THE EFFECT OF SKILL-FOCUSED MINILESSONS ON STUDENTS’ INDEPENDENT USE OF READING SKILLS DURING LITERATURE CIRCLES by Gail Kennedy A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The College of Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida August 2010 ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the help of so many people in so many ways. It is a pleasure to acknowledge those colleagues and friends who have contributed. First and foremost I want to thank Dr. Gail Burnaford, my doctoral advisor, who has been the most influential person in my growth throughout this long journey. Dr. Burnaford has been there to help guide me through the challenges of this process and has expected nothing but the best. For this I am always grateful. I wish to express my appreciation to my committee members, Dr. Susanne Lapp, Dr. John D. Morris, and Dr. Meredith Mountford whose guidance over the years has been invaluable. Acknowledgements are in order to my principal, Gary Hagermann, and my colleagues who have supported me in many ways throughout this journey. A special thanks is extended to Carolyn Healy for your attention to details. I would like to thank my fifth grade class of 2009, for without your eagerness for learning, this study would not have been possible. I would also like to thank Dr. Janet Towell, Dr. Philomena Marinaccio, Angie Jacques, and Sue Hannan for volunteering to be part of the expert panel. Finally, I would like express my thanks to my family for always believing in me and never letting me give up. A very special thanks to the one person I owe everything I am today, my mother, Lisa Kennedy. Her unwavering faith and confidence in my abilities iii and in me is what has shaped me to be the person I am today. To my husband Michael, who has every day for years been patient and supported me and allowed me the time I have needed to make this dream come true. iv ABSTRACT Author: Gail Sigelakis Title: The Effect of Skill-Focused Minilessons on Students’ Independent Use of Reading Skills During Literature Circle Discussions Institution: Florida Atlantic University Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Gail Burnaford Degree: Doctor of Education Year: 2010 Increased accountability in contemporary public elementary schools requires that teachers provide evidence they are using research-based strategies that reinforce skills assessed on standardized tests. There is a need to provide empirical evidence that literature circles can reinforce skills assessed on these tests. A literature circle is a research-based strategy that is common in language arts classrooms. This study investigates the connection between these skills and student discussion that takes place during literature circles. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of skill-focused minilessons on students’ independent use of reading skills. The study investigated whether application of skill-focused minilessons prior to literature circles would have an effect on students’ independent use of reading skills within student discussions during literature circles. Sixteen students participated in the study. The study also investigated the impact v that minilessons prior to literature circles had on students’ scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) in reading. Students were randomly assigned to the researcher’s fifth grade class in the 2008/2009 school year. All students read the same material and received the same treatment. During the course of the study, students first took the FCAT diagnostic in reading and then engaged in five literature circle meetings, each preceded by a minilesson. Students then engaged in five literature circles with a different book and without skill-focused minilessons, followed by the administration of the reading FCAT. The data, which included content analyses of transcriptions of students’ discussion and the collection of FCAT scores, yielded several findings. The two skills most commonly used by students in independent literature circles were analyzing character and discussing plot. The two least commonly used skills were describing conflict and using context clues. Each skill was identified within student discussion. The way in which students transferred the use of these skills to literature circles not preceded by skill- focused minilessons varied. Multiple modes of transfer were identified for each skill. A dependent t-test for the FCAT scores did not indicate a statistically significant increase in the use of the five skills identified for this study when minilessons preceded literature circles. vi DEDICATION To Layna: When mommy began this journey, I was not aware that by the end you would have entered my life. Thank you for giving so unselfishly of your time with me so that I might complete a dream. Let this inspire you to go for what you want in life and never give up. iv THE EFFECT OF SKILL-FOCUSED MINILESSONS ON STUDENTS’ INDEPENDENT USE OF READING SKILLS DURING LITERATURE CIRCLES LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................... xiii Chapter I ..............................................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ..............................................................................................3 Standardized Assessments and Reading Skills..............................................................3 Literature Circles and Reading Skills............................................................................4 Purpose of the Study .....................................................................................................5 Significance of the Study...............................................................................................6 Research Questions........................................................................................................7 Definition of Terms .......................................................................................................7 Limitations and Delimitations .....................................................................................11 Organization of the Study............................................................................................11 Chapter II...........................................................................................................................13 Review of Related Literature.......................................................................................13 History of Literature-Based Instruction.......................................................................14 History and Theoretical Background of Literature Circles .........................................16 Cooperative Learning ..................................................................................................20 Student-Led Discussion and Analysis .........................................................................22 Role of the Teacher…………..……………………………………………………...…...…23 Reading Instruction……………………………………..………………………….……….26 viii Reading Skills .............................................................................................................28 Discourse Analysis ......................................................................................................30 The Teacher as a Researcher .......................................................................................32 Summary......................................................................................................................36 Chapter III..........................................................................................................................36 Research Study Questions and Design ........................................................................36 Methodology................................................................................................................37 Pilot Study ...................................................................................................................37 Design of Pilot Study.............................................................................................37 Pilot Study Procedures...........................................................................................38 Data Collection......................................................................................................39 Data Analysis.........................................................................................................39 Stanzas as Units of Analysis..................................................................................41 Process of Discourse Analysis...............................................................................44 Research Study ............................................................................................................46 Design and Methods ..............................................................................................46 Participants ............................................................................................................47 Sample Descriptive Statistics ................................................................................47 Expert Panel...........................................................................................................48 Procedures .............................................................................................................48