KUMPULAN PROPOSAL BAHASA INGGRIS DAN TUTORIAL KOMPUTER: Using Partner Reading to Increase Reading Comprehension Scores

by Jessica Cox

Valdosta State University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether reading comprehension would be improved by implementing partner reading in the classroom. Student attitudes toward reading were also measured. Seventh-grade students (N = 20) in the southeastern United States participated in the study. For the first 4 weeks of the study, the students read short stories and various trade books on their own and the last 4 weeks, partner reading was implemented. The STAR reading test, Accelerated Reader tests, short story comprehension test scores, an attitude survey, and field notes were used to assess student performance and attitude. Results indicated comprehension scores did not increase with partner reading; however, students’ attitudes did improve.

Using Partner Reading to Increase Reading Comprehension Scores

Reading comprehension is a very important skill that all readers should master. Burns (2006) stated, “A large proportion of 11- and 12-year olds entering secondary schools are not functionally literate and they are unable to read sufficiently well to profit from the curriculum”. These students encounter problems throughout school and associate school with failure, frustration, lack of confidence, and related behavior problems. These negative behaviors can turn many students away from reading. However, peer tutoring in reading can improve students’ attitudes in reading and the understanding of the text. Peer tutoring in reading can have a positive impact on all students, tutors, and tutees. One researcher notes that peer tutoring has been found to improve the reading ability of both the tutee and tutor (Nugent, 2001). Improved social behaviors, more positive attitudes to other students, an increase in students’ self-esteem, and an increase in school attendance are ways peer tutoring has had a positive impact on students. Partner reading is a form of peer reading used to increase reading comprehension. Not only does partner reading allow the students time to interact with their peers, it also provides the teacher an opportunity to monitor student’s reading progress by listening to students read with their partners (Meisinger, 2004).

Reading comprehension is more than answering questions at the end of a chapter in a textbook (Onofrey & Theurer, 2007). Skills and strategies that are independently transferable are needed in order for students to become proficient in reading comprehension. Onofrey and Theurer suggest two unique ways for teachers to teach comprehension strategies. For example, “visualized creations” is a strategy used to help students create mental images and associations using background knowledge. A small text with strong visual images should be chosen and displayed on the overhead projector for all of the students to view. The sentences are revealed one at a time and the class discusses the mental images that are being created in each other’s mind. This strategy teaches each student how to visualize text. The second strategy, “In the moment” read-aloud journal partners, is an instructional strategy that allows students to work with others. They are paired with a partner to journal about text being read together. At certain times, under the teacher’s instruction, the students pass their papers back and forth and respond to their peers’ written thoughts. The researchers noted that this practice benefited students greatly because they were able to receive immediate feedback on their ideas about the text (Onofrey & Theurer, 2007). With the practice of these two strategies and peer tutoring in reading, students can become confident in reading together and understanding the text. Katz and Bohman (2007) gave their students a “confirm comprehension” bookmark to remind them to support their partner’s reading. The text on the bookmark reads, “Word or Wait?" Count to 3. Then ask, ‘Do you want me to give you a word, or do you want me to wait?” These bookmarks served as a reminder to each student that their job was to help their partner if he or she was struggling with the passage.

MacGillivray and Hawes (1994) addressed peer reading and offered suggestions on how to obtain positive results. They note that partner reading requires students to rely less on the teacher and more on themselves. Their class participated in a 5-month study with an ethnically diverse student population. Four mornings a week, during a 3-hour reading-writing block, the researcher took field notes, conducted interviews, and gathered weekly drawing and writing samples. From these observations, the researchers developed role sets to assign to students. For example, coworkers, fellow artists, teacher/student, and boss/employee were some of the role sets utilized. The students then began to fill these roles when peer reading. The role sets helped the researchers see patterns during peer reading that offered insights into how each child viewed him/herself and his/her view of the reading process. They found that students enjoyed reading and writing with each other, discussing the books, and role-playing. The social interaction had a positive impact on the researcher’s classroom. Daley (2005) also addressed the fact that mutual book talks instead of individual writing responses help students comprehend text.

Lapp, Fisher, and Grant (2008) describe how reading achievement can increase through think-alouds based on shared readings. Students share what they learned as they read each section of text together and model with a peer how they are making sense of their reading. This benefits both students because they are each listening and offering support when needed. Shared reading allows a higher skilled reader to show a less proficient reader how to grasp unfamiliar vocabulary, new concepts, text features, and text structures. Lapp, Fisher, and Grant (2008) pointed out that when shared reading is implemented, students are learning strategies for comprehending text, which also leads to an increase of motivation to read. While Lapp, Fisher, and Grant paired their students with a higher reader to a lower reader, Daley (2005) realized that pairing should be done after careful consideration of individual reading capabilities. She also noted that not all pairs should read the same text because of the various levels within a single grade. Katz and Bohman (2007) paired their students randomly using like objects. The students reached into the like objects bowl and selected an object. Then they found a student in the classroom with the same object. The two students with like objects became reading partners for that day.

Another study by Fisher, Frey, and Lapp (2008) focused on shared reading. Shared reading is often described as echo reading, choral reading, or cloze reading. Shared reading was observed with 25 teachers in 25 schools in grades 3-8. Each teacher was observed modeling shared reading on three different occasions. As they finished shared reading, the teacher provided the students with a discussion or writing prompt to be completed in groups. The researchers found that not all teachers focused on the four main components (reading comprehension, vocabulary, text structures, and text features) in each of the shared reading lessons. They concluded that teacher modeling through shared reading should be based on a specific, identified purpose. However, the shared reading strategy allowed students time to grasp what was being read.

Peer tutoring in reading has been used as a tool to boost the learning of students. (Burns, 2006). One-to-one attention from a more skilled reader helps the lower level reader by providing support and encouragement. Burns showed how peer tutoring in reading could help students who are reading below grade level. The pause, prompt, and praise (PPP) model of peer tutoring has been identified as successful. Students in the study attended a secondary school for students with moderated learning difficulties. One boy and one girl, both below grade level in reading, were selected as tutees. The tutors, one boy and one girl, had a high reading level. Each pair held 14 tutoring sessions for 15 minutes each. Audio and video recordings were made of the tutoring sessions to record the tutor and tutee’s performance. Burns found that the tutees’ rates of self-correction began to rise. The tutors’ skills and confidence also increased. Burns’ hypothesis was proven to be true. Students receiving extra help with their reading will receive certain benefits. While Burns’ study reports findings from special education students, the researcher’s study focused on regular education students.

A study conducted by Nugent (2001) also shows an increase in reading comprehension scores when using peer tutoring in reading. The study, The Reading Partner’s Scheme, involved cross-age peer tutoring in reading. Participants of the study included moderate learning difficulties ranging in age from 8-18. The first phase of the project was implemented in the summer term of 1998. Students were assigned to the peer reading project as they were nominated by their teacher. Positive results from students and teachers were noted after the tutors and tutees completed a questionnaire. Phase II occurred in 1999. Nugent noted that it was easier to work with students who had volunteered to participate in the project. Nugent found there were multiple benefits to both the learners and the helpers, including progress in reading, enhanced feelings of self-worth, and more positive attitudes in school. Although Nugent reported benefits of peer reading with students ages 8-18, this research focused on 7^th graders ages 12-14.

Ezell and Kohler (1994) completed a study finding positive results with reading comprehension when peer tutoring in reading was used. A total of 14 students with special disabilities from Kindergarten through 5^th grade participated as tutees. Twenty-six typical students participated as the tutors in the peer reading interventions. Teachers nominated both the tutors and the tutees. Peer tutoring took place in four different settings: a self-contained classroom, a regular education classroom, mainstream setting, and a school cafeteria for 4 to 5 days a week for 10-20 minutes. Interventions focused on improving reading accuracy, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. Tutor training was conducted in small groups or individual sessions. The tutors were instructed on various areas such as the following: obtaining the tutoring materials, setting the timer, how to correct reading errors, redirection of the tutee, asking comprehension questions, and providing praise. At the end of each week, student progress was measured. A posttest of the reading material covered and a pretest of the following week’s material was given. Results were positive. In all cases, each student’s posttest scores exceeded their pretest scores. The average scores for all interventions were 42% accuracy for the pretests and 85% accuracy for the posttest. The tutees reported a positive impression of peer tutoring in reading and overall were satisfied with the activity. The tutors also gave a positive review through a questionnaire. They reported enjoying the responsible role in enhancing others’ learning. Like Ezell and Kohler’s study, the researcher also focused on student attitudes toward partner reading.

The school involved in the current study is a middle school located in rural southeast Georgia. This school is a public, Title I middle school. The 2008-2009 school improvement plan focused on the increase of CRCT scores in Math, Language Arts, and Reading.

Based on current CRCT results, students often have a hard time understanding what they read. Whether students are reading short stories, novels, or short passages, it seems that they struggle with reading comprehension. This research focused on how to help students improve reading comprehension and understand what they read. The purpose of this study was to determine whether reading comprehension would be improved by implementing partner reading in the classroom. Goals for this study were for students to improve in academics, to enjoy reading, and to want to excel in reading.

Research Questions

Research question 1. Does partner reading increase reading comprehension scores?

Research question 2. Will partner reading improve student’s attitudes toward reading?

Definition of Variables

Partner reading. Partner reading is reading with a partner and discussing what is being read.

Reading comprehension. Reading comprehension is the ability to understand what is being read as measured by the STAR Reading Test, AR comprehension tests, and teacher generated quizzes.

Attitudes. Attitudes are the thoughts and feelings of the students toward partner reading as measured by a teacher-created survey.

Methods

Participants

The instructor holds a Master’s degree, had 7 years of teaching experience, and was also the researcher. Seventh grade regular education students (N=20) from a middle school grades 6-8 in southeast Georgia participated in this study. Students were assigned to seventh grade classes at the beginning of the school year. Students who enrolled or were withdrawn during the course of the study were not included in the data collected. Convenience sampling was used to select the participants. For this study, the researcher focused on 20 low-achieving readers struggling with reading comprehension. Parents gave permission for their children to be surveyed. Table 1 shows the demographic data for the student participants. The class was almost evenly divided in terms of ethnic makeup and gender.

Table 1

Demographic Data of Participants (N = 20)

Ethnicity			Gender
Black N	White N	Other N	Male N	Female N
10	8	2	7	13

Intervention

The intervention that was implemented was partner reading on short stories from the reading textbook and from various trade short story books. The study took place over an 8 week time period. For the first 4 weeks of the study, the students read short stories and various trade books on individual reading levels on their own at least 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes. For the remainder of the study, 4 weeks, partner reading was implemented replacing independent reading. The researcher paired students according to ability levels. Students who read on or above grade level were paired with students that read below grade level. Ability levels were based on the individual’s performance of the STAR reading test. The researcher modeled partner reading and the discussion of the reading at the beginning of the intervention process daily. The teacher also instructed students on the basic procedures of partner reading, such as knowing how to listen to their partners, making positive remarks to their partners, and discussing effective reading strategies together.

Data Collection Techniques

Several data collection techniques were used to analyze reading comprehension scores and student’s attitudes towards reading. The STAR reading test, Accelerated Reader, AR comprehension tests, and short story comprehension tests were used to compare reading comprehension scores before and after peer reading intervention. The partner reading survey and field notes observation log were both used to measure students’ attitudes toward reading.

STAR Reading Test (Renaissance Learning, 2001). The STAR reading test is a computer-based assessment in which students read a sentence with a missing word and choose the correct word to fill in the blank. This test is used to measure comprehension. The computer software allows the teacher to view each student’s grade-equivalent scores, percentile rank, and normal curve equivalent (NCE) scores. For this study, the STAR test was given at the beginning and end of the study. Those scores were used to compare achievement gains before and after the study.

Accelerated Reader Comprehension Tests (Renaissance Learning, 2001). Accelerated Reader, AR, is a computer-based assessment in which students complete a 5-20 question quiz after reading a story. The computer software allows the teacher to assess students’ reading with four types of quizzes: Reading Practice, Vocabulary Practice, Literacy Skills, and Textbook Quizzes. After the student completes the quiz, a grade is given. Reading comprehension scores are recorded electronically. In this study, AR tests were administered after students read various stories during the 4 weeks of independent reading and during the 4 weeks of intervention.

Short Story Comprehension Tests. The short story comprehension tests consist of a 10 to 20-item teacher-developed comprehension test over various short stories. The reading comprehension tests were administered after students read various short stories. Tests were given after independent reading and after partner reading weekly.

Partner Reading Attitude Survey. The partner reading attitude survey is a 10-item teacher-developed attitude survey (Appendix A) about partner reading. The questions relate to students’ feelings toward the understanding of the reading material as well as students’ attitudes toward partner reading. It was administered to the students at the beginning of the study and after partner reading intervention was implemented. The survey was piloted with five students and revised based on student feedback. The survey was analyzed by determining the means and standard deviations for each question. A t-test analysis was conducted to determine if the intervention made a significant difference in the students’ attitudes toward reading.

Field Notes observation log. The researcher collected field notes during the study as students participated in partner reading five times. The researcher completed the observation log during the partner reading intervention. Each student was identified by his or her last name and a number. The researcher noted the level of participation, student’s attitude toward the intervention, any comments that the student made, and any additional comments that the researcher needed to report (Appendix B). The field notes were analyzed by determining common themes throughout the notes taken by the researcher. A list of codes was used to help the researcher determine identify the themes.

Results

The purpose of this research was to determine whether reading comprehension would be improved by implementing partner reading in the classroom. Results of this study are based on the researcher’s analysis of the data: STAR reading test scores, Accelerated Reader comprehension test scores, short story comprehension test scores, a partner reading attitude survey( Appendix A), and field notes (Appendix B).

To determine the effectiveness of partner reading on reading comprehension scores, the STAR test was administered at the beginning of the 8-week study and at the end of the study. The scores were used to compare achievement gains before and after the study. The scores were reported by the grade equivalency (GE) score. Means and standard deviations on the STAR reading test are given in Table 2. The mean GE score before intervention (M = 6.23) was not significantly different (t(20) = -0.25, p = 0.80) from the mean GE score after intervention (M = 6.30). Grade equivalency scores were slightly higher after implementation of partner reading, but the difference was not significant.

Table 2

Achievement on STAR Reading Test Results

	N	M	SD	t-value	p
GE Scores Before Intervention	21	6.23	0.30	-0.25	0.80
GE Scores After Intervention	21	6.30	0.42

*p<.05; **p<.01

Accelerated Reader (AR) comprehension test scores were used to determine the effectiveness of partner reading on reading comprehension test scores. AR test scores were averaged after independent reading and after the intervention of partner reading. Means and standard deviations on the Accelerated Reader reading comprehension test are given in Table 3. The mean AR score before intervention (M = 84.10) was not significantly different (t(20) = 2.00, p = 0.06) from the mean AR score after intervention (M = 78.52). AR scores were slightly lower after the intervention, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Table 3

Accelerated Reader Comprehension Test Score Results

	N	M	SD	t-value	p
AR scores before intervention	21	84.10	14.19	2.00	0.06
AR scores after intervention	21	78.52	21.36

*p<.05; **p< .01

Short story comprehension test scores were used to determine the effectiveness of partner reading on reading comprehension test scores. Short story comprehension test scores were averaged after independent reading and after the intervention of partner reading. Means and standard deviations on the short story reading comprehension tests are given in Table 4. The mean short story reading comprehension test score before intervention (M = 84.10) was significantly higher (t(39) = 2.12, p = 0.04) than the mean short story reading comprehension test score after intervention (M = 78.85). Student short story comprehension test scores were significantly better without the use of partner reading than scores when that strategy was used.

Table 4

Short Story Reading Comprehension Results

	N	M	SD	t-value	p
Short story scores before intervention	20	84.10	7.22	2.12	*0.04
Short story scores after intervention	21	78.85	8.54

*p<.05; **p< .01

The Partner Reading Attitudes Survey was given to students at the beginning of the study and at the end of the study. The survey was conducted to determine if students’ attitudes improved after partner reading implementation. Nineteen students participated in the survey at the beginning of the study and 20 students participated in the survey at the end of the study. Results of student answers are shown in Table 5. Twenty-one percent of students reported they liked discussing stories with others before the study and 65% of students reported they liked discussing stories with others after the study (Question 3). The survey at the end of the study showed that 55% of students learn more when working with a partner in reading (Question 5). Thirty-two percent of students reported they liked reading before the study compared to 40% of the students after the study (Question 1). Survey results showed there was an increase in students’ positive attitudes in reading.

Table 5

Partner Reading Attitudes Survey Results

Question	% of Answers at Beginning of Study			% of Answers at End of Study
	Yes	No	Sometimes	Yes	No	Sometimes
Q1. I like reading.	32%	16%	52%	40%	20%	40%
Q2. I like reading silently.	58%	32%	10%	35%	25%	40%
Q3. I like discussing stories with others.	21%	37%	42%	65%	10%	25%
Q4. I feel more comfortable asking my partner for help rather than asking my teacher.	37%	26%	37%	20%	35%	45%
Q5. I learn more when working with a partner in reading.	42%	21%	37%	55%	15%	30%

Field notes were collected five times during the study as students participated in partner reading and were analyzed to determine if students’ attitudes improved after partner reading implementation. Analysis of those notes showed that the majority of the time each individual student was on task and reading with a partner. There were very few off task behaviors noted. However, when a partner was off task, the other partner helped get him/her back on task. The researcher observed comments such as “stop playing” and “it is your turn to read.” It was also noted that many students who had trouble reading silently participated in partner reading and were excited about it. The partners helped each other with certain words they did not understand and they participated in discussing the story throughout the lessons. Many students were excited about reading with a partner. One student commented, “I don’t mind reading out loud with a partner.” This particular student is very shy and does not like reading out loud in a whole group setting, but reads very well with a partner.

Discussion

Conclusions

Does partner reading increase reading comprehension scores? The STAR reading test, Accelerated Reader comprehension test scores, and short story comprehension test scores were used to determine if partner reading would help increase reading comprehension scores. There was a slight increase (0.07) of the grade equivalency score on the STAR reading test from the beginning of the study and at the end of the study. Accelerated Reader scores were no higher after partner reading than before implementation, in fact, they decreased 5.58 points. The short story reading comprehension test results before intervention proved to be higher than after intervention by 5.25 points. The study results show that partner reading did not make a difference on student’s reading comprehension scores. Nugent (2001) noted that peer tutoring has been found to improve the reading ability of both the tutee and tutor but comprehension scores over the short period of the intervention did not show a significant gain compared to reading without partners.

Will partner reading improve student’s attitudes toward reading? The results of the Partner Reading Attitudes Survey (Appendix A) indicated that students’ attitudes improved after partner reading implementation. There was an increase of 8% when the students stated they like reading. Noteworthy are the findings that 65% of the students liked discussing stories with others. Field notes (Appendix B) were collected to determine if students’ attitudes improved after partner reading implementation. Analysis of field notes showed the majority of the time each individual student was on task and reading with a partner. It was noted that many students were excited about reading with a partner. It was also noted that many students who were usually shy requested partner reading. The findings supported the research by Nugent (2001) and Meisinger (2004) that students enjoy partner reading as it improves students’ attitudes toward reading and had a positive impact on them socially and academically.

Significance/Impact on Student Learning

Reading comprehension is an important skill for all students to master. However, many at-risk and lower achieving students encounter problems throughout school and associate school with failure, frustration, lack of confidence, and related behavior problems. These negative behaviors can turn many students away from reading, which can cause them to fail at reading comprehension. This research focused on how to help students improve reading comprehension scores, to enjoy reading, and to want to excel in reading. This study provided evidence (STAR reading test scores, Accelerated Reader test scores, and short story reading comprehension test scores) that partner reading during this 8-week study did not result in higher reading comprehension scores. Overall, there was a slight decrease on the average scores. However, this study provided evidence that partner reading does improve students’ attitudes towards reading. Sixty-five percent of the students reported that they liked discussing the stories with others and 55% reported that they learned more when working with a partner in reading.

Factors that Influenced Implementation

The lack of time was a critical factor in this study. If partner reading intervention had been sustained for a longer period of time than 4 weeks, the results may have been different. Reading short stories and partner reading could have been implemented for a longer period.

Implications and Limitations

Based on the results of this study, the researcher intends to use partner reading in instruction in the future to improve students’ attitudes in reading as well as reading comprehension scores. The researcher believes that with more time, test scores after partner reading could show a positive impact on reading comprehension scores. The findings of the study will be shared with other reading teachers in the same school setting. Social Studies and Science teachers may be interested in the results as well, as many of their lessons revolve around reading comprehension. One limitation of the study could have been the short length (8 weeks) of the project and intervention only lasting 4 weeks. The researcher is confident that the successes of this study could be repeated by allowing more time for partner reading in the classroom.

References

Burns, E. (2006). Pause, prompt and praise–peer tutored reading for pupils with learning difficulties. British Journal of Special Education, 55(2), 62-67. Retrieved May 29, 2008 from EBSCO database.

Daley, A. (2005). Partner reading: A way to help all readers grow, grades 1-3. Retrieved September 1, 2008 from http://www.lib.msu.edu/corby/reviews/posted/

daley2.htm.

Ezell, H. K. & Kohler, F. W., (1994). A program description and evaluation of academic peer tutoring for reading skills of children with special needs. Education & Treatment of Children 07488491, 17(1). Retrieved May 29, 2008 from EBSCO database.

Fisher, D., Frey, N., & Lapp, D. (2008). Shared readings: modeling comprehension, vocabulary, text structures, and text features for older readers. The Reading Teacher, 61(7), 548-556. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from EBSCO database.

Katz, C. A., & Bohman, S. (2007). Partner reading: Building confidence, releasing responsibility. Book Links, July 38-40. Retrieved September 4, 2008 from www.ala.org/ala/booklinksbucket/partnerreading.pdf.

Lapp, D., Fisher, D., & Grant, M., (2008). “You can read this text-I’ll show you how”: Interactive comprehension instruction. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 51(5), 372-383. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from EBSCO database.

MacGillivray, L. & Hawes, S., (1994). “I don’t know what I’m doing – they all start with B”: First graders negotiate peer reading interactions. The Reading Teacher, 48(3), 210-217. Retrieved May 29, 2008 from EBSCO database.

Meisinger, E. B. (2004). Interaction quality during partner reading. Journal of Literacy Research. Summer 2004, 1-18. Retrieved June 8, 2008 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/

mi_qa3785/is_200407/ai_n9419923/print?tag=artBody;col1.

Nugent, M. (2001). Raising reading standards – the reading partners approach: Cross-age peer tutoring in a special school. British Journal of Special Education, 28(2), 71-79. Retrieved May 29, 2008 from EBSCO database.

Onofrey, K. A. & Theurer, J. L. (2007). What’s a teacher to do: Suggestions for comprehension strategy instruction. The Reading Teacher, 60(7), 681-684. Retrieved May 22, 2008 from EBSCO database.

Appendix A

Partner Reading Survey

The purpose of this survey is to find out how you feel about partner reading. In order to protect your privacy, PLEASE DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME ON THIS PAPER.

DIRECTIONS: Read each statement. If you agree with the statement, circle the letter A. If you disagree with the statement, circle the letter B. If you are not sure, or if you sometimes agree or sometimes disagree with the statement, circle the letter C. This survey will not affect your grade. Please be honest in your responses.

1. I like reading.	A. Yes	B. No	C. Sometimes
2. I do not like reading.	A. Yes	B. No	C. Sometimes
3. Reading can be fun and enjoyable.	A. Yes	B. No	C. Sometimes
4. I like reading silently.	A. Yes	B. No	C. Sometimes
5. I like discussing stories with others.	A. Yes	B. No	C. Sometimes
6. I learn less when working with a partner in reading.	A. Yes	B. No	C. Sometimes
7. I dislike reading with a partner.	A. Yes	B. No	C. Sometimes
8. I feel more comfortable asking my partner for help rather than asking my teacher.	A. Yes	B. No	C. Sometimes
9. I learn more when working with a partner in reading.	A. Yes	B. No	C. Sometimes
10. I would rather work in-groups when reading short stories.	A. Yes	B. No	C. Sometimes