The purpose of my study:
Oral reading, opposed to silent reading, is frequently used in both monolingual and multilingual classrooms. However, the effectiveness of using oral reading to improve students’ reading comprehension is being debated in monolingual classrooms, and only a few studies have been done in the multilingual classroom. In the monolingual settings, some research studies (Armbruster & Wilkinson, 1991; Bernhardt, 1983; Davis, 1981; Leinhardt, Zigmond, & Cooley, 1981; Miller & Smith, 1985; Wilkinson & Anderson, 1995) indicated that older children and adults, who are average or strong readers, comprehend better after reading silently, but some studies (McCallum, Sharp, Bell, & George, 2004; Prior & Welling, 2001) stated that the comprehension scores do not differ significantly between the two modes. In the multilingual learning situations, only few researches conducted about the use of oral reading on students’ reading comprehension. A result shows that a positive correlation of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ understanding of the passage might be occurred when they fluently read a passage aloud (Saiegh-Haddad, 2003). However, the comparison of using oral and silent reading to improve EFL learners’ reading comprehension still lacks of findings.
My research questions:
Through this descriptive, mixed-methods study, the following questions will be addressed:
–What are the differences of using oral reading and silent reading to improve EFL students’ reading comprehension?
- Will the first language affect students’ reading comprehension when they use oral reading and silent reading?
Definition:
- ESL Students: Students (mostly immigrants and minority groups) who are learning English as a second language.
- EFL Students: Students who are learning English as a foreign language.
- Oral
- Silent
(Richards, Platt, & Platt, 1992)
Reference
Armbruster, B. B., & Wilkinson, A. G. (1991). Silent reading, oral reading, and learning from text. The
Bernhardt, E. B. (1983). Three approaches to reading comprehension in intermediate German. The Modern Language Journal, 67, 111-115.
McCallum, R. S., Sharp, S.,
Davis, Z. T. (1981). A comparison of the effectiveness of sustained silent reading and directed reading activity on student's reading achievement. The High School Journal, 72, 46-48.
Leinhardt, G., Zigmond, N., & Cooley, W. W. (1981). Reading instruction and its effects. American Educational Research Journal, 18, 343-361.
Miller, S. D., & Smith, D. E. P. (1985). Differences in literal and inferential comprehension after reading orally and silently. Journal of Educational Psychology, 77(3), 341-348.
Prior, S. M., & Welling, K. A. (2001). "Read in your head": A Vygotskian analysis of the transition from oral to silent reading. Reading Psychology, 22(1), 1-15
Richards, J. C., Platt, J., & Platt, H. (1992). Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics.
Saiegh-Haddad, E. (2003). Bilingual oral reading fluency and reading comprehension: The case of Arabic/Hebrew (L1) -English (L2) readers.
Wilkinson,
3 comments:
Yachi,
Interesting study. So, as I read the purpose, you want to determine if one method of reading is better than another method of reading. You will measure better by knowing that, based on some sort of test, that the reader comprehended more of the reading passage. Is that right?
I do have a question about the following research question: "Will the first language affect students’ reading comprehension when they use oral reading and silent reading?". What do you mean by first language having an effect? Does this mean that will having ANY first language effect reading comprehension or does it mean that you want to see how different first language speakers are different? That is, will Spanish first language speakers have higher reading comprehension scores than French first language speakers.
I also think you (or Richards, Platt and Platt, rather) are missing parts of the definition of the differences between ESL and EFL, namely WHERE the language learning is taking place. This expansion will help those unfamiliar with the terms understand the differences better.
This also brings up an additional question. Are you interested in EFL or ESL students? For you dissertation, how will you find EFL students? That is, where is the site of study? In the US or elsewhere?
Best,
Mara
Yachi,
Thanks for submitting your research questions. I enjoyed reading about your interest in better understanding the differences between oral reading vs. silent reading as it relates to reading comprehension. It seems this research could contribute to a better understanding as to how this plays out with multilingual students.
Here are some thoughts:
1. In my opinion, your purpose is clear and flows well. The logic behind your purpose is also clear.
2. If you are going to do a mixed method, I think you need two different sets of research questions for the quantitative set and the qualitative set. I do think the mixed method design is a great way to proceed given your interests.
3. On the quantitative front, I would encourage you to explore how you can measure the difference between oral and silent reading on comprehension. I have no experience in this area but assume that could be measured by a simple reading comprehension test. With this design, you could theoretically answer the question for a given population as to which mode is better when it comes to reading comprehension.
4. On the qualitative front, my suggestion would be to focus on the student’s perspectives on the different reading modes. I assume your motivation is to better understand what students are thinking/feeling about the different modes (silent vs. oral). This aspect would give the color to your quantitative branch.
Please take these suggestions for what they are worth. I don’t have much experience in this area. I look forward to seeing how this plays out over the course of the semester.
Kevin
Yachi:
I appreciate your interest in better understanding the differences between oral reading vs. silent reading. I think you also made it clear that you are interested in comprehension.
In your PURPOSE section, you provided excellent background information. I think it would be "stronger" if you had a statement that said, "the purpose of this study is..."
RICHARD
Post a Comment