Do Interactive WhiteboardsImprove the Motivation andAttitudes of ReluctantReaders?

An action research project by Katy Fitzgerald2008

Abstract

The aim of this action research project was to investigate whether guided reading sessions could beenhanced through the use of an interactive whiteboard. Students were initially surveyed on their enjoyment of reading and their perception of their reading ability after a term of standard guidedreading sessions (using paper copies of the text for the day), and again at the end of term three after a term of guided reading sessions using the text scanned onto the interactive whiteboard instead.Overall, through teacher observation of guided reading sessions and analysis of the students’surveys, the research suggests that interactive whiteboards do work towards improving themotivation of students and their perceptions of their reading abilities. This is also supported bycurrent research into the use of interactive whiteboards in classrooms, discussed in the literaturereview below.

Introduction

On returning to my position as a year seven teacher after nine months’ maternity leave, I wasamazed at the major technological changes in the school in the short time I had been away. Slippingback into the ‘same old’ classroom routine was no longer an option! The main technological changethat I noticed in my classroom was the introduction of an interactive whiteboard. The need to discover how to use it effectively (rather than as a glorified projector screen) and the school-wide focus oneffective group guided reading sessions led me to develop my action research idea: can interactivewhiteboards improve the motivation and achievement of readers who are struggling?The reluctant readers I have observed in my six years of teaching have often been unmotivated andreluctant to participate, so I decided to see if the use of the interactive whiteboard during guidedreading sessions could improve the motivation and participation of the students in my lowest readinggroup. This reading group was based around students who achieved a result of stanine four or less inthe

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reading test completed at school in February.Normally this group would work through a guided reading lesson with me using a paper copy of awritten text. Their lesson would appear to be no different than that of a group achieving higher thanthem in reading, except the text and instruction would obviously be at an appropriate level for them.My action research involved having the guided reading text scanned onto the interactive whiteboardand read from there. I highlighted difficult words and teaching points within the text that I was going todiscuss. I also used the ‘reveal tool’ so that the students were only focusing on certain parts of thetext at a time, rather than being swamped with the whole page.

Literature Review

Glover & Wood (2001) describe interactive whiteboards as improving the motivation and involvementof children, as well as improving their behaviour during learning sessions. This is said to be due tothe fact that they allow more student interaction which, in turn, increases students’ self esteem whenthey are able to add their own contributions to what is on the board (www.becta.org.uk/research).This research also states that interactive whiteboards cater more effectively for a range of learningneeds and styles, allowing students to process more difficult material than in more traditionalteaching styles.In terms of reading sessions specifically, research supporting the use of interactive whiteboardssuggests that they significantly improve the effectiveness of teacher modelling and guiding duringlessons. Guided reading lessons are improved via the text and graphic organisers being able to beprojected to the whole group and analysed together (Tom Snyder Productions, 2006).Cogill (2002) cautiously suggests that interactive whiteboards won’t always change teaching a lot, butwill provide more “flexibility”, as long as teachers are prepared to accept and learn to use thetechnology. This flexibility, I believe, goes for students as well as teachers in terms of teaching stylesand learning styles. This research does not provide a case for or against the use of interactivewhiteboards in particular, rather it discusses the different uses of interactive whiteboards in a range of primary school classrooms.Passey et al (2003) reviewed the use of ICT in primary and secondary school classrooms, in terms of how it affected the motivation and achievement of pupils. It was found through talking to bothteachers and pupils that the use of ICT, particularly interactive whiteboards, had a positive effect onpupils’ engagement, research skills, writing and editing, and presentation of their work. Morespecifically, students were able to hear and see material better and move things around, whichresulted in more successful learning.Overall, the research reviewed above concludes that both students and teachers appear to havereceived interactive whiteboards positively, and there is evidence to suggest that student motivationcould be positively influenced by the use of interactive whiteboards. Obviously this will only workwhen teachers are prepared to accept and use the whiteboards to the best of their ability and extendthemselves where necessary to incorporate them effectively into their classroom teaching. Theacceptance of whiteboards by the students would obviously be a key also.