THE ADAPTABILITY OF READ ALOUDS by Rachel Palmer A Master's Thesis Capstone Project ...

52 Pages·2014·0.46 MB·English

by  Rachel Palmer

THE ADAPTABILITY OF READ ALOUDS

by

Rachel Palmer

A Master’s Thesis Capstone Project
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Masters of Science in Education
Department of Language, Learning, and Leadership
At the State University of New York at Fredonia
Fredonia, New York

May 2014

Copyright 2014: Rachel Palmer

THE ADAPTABILITY OF READ ALOUDS

ABSTRACT

The basis for this research is to examine the topic of the adaptability and flexibility of
read alouds in the elementary classroom. question, how of elementary teachers can capitalize on
the flexibility of the read aloud instructional strategy in order to enhance reading motivation and
literacy skills of all their students is best answered through an extensive literature review. The
synthesis of the review produced several pertinent findings: that active engagement in read
alouds appears to increase the vocabulary size and word meaning of early elementary students,
that an interactive read aloud approach has positive effects on the vocabulary development and
comprehension of English language Learners, that teachers frequently use the interactive read
aloud approach with narrative texts to focus on language plan and development, and that
impactful read alouds occurs as a result of teacher’s explicit planning and involving frequent
cognitively challenging questioning to improve students’ comprehension, These findings have a
strong application to teacher practice in the elementary classroom and therefore will be presented
to elementary teachers through and in person professional development workshop.

i
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract i

Table of Contents ii

Chapter 1: Introduction 1
Statement of Problem
Background
Terminology
Theoretical Framework
Rationale

Chapter 2: Literature Review 6
Read Alouds and Literacy Skills
Read Alouds with All Students
Read Aloud Components
Read Alouds as an Instructional Approach

Chapter 3: Methodology 30
Data Collection
Data Analysis

Chapter 4: Results and Application 34
Results of the Review
Application of Results to a Professional Development Project
Design of Professional Development Project
Workshop Ties to Professional Standards

Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusion 40
Overview of Study and Findings
Significance of Finings
Limitations of Findings
Conclusion: Answer to the Research Question
Recommendations for Future Research

References 43

Appendix A: Professional Development Workshop Agenda 47

Appendix B: Workshop Evaluation 48

ii
ADAPTABILITY p.1
Chapter 1: Introduction

Statement of the Problem

The area of inquiry for this capstone project is the flexibility of read alouds which allows
for their adaptability within an elementary classroom. The problem being researched is that while
read alouds are being prescribed and marketed as for use by parents with preschoolers, very few
“operating instructions” about how to conduct read alouds are being given to parents. Research
suggests that “merely reading books aloud is not sufficient for accelerating children’s oral
vocabulary development and listening comprehension” (McGee & Schickedanz, 2007, p.742).
The difference between read alouds and effective read alouds appears to be in “the way books
are shared with children” (McGee & Schickedanz, 2007, p.742). For many classroom teachers,
the problem is how they can find a “way” to share books with children, how they can adapt the
read aloud strategy to meet effectively the literacy needs of their students. One way to address
this problem is to ask the question, how can elementary teachers capitalize on the flexibility of
the read aloud instructional strategy in order to enhance reading motivation and literacy skills of
all their students? This question is best answered through an extensive literature review and
synthesis.

Background

I have chosen the topic of read alouds because, based on my own experiences and
observations; I feel that when teachers make read alouds interactive, students appear to benefit
ADAPTABILITY p.2
from the experience. I care about this issue because I have seen the positive outcomes of
interactive read alouds. Throughout my educational training, I have been in many classrooms
that have allowed me to see how teachers approach the strategy of read alouds. I have had the
opportunity to observe a teacher who believes strongly in “interactive” read alouds, ones that
involve questioning, predicting, and discussing during the reading. Every day he conducts an
interactive read aloud during “circle time.” Through these interactive read alouds, he is able to
involve students in the reading by asking questions, answering questions, and making
predictions. Morrison and Wlodarczyk (2009) indicate that when teachers read aloud to students,
they are supporting and building the students’ listening and speaking abilities in order to enhance
their overall language development. McGee and Schickendanz (2007) acknowledge that “the
most effective read-alouds are those in which children are actively involved asking and
answering questions and making predictions rather than passively listening” (p.742). Knowing
this, I want to explore the flexibility of the read aloud strategy and how teachers could adapt it to
suit their teaching styles and their students.

Terminology

To help in understanding and defining read alouds, Morrison and Wlodarczyk (2009)
provide a definition of a read aloud as “an instructional practice where teachers, parents, and
caregiver read texts aloud to children” (p.111). During a read aloud, a reader “incorporates
variations in pitch, tone, pace, volume, pauses, eye contact, questions, and comments to produce
a fluent and enjoyable delivery” (Morrison & Wlodarczyk, 2009, p.111). Zucker, Cabell, Justice,
Pentimonti, and Kaderavek (2012) refer to read alouds as “shared reading” which they define as
ADAPTABILITY p.3
“interactions and discussions that occur when an adult and a child (or children) look at a book
together” (p.1425). For this research, Morrison and Wlodarczyk’s very clear definition of read
alouds will be used. The term “read aloud” will be taken as synonymous with “shared reading,”
but the word “read aloud” will be used throughout this study. As for the components of a read
aloud activity, this study recognizes those identified by McGee and Shickendanz (2007) who
indicate that for a read aloud or shared reading to be effective, it should “include a systematic
approach that incorporates teachers’ modeling of higher-level thinking, asking thoughtful
questions calling for analytical talk, prompting children to recall a story in some way within a
reasonable time frame, reading a single book repeatedly, and reading books related by topic”
(p.742-743).
During this study, the term “read aloud” has been seen in multiple spelling variations
including “read-aloud.” For this study, the spelling of the term “read aloud” is used throughout
unless directly quoting an original source. As another point of clarification, the terms Title 1
Schools and Head Start Programs have been frequently found in studies as criteria for participant
selection. According to Tony Evers, Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Title
1 Schools are associated with the Title 1 program which is explained as a “federal program that
provides funds to school districts with high numbers or high percentages of children who are
disadvantaged to support a variety of services” (Department of Public Instruction, n.d.). Head
Start Programs are explained as a “federal program that promotes the school readiness of
children birth to 5 [years] from low-income families by enhancing their cognitive, social, and
emotional development” (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, n.p.).
ADAPTABILITY p.4
Theoretical Framework

Interactive read alouds relate to Vygotsky’s learning theory of social constructivism, the
belief that “children learn as a result of social interactions with others” (Tracy & Morrow, 2006,
p.108). Read alouds embody Vygotsky’s theory of social constructivism through the interactive
conversations that may take place during the read aloud. Read alouds also relate to a group of
theories that follow an interactive model of reading. This group of theories explain the reading
process as involving the writer, the text, and the reading, comprehension emerges as the reader
actively brings his or her prior knowledge to the reading of a text and “interacts” with the text
(Beard, 1988; Samuels, 1984/2002; Rumelhart, 2004;).

Rationale

The area of inquiry for this capstone project is the flexibility of read alouds that allows
for their adaptability within an elementary classroom. The problem to be researched is how
teachers can adapt the read aloud strategy to effectively meet the needs of all students in their
classrooms. One way to address this problem is to ask the question, how can teachers capitalize
on the flexibility of the read aloud instructional strategy in order to enhance reading motivation
and literacy skills of all elementary students? This question is best answered through an
extensive literature review and research synthesis that will generate new knowledge about how
to adapt this instructional strategy most effectively. This knowledge is important to reading
specialists because it will enhance their ability to coach and mentor classroom teachers. As
L’Allier and Elish-Piper (2012) note, many reading specialists are required to “provide ongoing
ADAPTABILITY p.5
professional development for classroom teachers in order to improve student performance”
(p.45). This knowledge is also important because the Listening and Learning Strand of the New
York State curriculum for pre-kindergarten through second grade focuses on teacher read alouds,
class discussions, and vocabulary work.
ADAPTABILITY p.6
Chapter 2: Literature Review

To answer the research question, how elementary teachers can capitalize on the flexibility
of the read aloud instructional strategy in order to enhance reading motivation and literacy skills
of all their students, the researcher has conducted an extensive review of the literature. The
research literature in this chapter is a collection of studies that examine the effectiveness of read
louds on elementary students’ literacy achievement. Relevant databases for searching this topic
include Educational Journals from ProQuest, ERIC Database, and Academic Search Complete.
“Read aloud” is one key word used while searching the databases. Of the many research studies
found, I selected the following articles based on their content and its close relevance to the
research question. From the articles collected for this review emerge four key areas related to the
research question: read alouds and literacy skills, read alouds with all students, read aloud
components, and read alouds as an instructional approach.

Read Alouds and Literacy Skills

One of the literacy skills impacted by the read aloud strategy is the attitude of children
towards reading. Barnyak (2011) conducts qualitative research on the verbal and physical
interactions of children and their parents during read alouds and the literacy attitudes and beliefs
of the parents. Participants of this study are eight children ages two through seven years and their
parents from a rural community in the United States. The methods used in this study were “semi-
structured interviews with parents and children and direct observation of the dyads while reading
storybooks aloud” (p.151). Reading within families’ everyday lives, reading supported through