An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

An Action Research Project:

The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

Esmeralda M. Collazo

East Texas Baptist University

Spring 2017

Authors Note
This is an action research study that involves the parents of some of the bilingual students who

attend a STEM Campus in East Texas and who participate in the Bilingual program.

Abstract
An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

This research examines and interprets the successful outcomes of 7 fourth grade students

whose parents participated in the Latino Family Literacy Project. These students are all enrolled

in the same STEM elementary school and attend bilingual classes. It was hypothesized that the

students whose parents participated in this program would show reading growth both in

comprehension and in fluency. It was also assumed that the parents would perceive the school

climate as a positive one where they can come to seek assistance, share concerns, or volunteer.

The data was collected thoroughly for 11 weeks. During the first nine weeks the parents actively

participated in The Latino Family Literacy Project and I served as an instructor, an active

participant, and the researcher. The findings revealed that every single one of these 7 students

experience growth from last years 3rd grade Reading STAAR test by the beginning of April. The

majority of them also had an increase in their Reading level according to STARR Renaissance.

As for the parents they also were more involved in their childs academic progress and had better

communication with the teacher and school personnel. Though the overall findings indicate

positive effects, these can be due to other factors that were not accounted for such as intervention

received a school.

Introduction
An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

Bilingual Education is not a new way of learning. In fact the first bilingual programs

were initiated as early as the 1770s. Carlos J. Ovando states in his article, Bilingual Education in

the United States: Historical Development and Current Issues, that during the permissive period

1700-1880s a number of states passed laws that authorized bilingual education (Ovando, 203).

However, the United States policy makers have changed their mind time and time again about

funding bilingual programs and what components should be involved. This lack of consistency

has weaken any of the bilingual gains made in previous years. The bilingual programs around

the country have been altered time and time again and there are a variety of models that are being

utilized in schools nationwide. It is still unclear what the perfect model to follow is because

There isnt an abundance of research on Bilingual education and how it should be implemented.

There also isnt a variety of resources to aid the bilingual teachers and students. According to

Sustaining a Dual Language Immersion Program: Features of Success, if a district wants to

implement an effective two-way/dual-language program it must have pedagogical equity,

qualified bilingual teachers, active parenthome collaboration, and knowledgeable leadership.

Many of these features were missing from our bilingual program thus eventually leading our

district into stages 3 and 4 for the 2016 indicator performance level, which isnt good. However,

Marshall ISD is striving to get out of these stages and have hired a qualified bilingual

coordinator who is setting the bilingual program for success. A component of the bilingual

program that will now be implemented is parental involvement. The program to be utilized is

The Latino Family Literacy Project.

Purpose of Study
An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

The purpose of this study was to identify the successful effects that the Latino Family Literacy

Project had on 7 fourth grade students who were enrolled in the bilingual program of South

Marshall STEM Academy. This research will help evaluate the success of the program.

Research Question

How does The Latino Family Literacy Project at South Marshall Elementary school affect

parental involvement in their childs education and affect student achievement?

Hypothesis
It is hypothesized that the students whose parents participate in this program will show growth in

reading both in comprehension and in fluency. They will also show more confidence in

addressing questions to the teacher and parents will fill empowered by being able to help their

students at home. The parents will also seek assistance from the school and feel the atmosphere

more welcoming.

Null Hypothesis

It has been hypothesized that the parental program, The Latino Family Literacy Project, will

have little significance to the improvement of student academic success in the classroom. The

parents who participated in the program will continue to conduct themselves in the same manner

as before they participate in the program.

Limitations

A limitation of this study is the size of the population being observed and the time given to

observe this group of participants. There are less than twenty families participating in this study
An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

and a few of these have not participated consistently. Another limitation is the access to all the

students grades and reading levels. One last limitation is researcher bias. As a presenter and as

one of the responsible parties of this program, I believe that this program will produce many

positive results. I also trust that empowering parents with the adequate tools to help their children

become successful will help increase student motivation and reading. I must try to see this study

from not only an active participant, but also as an outside observer and be open minded.

Research Method

This research was a qualitative research method. This proposed study was a bounded case study

of the participants of The Latino Family Literacy Project in a bilingual STEM academy in East

Texas and the effects of participating in this program.

Setting/Participants/Sampling

The study will span for 15 weeks. It will take place in South Marshall STEM Academy and will

involve less than 20 families. These families have children enrolled in this school. The children

range from Kindergarten to fourth grade. Other participants involved are two bilingual teachers,

the bilingual coordinator, and myself. I will serve as an instructor, an active participant, and the

researcher. The sampling will be purposive because we selected specific families to participate in

this program and I will also only be able to view certain fourth graders grades and reading levels.
An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

Literature Review

Effects of Parental Involvement Programs on Students

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) initiative encourages school personnel to sponsor

parental involvement as a means to improve student achievement. Money is set aside for parental

involvement programs to be incorporated in schools through Title 1 funds. These legislative

mandates are based on an extensive body of research literature suggesting children have better

outcomes when their parents are involved in their education. (Thompson, 2017). Some of the

positive outcomes that are associated with parental involvement include increased student

achievement, social emotional health, and reduced dropout and substance use (Epstein & Salinas,

2004; Epstein & Sanders, 2009) (Thompson, 2017).

Reading Comprehension and ELLs

Reading comprehension is a difficult skill for any kid to master, especially English Language

Learners. So how is it that they can successfully acquire this skill? According to Lydia Breiseth

there are certain strategies that focus on three main approaches: building background knowledge,

teaching vocabulary explicitly, and checking comprehension frequently. She states that a good

strategy to build background knowledge is to find opportunities to make associations between

students experiences and new content. (Breiseth, 2010) Another important tool she said that is

needed for reading comprehension and Ells is scaffolding. Another article that supports these

strategies is Native Spanish-Speaking Children Reading in English: Toward a Model of

An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

Comprehension. It suggest that, given adequate second language decoding ability, L2

vocabulary knowledge is crucial for improved English reading comprehension outcomes for

Spanish speaking ELLs (Proctor, 205).

The Latino Family Literacy Project

The Latino Family Literacy Project was created in response to the growing Latino communities,

and the need for effective literacy programs tailored to meet the needs of Latino parents and

children (The Latino Family Literacty Project, 2017). It is a program whose implementation

takes 10 days. Instructors are required to be trained at a Latino Family Literacy Project

workshop. The Project is designed to have many different programs offered to the parents

depending on the ages of their children. The goals of The Latino Family Literacy Project

according to the actual curriculum are to establish and support a family reading routine, improve

English-language skills, improve Spanish literacy skills, and strengthen parent/child interaction

(The Latino Family Literacty Project, 2017). According to Cristin Martinez research, she found

that the Latino Family Literacy Program met 3 of the 4 levels of the Shepard and Rose hierarchy

of empowerment model. The parents reached the levels of basic communication, home

improvement, and volunteering (Martinz, 2009).

An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

Methodology

I actively participated in The Latino Family Literacy Project for 9 weeks as an instructor,

an active participant, and a researcher. During these nine weeks I analyzed the curriculum that

was to be followed, implemented it with as much fidelity as time permitted, recorded

observations, and administered questionnaires. The program had a set routine in place. We

started with greetings and socializing. We would make sure parents signed in, we collected the

books that were loaned to them the previous week, interacted with parents, while we waited on

parents to arrive those present completed activities that went along with the book such as word

searches, word/verb review. Ten minutes after the start time we shared a meal together, parents,

students, and instructors. During this time parents shared any concerns with us or spoke to us

privately. After our meal, students were taken to a designated location and parents were taught

the ESL activity for the day. This involved learning basic English rules and vocabulary. After the

ESL lesson parents were introduced to the book of the week. Every parent received a book and

was instructed on how to read the book to their children and they were taught comprehension

questions to ask their children while they read to them. After reading the book, we would have a

whole class discussion about the book and review the vocabulary, which my lit review stated

would be a fundamental key for them as well as their children to achieve a higher level of

reading comprehension. If time permitted, we completed album activities afterward or parents

would take these home to complete. Data was collected throughout this time period such as pre-

questionnaires, surveys, and at the end of the program post-questionnaires. The pre-questionnaire

was given in the first class meeting. It contained questions such as the amount of time spent

reading with the child, if the parent knew where and how to use reading resources, and how
An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

involved the parents were in their childs education. This helped determine whether parents were

actively involved in their childs literacy development prior to the program and to gauge changes

at the end of the program when the post-questionnaire was given. The surveys where given to the

students rather than the parents. The types of questions on the survey included were how often do

your parents read with you, do they ask you questions, what has changed in your household

because of your parents participation in this program, and what do you enjoy most about your

parents participating in this program. Over the course of the sessions, I took notes during the

program and after the program. I made sure to transcribe my notes at home promptly with as

many details and accurate information as I could remember to ensure trustworthiness. During

school I also wrote down observations for the fourth grade students who had participated in the

program. I spoke with their teachers about their grades and the different behaviors they were

displaying in their classrooms. I also made sure to ask if parents had contacted them over this

time frame. I administered different assessments to the students. I analyzed all the data obtained

in order to find themes and patterns. Color codes were especially helpful to find commonalities

in my data.

The weeks following the program, I continued to administer assessments such as STAR

Reading Renaissance, school assessments, classroom assessments, and district benchmarks to

measure growth in reading comprehension and fluency for those students whose parents had

participated in the program. I interviewed the students 4 weeks after the program ended to see if

their parents continued to use the strategies learned and read with them.

Results
An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

Week 1 (January 10, 2017)

The majority of the parents that attended stated on their pre-questionnaires that they did not read

with their children or know the types of questions to ask them or how to help them build their

reading comprehension. The parents were eager to learn, but didnt interact much with the other

parents or ask the instructors/district employees many questions. The climate of the session was

more teacher centered and serious. The superintendent, the districts bilingual coordinator, the

assistant superintendent of curriculum, the principal of the school, and the assistant principal

came to greet the parents and give small introductions of themselves. A father of a fourth grade

student even approached the assistant superintendent to express his feelings about the program.

He told her that this was a great opportunity to help parents and that we should continue

implementing this program as well as other programs. Following the first meeting I obtained the

following data from the seven fourth grade students who attend:

All Initial Data Collected

Student 3rd Grade Fall STAAR Report Card

Assigned STAAR Benchmark Renaissance Grade for 2nd Nine
Number Reading Grade Equivalent Weeks
1/12/17

S1 65% 53% 4.3 89

S2 78% 60% 5.1 84

An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

S3 46% 47% 3.4 82

S4 48% 30% 3.2 82

S5 45% 60% 2.3 77

S6 73% 87% 5.5 90

S7 65% 77% 3.1 82

Week 2 (January 17, 2017)

The parents this week seemed more alive than last week. They brought amazing authentic

Mexican dishes to share with the others and even began to interact more with each other. The

students seemed happy to be there as well. During the ESL lesson, parents didnt seem to want to

actively participate when it came time to ask questions or give answers. However, the majority

were focused on the instructor and took notes, even the three parents who understood and

dominated the English language quiet well where attentive. One of these parents told me after the

session that she learned some new grammar rules she didnt know before and that she would help

her child with these. With the exception of one parent, all the parents stated that they read the

book with their children. Many raised their hand when asked if they used the comprehension

Reading questions they learned about in class. One parent shared the connections she made with

the story and how this opportunity allowed for her children to know more personal information
An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

about herself. At the end of the session, the parents took the initiative to compose the menu for

next weeks gathering.

Week 3 (January 24, 2017)

Parents became more involved in the discussion and lessons. They were not afraid to sound out

the words or make the funny faces the other instructor had the do in order to pronounce certain

consonant diagraphs correctly. We even had two parents volunteer to read. That week in school a

student shared with his classmates information about the program. Several students showed

interest in attending, but were told that they would have to wait until the next time the program

was offered.
Week 4 (January 31, 2017)
This week the students were given a district assessment. It was the Reading STAAR released

test. When I received the scores for the students Spring Benchmarks, I analyzed them and looked

for growth. The night of the program the parents began to ask questions and answer them more

frequently than they had in the past. They even shared the connections they made with the book

read that night. Many of the parents helped pick up that evening and even socialized with the

other parents. The fourth grade student that are in my class whose parents participate in the

program are blossoming. They arent afraid to ask me for assistance or talk to me about personal

manners. They have even shown more interest in their grades. Many of them tell me that there

parents are teaching them the grammar rules they learned in the session.

Week 5 ( February 7, 2017)

During this week I interviewed the teachers of the fourth grade students whose parents attended

the program. The math teacher of one of the students who we will call student 5 because of the

way I coded his reading scored, stated that he is more confident in class and has drastically

improved. She made the following comment about him, He is on Fire. His science teacher also

noticed this change in him. As for the other students they both mentioned that they were all really
An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

working hard. They also mentioned that student 4 has come out of his shell. Even though he

hasnt improved as well as the other student, he is actively participating in class and is asking

more questions than before.

Week 6 (February 14, 2017)

There was a different instructor on this day helping with the reading lesson. She was very soft

spoken and her Spanish wasnt as fluent as the other instructors. She didnt seem to capture the

attention of the parents as did the other teacher. The parents didnt hardly ask any questions on

this day pertaining to the reading. I inferred that parents just happened to feel more familiarized

and comfortable with the other instructor because they knew her better. This night several parents

of fourth grade students asked about their childrens grades, how they were doing in class, and

were very thankful for the additional support given to them. This week, I even received text

messages from two of the parents about how their children were doing in class.

Week 7 (February 21, 2017)

During this night I took a different role in the program. Instead of being an instructor and

participant in this session and observing the parents, I interviewed and monitored the students.

They took a survey that questioned how this program has impacted their life, what they like

about the program, and what they didnt like. I was surprised to find that the aspect they liked

most about the program was being able to socialize with other students. Many also stated that

their favorite part of the program was the food. They also said that they enjoyed that their

parents got to socialize with other parents and that their parents had to learn too. Only the

children in k-2 stated that they enjoyed their parents reading with them.

Week 8 (February 28, 2017)

An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

On this particular night, the other instructor was not able to come in so many of my

observations for this day were completed after the session. During this night, the parents

seemed to take ownership of their own learning, they helped with the setup and cleanup.

The ESL lesson was a review of what they had learned. The parents even got to take a

quick formative assessment on the schools Chromebook on an app called Quizzez. A few

of the parents stated that they would like it if the school also provided computer classes

for them or gave them more technological tools to help their children with.

Week 9 (March 7, 2017)

This Session was are very last session, we switch the routine drastically on this day. We began by

collecting all books and reviewing what we had learned. The post questionnaire was given and

parents were encouraged to answer the questions truthfully and write down any suggestions they

had for the program. The Bilingual coordinator and the instructors gave small speeches

encouraging the parents to continue being involved in their childrens education. We then

proceeded to speak about the book every parent/couple brought an item to share with the class.

Awards were given at the end. Many parents voiced that they wanted to continue helping their

children and wanted additional sources to help there childen.

Week 10 ( March 27, 2017)

The parents were still in constant communication with the teachers. The students monitored their

grade and took ownership of their work. Parents kept contact with teacher through text messages

and personal visits.

Week 11 (April 3, 2017)

An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

Students Student 3rd Fall Spring Practice 2 were

Assigned Grade Benchmark Benchmark 4/4/17
Number STAAR 1/30/17
Reading (STAAR
Release)
S1 65% 53% 68% 73%
S2 78% 60% 57% 80%
S3 46% 47% 54% 43%
S4 48% 30% 32% 52%
S5 45% 60% 78% 52%
S6 73% 87% 81% 80%
S7 65% 77% 78% 68%
administered a variety assessments to gauge their Reading comprehension level and check for

growth. The majority of the students whose parents participated in the project used the strategies

taught at school and at home. They looked focused during the assessments and took their time

completing work. I interviewed them this week to verify if they were still reading with their

parents. Five of the seven students expressed that they were still working on reading with their

parents. The majority of the students voiced that they wanted the program to continue for longer

periods of time and said that this program made them more confident in reading.

Week 12 ( April 10, 2017)

During this week, I analyzed the post questionnaires, observations and the numerical data

collected and made the following inferences:

Data Collected: District Reading Assessments

An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

*Shaded areas indicate growth from 3rd grade STAAR Reading

The data collected in this table indicated that every student whose parents participated in

The Latino Family Literacy Project showed growth at one point or another after parents initiated

intervention. If the students were to make those scores on the STAAR Reading test, they would

be considered passing and because of the growth demonstrated, the school could even earn 1-2

points for growth.

Data Collected: STAR Reading Progress Report

An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

Student STAAR STAAR

Renaissance Renaissance
Grade Equivalent Grade Equivalent
1/12/17 4/6/17
S1 4.3 5.1
S2 5.1 4.3
S3 3.4 3.7
S4 3.2 2.6
S5 2.3 2.9
S6 5.5 5.7
*Shaded S7 3.1 3.8 areas
signify growth from first assessment given

The majority of students had an increase in comprehension according to the universal

screener, STAR Renaissance. However, the increase was not significantly higher and it can be

concluded that the students made this increase because of academic maturity, classroom

instruction, and not just because their parents were enrolled in this program. Nevertheless,

progress was still made and the parents being a participant in this program could most certainly

be a factor in the reading comprehension and fluency increase.

Data Collected: Report Card Grades

Student Report Card Grade Report Card Grade

for 2nd Nine Weeks for 3rd Nine Weeks

S1 89 80
S2 84 82
S3 82 74
S4 82 74
*Shaded S5 77 71 areas
S6 90 96
signify growth
S7 82 81
from the previous nine week grading period
An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

After analyzing this data, it was clear that the majority of students did not make academic

progress in daily work or classroom assessments. This could be based on many factors and it

doesnt demonstrate that the program wasnt successful.

Implications

Many of my findings suggested that The Latino Family Literacy Project had a direct

impact in both the parents and students lives. The fourth grade students demonstrated growth in

reading from the previous year according to their benchmark assessments. Many of the students

lost their fear/anxiety to seek assistance as well based on the interviews held with the students

teachers and my observations. This could be based on the time spent after school with the teacher

or the familiarization between school staff and students relatives and their peers. Parents also

showed a higher interest in advocating for their children and learning about their academic

performance. I believe that the results in this study suggest that parental involvement programs

such as The Latino Literacy Project are a fundamental key in order for ELLS to make greater

gains. Not only are their parents learning to work with them, the accountability aspect is also

there. The students know that their parents, their teachers, and other school personnel are willing

to go above and beyond to help them be successful. Parents are also less apprehensive to

approach the teacher or other members of the school when they have concerns or questions. With

the growth of ELLs in the United States it is vital that we integrate programs such as the one

discussed in my research in order for all of them to succeed.

An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

Works Cited
Alnais, Iliana and Rodriguez M.A. (2008). Sustaining a Dual Language Immersion
Program: Features of Success. Journal of Latinos and Education, 305-319.
Breiseth, L. (2010, 3 4). Reading Comprehension Strategies for English Language
Learners. Retrieved from ASCD: http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol5/511-
toc.aspx
Martinz, C. (2009). Latino Family Literacy Project: A means to parent empowerment.
Capstone Projects and Theses.
Ovando, C. J. (203). Bilingual education in the united States: Historical development
and current issues. Bilingual research journal , 1-24.
Proctor, C. C. (205). Native Spanish-Speaking Children Reading in English: Toward a
Model of Comprehension. Journal of Educational Phychology, 246-256.
The Latino Family Literacty Project. (2017). Retrieved from LatinoLiteracy.com
Thompson, A. H. (2017). Impact of Incredible Years on teacher perceptions of
parental involvement: A latent transition anaysis. Journal of school
Psychology, 1-40.
An Action Research Project: The Effects of Participating in The Latino Family Literacy Project

Bibliography
Alnais, Iliana and Rodriguez M.A. (2008). Sustaining a Dual Language Immersion
Program: Features of Success. Journal of Latinos and Education, 305-319.
Breiseth, L. (2010, 3 4). Reading Comprehension Strategies for English Language
Learners. Retrieved from ASCD: http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol5/511-
toc.aspx
Martinz, C. (2009). Latino Family Literacy Project: A means to parent empowerment.
Capstone Projects and Theses.
Ovando, C. J. (203). Bilingual education in the united States: Historical development
and current issues. Bilingual research journal , 1-24.
Proctor, C. C. (205). Native Spanish-Speaking Children Reading in English: Toward a
Model of Comprehension. Journal of Educational Phychology, 246-256.
The Latino Family Literacty Project. (2017). Retrieved from LatinoLiteracy.com
Thompson, A. H. (2017). Impact of Incredible Years on teacher perceptions of
parental involvement: A latent transition anaysis. Journal of school
Psychology, 1-40.