name is Victoria Judkins, and I am currently undergoing graduate work in the field of
education at the University of New England, and I have prepared work on an action research project. My
research topic is examining the effects of high interest level reading material and best practice reading
comprehension strategies for learners identified with learning disabilities at the middle school level. I
previously worked for two years as a special education teacher. I have a Bachelor of Science in
Exceptionalities in Students/Elementary Education/ESOL/Reading from the University of West Florida. I
hold my professional license in the state of Florida for K-12 special education and K-6 regular education
with ESOL and Reading endorsements. Additionally, I hold my professional license in the state of Maine
for K-12 special education and K-8 regular education.
I have include my certificate of completion for my CITI training. There is minimal to no risk for
the participants who would be involved in my research. The data collection will involve using normal
education practices, surveys, questionnaires, and private records such as student files. I intend on

recording data so that the learners identifies will remain confidential. It is my hope that you will consider
allowing me to conduct my research in your school system. I have included with this letter my proposed
action plan which outlines the need for this research as well as how I intend on conducting the research.
With your help, we can work together to make a difference for learners identified with learning
disabilities.

Sincerely,
Victoria Judkins

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RUNNING HEAD: READING COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES 1

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