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Data Analysis and Interpretation

Third Quarter
With my question in mind, I shifted my focus to vocabulary instruction in January as opposed to
the time spent constructing a strong reading workshop over the course of first semester. In order to
gather a better understanding of each students opinion of reading and vocabulary knowledge, I gave my
students a separate reading interest inventory (Appendix B). Even though all twenty-two students
participated in this survey, I primarily analyzed the responses from the students in my focus group.
The survey results enlightened me and directly aligned with my reasoning for selecting
vocabulary as my point of research. Four out of the five focus students below and on-level readers
indicated in their survey that lack of word understanding caused negative reading experiences. However,
these same students enjoyed reading when they knew the words. When looking at the rating scale, the
highest reader (Adam) was the only student to indicate a love for reading with a perfect ten. Conversely,
my lower readers averaged scores of 7. Students who experienced negative emotions when struggling
with unknown words frequently reported no reading enjoyment. While my ultimate goal was to increase
student reading comprehension, I also hoped to increase students love for reading through my action
research.
Several of the focus group students acknowledged noticing tricky words while reading (Table 3).
However, all five students indicated on the survey they understood the texts overall meaning most of the
time. This surprised me since I observed the direct opposite. Contrary to student beliefs, the anecdotal
notes completed during guided reading groups portrayed student confusion and miscues. For example,
Jessica committed 8 miscues within a passage of 67 words. However, she continued reading without
recognition of the challenging words. The problem arose with her inability to answer comprehensionbased questions at the end of the text. Therefore, due to the varying answers on the survey, I
subsequently interviewed the students in my focus group.

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Student
Jessica
Aubrey
Devon
Alexander
Adam

Question
Do you usually find hard words as you read different books?
Do you understand all of the words you read?
Do you usually find hard words as you read different books?
Do you understand all of the words you read?
Do you usually find hard words as you read different books?
Do you understand all of the words you read?
Do you usually find hard words as you read different books?
Do you understand all of the words you read?
Do you usually find hard words as you read different books?
Do you understand all of the words you read?

Survey Response
No
Most of the Time
Sometimes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Sometimes
Most of the time
Table 3

During these brief interviews, I immediately noticed a lack of awareness of unknown words.
When talking with the high reader, it became clear that he truly understood the events in his book as he
answered specific questions; my lower readers struggled to comprehend the information. When meeting
with Devon on January 12, 2016, I asked him to explain his answer to the survey questions. I sought an
understanding of his conflicting responses: he did not understand many words while reading yet could
make sense of the story. In response, Devon stated, Well, when I am reading, I look at the words quickly
and sometimes I dont know them so I keep reading. I go so fast. I know what the whole story says,
though. It makes sense in my head all the time (January 12, 2016). With similar answers from other ELL
readers, I wrote the following in my Inquiry Notebook: I am beginning to gain a better idea of a potential
problem with their vocabulary understanding. Perhaps students are not aware of unknown words! Since
many students in my focus group failed to connect their miscues to their lack of reading comprehension, I
implemented a unique teaching strategy.
To address tricky words, I collaborated with the schools ELL teacher to develop a reading
awareness strategy. This teacher suggested having students record unknown words on a slip of paper as
they read independently. This reading strategy held students accountable for challenging words
presented in the text. However, as I observed students trying the strategy, I noted in my anecdotal
observations that out of five separate meetings, the students recorded a combined total of two words.

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Despite the lack of words recorded, I explored student work samples to measure the effectiveness of this
strategy over time. Eighty percent of students struggled to answer a basic vocabulary-check question
similar to, What does boast mean? or Write a sentence using impatient. Students blank pages or
made-up definitions worried me.
In addition, evidence showed student reading levels remained at a standstill even with
implementation of this strategy. Both lower-level students, Jessica and Aubrey, remained below grade
level while the other three students struggled as well, as indicated by the Running Record data in Table 4.
Student

Reading Level

Miscues

Jessica
Aubrey
Devon
Alexander
Adam

H
I
K
L
M

9
8
7
5
4

Running Words
in Book
72
89
95
129
132

Accuracy
Percentage
87%
91%
92%
96%
97%

Emotional
Level
Frustration
Difficult
Difficult
Instructional
Instructional
Table 4

I recorded in my Inquiry Notebook after analyzing this data:

I dont understand what is happening. I remind students each time what they should do when
they come to an unknown word but I see no transfer. I even stop and ask them to tell me what
different words mean to which they cannot do successfully. Yet they are not using this strategy or
any reading strategies for that matter! (Inquiry Notebook, January 27, 2016).
After spending several weeks incorporating this strategy into my guided reading groups and analyzing the
data, I concluded it had little impact on student awareness. I thought through possible explanations: Are
they familiar with decoding unknown words? Are my students embarrassed by the fact that they do not
know all of the words presented in their books? The last question evoked a new realization: perhaps I
need to make it seem like less work and more of a privilege. I decided to once again shift my instruction
approach.

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While working to build reading comprehension through awareness strategies, I also noted
another key finding from the survey. Question number thirteen: What can you do when you come across
a word you dont know the meaning of? led to a peculiar discovery (Table 5).
Survey Response
Left blank
Guess
it.
for this particular question gave new
I can ask the teacher for help.
Umm. I can stretch it. Right?
insight: many of my focus students
I like to stretch the word out and look at the pictures.
And I think about if it makes sense.
continued to struggle implementing
Table 5
appropriate strategies for figuring out unknown words. The interview results and prior observations
Analyzing the survey results

Student
Jessica
Aubrey
Devon
Alexander
Adam

prompted the decision to teach a whole-class lesson on this topic.

Since vocabulary training benefits from direct instruction (Tran, 2006), I made sure to incorporate
that teaching technique into my lesson. During our lesson on reading through tricky words, students
collaborated to create a list for approaching unknown words. As I walked around the classroom listening
to student discussions and observing their interactions, I noticed Aubreys confusion and lack of
participation in her small group discussion. Additionally, I overheard some thoughtful ideas from a
partnership of two students.
Catherine: When I read new books, I always come across unknown words and I
try to think of the strategies I know.
Jessica: I never find hard words when I read. Only one or two times maybe. But
I never know what to do if I do find them. I cant remember.
Catherine: Sometimes I slow down and read the word again. I also look at the
picture to see what it is showing me. I also like to chunk the words.
Jessica: Chunk the words?! What do you mean?
Catherine: Chunking means that you find little words inside of the big word.
Jessica: Oh! I remember that! I stretch my words when I read.

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Catherine: That is a reading strategy I use too! I always stretch it out like a
piece of bubblegum.
Based on this conversation and ideas shared by other students, I brought the students attention back to
a whole-class discussion. After mentioning the great reading talk I observed, students watched as I
modeled different strategies and created a class anchor chart. This chart,
titled When words are Tricky, Roll up your Sleeves! (Figure 2), included
several reading strategies for use during guided reading groups. During the
lesson, I asked students to contribute their thinking but I noticed a mere 20
percent participation from my focus students. Following this lesson on
January 18, 2016, I reflected on my findings as I recorded thoughts in my
Inquiry Notebook:
Figure 2
The exchange between Jessica and Catherine was eye-opening. It is clear that my lower
students need additional support with strategies and awareness! She knew an idea as soon as
Catherine reminded her. She benefited from this discussion. Perhaps I should continue using
scaffolding during our reading workshop, (Inquiry Notebook, January 18, 2016).
Reading strategies for figuring out tricky words needed more focus. In hopes of building on the pros of
these reading strategies and increasing student awareness, I implemented an additional component to
the original approach. Since I lacked confidence in my students ability to fully comprehend challenging
words, I renewed students focus on strategies for reading tricky words and recording remaining
unknown words as a way to maximize vocabulary and increase reading levels. However, in hopes of
boosting engagement within each student and making this detective work seem more like a reward than
an embarrassment, I incorporated a vocabulary wall into reading workshop (Figure 3).

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When explaining the vocabulary wall to the students, I
shared it as a place to permanently display any unknown words
recorded on slips of paper discovered in guided reading texts.
Additionally, I indicated students should work in small groups to
authentically discover appropriate definitions for each word. After

Figure 3

researching definitions with technology, dictionaries, and real-world pictures, students then
posted findings on the word wall for all classmates to see. Upon implementing this new idea, I
immediately noted increased levels of excitement within my focus group as Alexander shouted, Yes! I
cant wait to find a word to add to the vocabulary wall. From this observation, I recorded my thoughts in
my Inquiry Notebook on February 2, 2016 as follows: I am so glad to see enthusiasm with this group.
Maybe the [vocabulary] wall will be the turning point in my research (Inquiry Notebook).
Even after initial implementation, my group of low students continued to struggle identifying
unknown words. I observed little to no increases in recording words and their reading journals lacked
thoughtful ideas. Four out of five of these students recorded zero words while the remaining student
wrote down two unknown words over the course of ten days. To increase strategy success, I continued
direct instruction promoting the benefits of recording words and modeled action steps when I found
words that I did not understand. With the consistency of direct instruction, scaffolding, and questioning, I
began to slowly notice progress around mid-February. On February 12, 2016, I recorded a positive
observation in my Inquiry Notebook: Jessica and Aubrey are finally recording unknown words! They
seem very proud and excited to add words on to the wall as both students were smiling ear to ear and
couldnt wait to add the words to the wall!
In addition, I observed consistency with record-keeping during Jessicas and Aubreys guided
reading group. On February 18th, Jessica proved her strategy usage as I listened to her read aloud during

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reading workshop. While reading a book at her instructional level, Jessica ran across an unfamiliar word.
Without hesitation, Jessica stopped in her tracks and said:
Jessica: I need to stop.
Teacher: What do you mean?
Jessica: I need to use my paper thing.
Teacher: Why are you going to use it?
Jessica: I dont know this word (as she pointed to the word plank) so I have to
write it down.
Teacher: I am so proud of you for remembering! How did you know that this
was an appropriate time to use your paper?
Jessica: I see you do it. And my brain popped! I want to put it on the vocabulary
wall!
I re-examined my focus students using the Running Record Assessment to assess the
effectiveness of the vocabulary wall. When listening to each student read, I immediately noticed an
increase in accuracy by all of my focus students as portrayed in Table 6.
Student

Reading Level

Miscues

Jessica
Aubrey
Devon
Alexander
Adam

I
J
K
L
M

6
7
7
5
2

Running Words
in Book
83
89
113
120
129

Accuracy
Percentage
92%
92%
94%
96%
98%

Emotional
Level
Difficult
Difficult
Instructional
Instructional
Independent
Table 6

I deemed the vocabulary wall, in conjunction with previously used strategies, successful in
increasing awareness and fluency. While the reading levels remained the same, word acknowledgement
had grown and miscues lessened. I focused on this strategy daily while seeking additional vocabulary
instructional techniques.

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As the vocabulary wall continued, I looked for an

Comprehension Questions
Where does this story take place?

additional tool to continue building student self-awareness

What are the main events in the book?

of vocabulary knowledge. I experimented with a

What was the problem in the story?

What do the characters like to do?
Figure 4

technological application called Seesaw beginning in

February. This app recorded each student in my focus group

reading a pre-selected, on-level book and subsequently answering basic comprehension questions (Figure
4). Afterwards, my mentor teacher met with each of these students individually to better understand
student thinking.
When interviewing these students, my mentor showed each student their reading recordings. By
exposing students to their reading, I hoped they would notice their fluency, comprehension, and ability to
detect unknown words. According to my mentors observations, it was clear all five students in my focus
group developed awareness of their reading ability. She noted that Aubrey shared, I did not know that
word and it does not make sense. I could write it down on my paper (February 22, 2016). Her anecdotal
notes indicated the average-leveled students acknowledged those mistakes while reading and recorded
any unknown words on their strip of paper. After meeting with my mentor and discussing her findings, I
expressed my thoughts in my Inquiry Notebook. On February 22nd, I recorded: I am excited to hear that
Jessica and Aubrey are finally becoming more aware of what they can do when they get stuck on a word.
Now, they just need to do it! (Inquiry Notebook).
Since the video recordings provided insight into these students reading abilities, I decided to
February Reading Levels

personally review the Seesaw app recordings as well. During this

Student

Reading
Level

Jessica
Aubrey
Devon
Alexander
Adam

I
J
L
M
N

data collection time, I completed Running Records on their

independent reading as a way to assess each students level. As
indicated through this informal assessment on February 29th, I

Expected Reading
Level for Second
Grade Students
M
M
M
M
M
Table 7

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noticed that Devon, Alexander, and Adam improved their reading by one level while Jessica and Aubrey
remained at a standstill (Table 7).
This data collection method aided me in determining whether students transferred the
information and vocabulary strategies learned in reading groups to independent reading. After referring
to the video recordings, I determined these five students were becoming more aware of unknown words
while reading. However, comprehension levels were still low as many students could not appropriately
answer questions related to the text; only one of these students correctly answered the comprehension
questions despite their level increase. Therefore, I knew that I needed to implement a different teaching
technique to help students understand difficult vocabulary words and increase their overall story
knowledge.