Research Questions

Here are my research questions that will help guide my dissertation.

1. How does guided reading affect reading achievement on student benchmark assessments for low performing students in a Title 1 school?

2. How does guided reading affect student perceptions of reading in low performing students?

3. How frequently do low performing students participate in reading rituals?

Purpose Statement

Taking the MOI course has really helped me to develop my research questions. It has helped me to get a better understanding that my main purpose is to develop a set of questions and decide how I am going to get results to answer those research questions. Below is my purpose statement and research question.
Purpose of the Study

            The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how guided reading affects achievement in a second grade classroom at a Title 1 elementary school. Understanding how to read is important in everyday functioning. Past studies have shown that students who participate in small reading groups have a higher success rate than those who participate solely in whole group instruction (Bailet, Repper, Piasta, Murphy, 2009; Gorsuch & Taguchi 2010).

Research Questions

The following questions will guide this study:

1. How does guided reading affect reading achievement on student benchmark assessments for low performing students in a Title 1 school?

2. How does guided reading affect student perceptions of reading in low performing students?

3. How frequently do low performing students participate in reading rituals?

Eureka!

So I decided to track down a primary source using a secondary source that I found. I thought the secondary source had some great findings but when I actually went to the primary source I found so much more that I can use as well. It's actually making it hard to complete my next assignment because it only needs to be about 2-3 pages but I have so much more to add! Guess that's a good problem to have. Though the report was conducted in 1983, it serves a great purpose for me in showing that the same problem still exists! Hey, I can use this for my annotated bibliography as well! Yeah me! Today was a good day for research!
http://www2.ed.gov/pubs/NatAtRisk/risk.html

Problem Statement

My dissertation will be focusing implementing guided reading to low readers in a 2nd grade classroom. This is my problem statement.

Each year, students are being promoted to grade levels despite low reading skills. Though some students can read, many are lacking in reading comprehension and fluency. Rather than acquiring skills to learn to read, students are learning to pass standardized tests. As a result, students are unable to learn new skills needed to successfully become fluent readers.    

Feeling a bit better!

As I was looking for an article for my first assignment, I came across a great article about guided reading! What I love about this article is that its uses language I can understand and of course it is about a topic I am very familiar with. It discusses guided reading and the views and opinions of primary teachers. Looking at this report makes me actually feel better about writing my dissertation because it gives me the "thumbs up" to use everyday words and still sound professional.

Out loud thought!

So I know this will eventually be a blog for all my dissertation thoughts and ideas put I had to put an out loud thought on here. I wanted someone to "listen" to me since at this very moment no one is around. I am getting confused on how this bloggin works. I don't know if I'm posting or not because I can't find any type of record showing I posted. Even now, no one may even see this. Last week I was so happy to find an article to use for my dissertation and wanted to tell the blogger world, however, I got so jumbled up, the excitement had left and there was nothing left to say. The way I'm feeling right now, the dissertation just might be easier! Go figure! Anyways, wish me luck!