Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Education (MAE)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Elizabeth Ankeny

Second Advisor

Jennifer Niedzielski

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to discover how focused instruction on fluency and close reading influence student comprehension. The study used qualitative methods to observe eight eighth grade students as they developed fluency through repeated readings and learned close reading strategies in order to evaluate what impact these skills had on their comprehension. Direct participant observation, passive observation, and teacher field notes were utilized in data collection. The frndings suggest that, despite the use of close reading strategies, students need the building of background knowledge prior to reading a complex text, as well as explicit instruction in vocabulary considered essential for text comprehension. The findings also revealed that students found the repeated reading of text to be beneficial, reporting that it improved both their fluency and their comprehension. Finally, the findings showed that students identified that generating questions trom the text white reading was significant in helping them compreheud complex text. In addition, they reported that class discussions of the questions made them generate more questions, see the story from their peers' perspectives, and think more deeply about the text,

Identifier

SC 11.MAE.2015.Lee.VA

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