Scott Rocha

EDCI 253A-50 Pella/Calvo

Data Analysis Memo Round 3

Research Question

The focus on my research action project was to examine the following question:
“What happens when students engage with interactive reading strategies in a digitally-
embedded platform?”
I was specifically looking to gain insight into two areas:
 “How, if at all, does student use of these interactive, digitally embedded text platforms
affect their comprehension?”
 “How, if at all, does student use of these interactive, digitally embedded text platforms
affect their reading attitudes?”

Innovation/Intervention

The third and last round of data collection is intended to close out our 10th grade ELA class’
unit on Reading Comprehension and Theme Analysis in Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango
Street. Round 1 began with a Pre-Innovation Reading Survey and a quiz on the reading of the
Digitally Interactive Text (DIT) of the vignette “Marin.” Round 2 was made up of reading and
comprehension quizzes on two vignettes, “No Speak English”, and “Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut
& Papaya Juice on Tuesdays,” the first from a hard copy and the second using a DIT version,
respectively. This round was using a DIT (link provided) only, of the last vignette, “Mango Says
Goodbye Sometimes,” but we did read the penultimate vignette, “A House of My Own,” together as
a class as a last-reminder, preparatory step. We’d reviewed the concepts of “general” and “specific”
and applied them again to taking the circumstances of the vignettes and expanding them to the
larger social themes we’d been practicing with. So this last round was intended to be a culminative
conclusion to both the students’ learning unit as well as the action research plan’s innovation. The
hope was that with this amount of repetition and scaffolding, round 3 would give a a final, as
authentic a measure of the efficacy of the innovation as possible within the timeframe allotted.
 So right before students were to use the final DIT, we read the short penultimate vignette
and had an informal discussion over Zoom, asking and reminding them of the previous work we’d
done and applying it as a last practice to this one:

“’A House of My Own’

Not a flat. Not an apartment in back. Not a man’s house. Not a daddy’s. A
house all my own. With my porch and my pillow, my pretty purple petunias. My
books and my stories. My two shoes waiting beside the bed. Nobody to shake a stick
at. Nobody’s garbage to pick up after.
Only a house quiet as snow, a space for myself to go, clean as paper before
the poem.”

“So this vignette isn’t as explicitly focused on some of the “social categories” that we’ve used to
read Cisneros’ social commentary as the others, but what social category or categories does it seem
to be about?” I asked the class. Various responses came in, with students naming “economic class,”
“age,” and “gender” aloud or on the Zoom chat. I affirmed their ideas and then asked, “Okay, what
does it seem to be showing about those things?” Responses were varied and less, but I was
encouraged because several appeared to be applying the concepts in a large group (online) setting.
So I gave my interpretation as a sample theme analysis and then directed them to repeat that process
with the last DIT.
This last DIT was to be their summative assessment of sorts, so I purposely omitted the
accompanying comments and questions with which I had populated the previous DITs. The DITs
were intended to facilitate for readers the reading strategies of questioning, inferencing, visualizing,
connecting, evaluating, etc. So this time the only links I used were not videos or guided questions or
background information or other things intended to approximate what readers do as they read. They
were mostly videos of interviews with the author and links back to other vignettes and a page of
LitCharts (SparkNotes) analysis. These were intended this time to give the readers opportunity to
develop thematic interpretations of their own. As the last vignette of the novel, it is poised to
express a final thematic understanding, just as I was hoping students would too. The instructions to
this final vignette and final DIT were as follows:
 *IN READING:
 Remember the tools of “Translate Document” and “Google Vox” and
“Dictionary” (to understand unfamiliar words). Use them if you think it will help
as you read the text below the first time.
 Once you’ve read it once, RECALL WHEN WE REVIEWED AND
REFLECTED ON OUR PERFORMANCES ON THE PREVIOUS
DIGITALLY INTERACTIVE TEXTS AND QUIZZES we completed. ASK
YOURSELF THE TYPES OF QUESTIONS THAT OUR PREVIOUS
DIGITALLY INTERACTIVE TEXTS POSED. Then TRY TO COME UP
WITH ANSWERS to those types of questions (questions on understanding the
text, on social commentary, and on theme).
 After considering these things, go back and read this text again. This second time,
click on the underlined blue links and view them to GAIN A DEEPER
UNDERSTANDING BY SEARCHING THE TEXT, YOUR OWN IDEAS,
AND those SUPPORTING INTERNET SOURCES. 
 This is IMPROVING YOUR READING BY IMPROVING YOUR PROCESS OF
THINKING AND SEARCHING FOR MEANING. 
 Once the above is done, Submit this assignment and immediately take the "Mango
Says Goodbye..." Reading Quiz on our Classwork page.

So I gave students 45 minutes to read the vignette, peruse the links, and take the online reading
quiz. This time I held off on giving the Post-Reading Questionnaire (PRQ) until our next session
because I wanted to give them as much time as they wanted to watch some of the videos, look over
the interpretative links, and devote a good amount of time to their written quiz items.
The reading analysis quiz followed the same format as the previous three. It was an 18 point
quiz that measured in equal parts their literal, interpretative, and evaluative levels of reading
comprehension. The follow-up PRQ (link provided) was also very similar to the first two though
this time there were less questions and they were more culminating in nature. Many of the questions
referenced not only their performance with this DIT, but also those on previous DITs, and even
asked them to extrapolate all of those experiences to their possible influence on their future reading.
This was intended to elicit a further level of metacognitive reflection so as to address the second of
my research sub-questions; how the DIT might influence reading attitudes.

Data Collected

There were 33 students who attended the lesson. Most of them were on Zoom, but we
recently moved into a hybrid attendance model, so 5 of those 33 were in-person, though they
experienced it as a Zoom lesson also (I had not received my 2nd Covid vaccination injection so a
substitute teacher was there as I presented the lesson from home). Of that total number in
attendance, only 18 students submitted the 14-item reading quizzes. 15 students turned in an 8-
item PRQ at our next class session, out of 28 students in attendance. 3 of those 15 PRQs were
only partially completed. I repeated our class policy to have cameras on during the quiz, as a nod
toward assessment authenticity, but that stipulation was not enforced for fear of losing
participants.

Data Analysis –Qualitative Data

I used the same mixed-method evaluation that I employed in the first two rounds. The
quantitative data of the reading quizzes was done in conjunction with open coding of the PRQ. I
again used a simple positive/negative reaction coding system. As this was the final round of data
collection and analysis, the PRQ this time would get more attention because of its more
culminative reflection questions. After round 2, I wanted to make the PRQ items shorter and
simpler so students wouldn’t be prone to neglect them. But I realized that if I were to get the
depth of insight I was hoping for, the questions had to be somewhat involved. For instance, the
first question was, “We’ve now had three readings in a digitally interactive form. Has interacting
with these vignettes in this way changed your opinion? Do you still prefer a hard copy or these
digital versions? Explain why.” The other questions asked them about the specific features of
this last DIT and how they compared with previous DITs. But ultimately each question was
tweaked to make their scope more overarching. The hope was that students would consider this
last round in conjunction with those previous, and extend all of them into their future reading
practices. For example, the last question was, “What else can you share about your use of these
digitally interactive readings? They were intended to help both students and teachers learn how
to improve on their reading lessons. Do you think they did that? Why or why not?”
In this last round I also made it a point to take a few observational notes, primarily by
jotting down students’ replies on the opening discussion and logging what I saw on Zoom
screens. But these pieces of information were not remarkable nor telling. As before,
approximately 20 students had their cameras on and appeared engaged, about 10 students had
their cameras off, and only 4-5 students made any sort of reply to the preparatory pre-assessment
verbal discussion.

Data Analysis –Quantitative Data

The qualitative data was gathered in much the same manner as the previous two rounds: a
quiz (link provided) of 18 points, broken into three 6-point sections. This structure was the same
as the previous two rounds for purposes of familiarity for students, but more so for me to gauge
students’ levels of reading comprehension. The first level of questions are multiple choice at a
literal level of recall. They are questions like, “At the end of the vignette, who asks, ‘What
happened to that Esperanza? Where did she go with all those books and paper? Why did she
march so far away?’” or “The narrator says, ‘One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too
_____ for her to keep me here forever.’"
The second level of questions (also 6 multiple choice items) are at an inferential level.
They require a higher level of reading comprehension where students process the relationships
between the text and sometimes unstated, experiential knowledge. Examples of these types of
questions from the quiz are: “Esperanza is most like...” or “Why is the last sentence in the
following passage repeated? ‘I tell them inside my head. I tell them after the mailman says,
Here's your mail. Here's your mail he said.’" Like the literal level multiple choice questions,
these had five options to choose from.
The last level of reading comprehension questions that were asked were on the evaluative
level. There were two of these questions asked on the quiz, both were short answer essay. The
first one was:
We have analyzed this novel using "social categories." What social category (or social
categories) is the author focusing on in this vignette when her protagonist keeps
mentioning "the house I belong to but do not belong to"? And what social commentary is
the vignette and the novel making about that social category? INTERPRET THE
VIGNETTE--DON'T "RETELL" IT. (2-3 sentences) (2 points)
This was scored with a simple rubric: 1 point for correctly identifying the social category(-ies)
(of which a variety would be correct: i.e. class, gender, ethnicity, age) and 1 point for correctly
stating what the vignette thematically dramatizes about said social category(-ies).
The second evaluative reading comprehension question was:
 “They will not know I have gone away to come back. For the ones I left behind. For the
ones who cannot out." This is the last paragraph of the novel. What does the author mean
in that passage? Who are "the ones"? What does it mean to "go away" and what does she
mean "to come back"? Why can the "ones" not get "out"? USE EVIDENCE FROM THE
VIGNETTE to answer this question. (4-6 sentences) (4 points)
This was scored with a point for answering each of the stated questions. 1 point was earned for
identifying “the ones” as people like her; marginalized people of color, of low income, and/or
female. 1 point was given for recognizing that “go away” means to leave the neighborhood in
some way to seek a more powerful identity, whether that means academically, psychologically,
monetarily, etc. Another point was given if students expressed that “to come back” means to
return and reach out in order to give back to the challenged community, again, either to empower
them through educational, emotional, or financial means. And the last point would be awarded
for stating that these people cannot get “out” because of the circumstances of poverty, social
traditions, and lack of education keep them trapped in poor homes from which they don’t know
how to improve their lives.
Both of these short essay questions were designed as culminating assessments of
students’ understanding not only of the vignette and the novel as a whole, but also of their final
proficiency in the unit we were completing on theme analysis. And though there were only two
items at this level, they were allotted 2 and 4 points respectively, to make the total 6 points like
the other reading levels. The point values for these two questions were decided upon based on
the level of abstraction and rigor required compared to other questions on the quiz. But by
having all three levels of equal value in total, it was my hope that I could measure the depth of
students reading comprehension proficiencies by comparing their scores on each level. All three
levels are equally important to understanding thorough and proper student reading proficiency.

Findings

As with the first two quizzes, students demonstrated good comprehension at the literal
level and then scores declined through the more challenging inferential and evaluative levels
(70%, 65%, and 46%, respectively, as shown in here linked data spreadsheet). This quantitative
data further reinforces previous conclusions that as the level of abstraction involved in the
reading comprehension increases, the level of student success decreases. The class averages of
the overall reading comprehension scores remained primarily the same through all three rounds
of data collection at approximately 60% success (see Table 1 below). So while that metric might
be a bit discouraging, it was good to see that student scores on the higher level reading items
seemed to increase through the action research project. There could be a few conclusions to draw
from that. The obvious one is that students became more adept at the close reading this unit was
intended to render. They became more and more familiar and comfortable coming to the higher
level understanding that thematic analysis requires. Another factor might have been my explicit
directing of their attention to the importance of those items on the quiz, both in terms of the
greater number of points the evaluative items could earn as well as my reiteration of them as the
culmination of our unit. The make up of this last vignette that they were being quizzed on likely
also had something to do with it. There was little literal content in terms of plot and evidentiary
material to draw from so the focus of the vignette (and the DIT I constructed of it) was more
devoted to the inferential and evaluative aspects. The features of the DIT were also much more
focused on the higher level interpretative aspects, as I was trying to get them to look at the theme
of the entire novel and how it was finding expression in this last vignette.
TABLE 1: QUIZ Overall Literal Reading Inferential Evaluative
COMPARISONS Reading Comprehension Reading Reading
Comprehension Comprehensio Comprehension
n
1st Round DIT 59% 72% 58% 40%
nd
2 Round Hard 60% 72% 63% 39%
Copy
2nd Round DIT 59% 72% 56% 41%
3rd Round DIT 60% 70% 65% 46%
Qualitatively I noticed that, as we get toward the end of the year, the distinction between
students who are doing well in the class and those who are not has grown significantly. As the
amount of students who actually turn in these artifacts is growing less and less, the difference in
performance between those who appear to be putting in little effort and those that evince genuine
academic ambition has grown to a sizable gulf. This last quiz seemed especially to point in that
direction. There were many scores of 100%, 88%, 83%, 77% and 72%. But the scores from
students who have not performed well over the course of the project and the school year
displayed such low scores of 16%, 27%, 44%, that it may have indicated that the target learning
was actually occurring if students were indeed giving their attention to the learning tasks. Almost
 all of the students who scored very low did not turn in a PRQ and there were not a lot of scores
in the middle range at all. This, in addition to the fact that the majority of the low-scoring quizzes
scored poorly on the literal level questions just as they did on the more challenging items, leads
to the idea that some of those students may have paid little attention to any aspect of the DIT,
bringing down the class averages. But as the higher level evaluative items saw an increase in
overall quality (the more flippant attempts notwithstanding), a presentation of a sampling of
them seems merited (see Table 2 below).
TABLE 2: Quiz Score Sample Student Responses
Responses on (out of
Evaluative 2
Thematic Items points)
(ITEM 1)
We have analyzed 0 m
this novel using 0 "I am going to tell you a story about a girl who didnt want to belong"
"social categories." and the
What social category 0 social catagory of people thats what the author is focusing on.
(or social categories) 1 age, gender, i think
is the author 1 the vignette is about gender and i think that.because it talk about a girl
focusing on in this that draw and when she draws she hears voice
vignette when her 1 economy, because she wants to get out of the sad red house and find
protagonist keeps better things for herself. but she will come back for those she left
mentioning "the behind, friends neighbors. by " the house I belong to but do not belong
house I belong to but to" she means the house is apart of her but it does not have her fully
do not belong to"? grasped, like the house is not hers but it is a big part of her.
And what social 2 I think it has something to do with gender because esperanza is a girl
commentary is the stuck at home wanting to leave. The reason why think this is because
vignette and the females are sometimes forcced to do things they dont want to do.
novel making about 2 The author is focusing on age as the social category. The social
that social category? commentary the vignette is making on the social category is that
INTERPRET THE people grow up and change and that it makes it had for them to stop
VIGNETTE-- believing in things they once thought were true.
DON'T "RETELL" 2 This vignette is about economic class. It is also about age and gender.
IT. (2-3 sentences) They all play a different roll because Esperanza doesnt live in a nice
(2 points) houseld or in a nice neighboorhood she wants to succed in life she
doesnt want to stay and play the female house wife role.
(ITEM 2) (4 Sample Student Responses
points)
"They will not know 0 Im not sure
I have gone away to 0 that they left to come back for the ones that got left behind.
come back. For the 1 im not sure what she means but it probably has to do with the "ghost"
ones I left behind. and she probably wants to help those who are still there
For the ones who 1 What the author meant in that passage was they will come back later
cannot out." This is on in life. "The ones" are themselves. What "go away" means is that
the last paragraph of they'll go away for a long time before they come back. What she mean
the novel. What does by "to come back" is to revisit where they used to belong.
the author mean in 2 by the ones she means like her brothers or sisters. by going away she
that passage? Who means she wants to move out of this house and go as far as she can
are "the ones"? What and get a house of her own. she wants to be somewhere away from
does it mean to "go everyone.. what she means by to come back is she one day wants to
away" and what come back to mango street when all her stress is over, when she
does she mean "to doesnt care about anything and when the people that used to be there
come back"? Why arent there anymore.
can the "ones" not 2 It means that when she leaves from that house all of her friends and
get "out"? USE neighbors will not know where she will go and that she will not come
EVIDENCE FROM back to that house and "For the ones I left behind" means that for her
THE VIGNETTE to family and friends that she will leave in that house when she finally
answer this question. goes and "For the ones who cannot out" she istrying to say for the
(4-6 sentences) (4 ones that want to leave but can't will keep on living the same.
points) 3 The ones are her family/neighborhood/friends. Its means that she has
to go out in order to come back and to be able to help them out. She
wants to come back to help out the communty. She wants to help out
those who cant do it on their own.
3 The ones are her family/neighborhood/friends. Its means that she has
to go out in order to come back and to be able to help them out. She
wants to come back to help out the communty. She wants to help out
those who cant do it on their own.
4 She means that when she has made her life she will come back and
help her brothers and sister out of that household.She will support
them into moving someplace else and having a better life.Esperanza
will go away and achieve her dreams and finish school.And coming
back to mango street will prove to herself that she manage to make it
out of their.

Analysis of the qualitative data provided in the PRQ was like some of the data on the
quizzes. There were some really useful, genuine, and insightful responses, and then there were
those that appeared to be done cursorily or erroneously (3 students strangely filled out a PRQ
without doing the quiz and 3 only answered the PRQ partially). So it was a matter of paring
through them to find the data that seemed sincere or legitimate. That process was pleasantly
fruitful because those responses expressed not only a lot more positive feedback, but also
evidenced a real understanding of the innovation that was lacking in previous PRQs. As part of
the final presentation of my action research project, I would like to present students’ replies on
the Pre-Reading Survey, all their quiz scores, and all their PRQ’s. I think it would be really
useful to see how or if their performances changed or improved along with their opinions.
 Briefly noting it here, it was clear to see that there was a definite increase in preference of the
digital versions as well as a growth in a receptiveness of the use of its features.
TABLE 3: Post Reading + Sample Sample -
Questionnaire Posi- POSITIVE NEGATIVE Neg-
tive Student Student ative
reply Responses Responses reply
of this ←% of this %→
1. We’ve now had three 73% “I prefer the digital copy because it helps me “It doesn't 13%
readings in a digitally + understand certain things that I feel like I matter if its a -
interactive form. Has → wouldnt understand in a hard copy.” hard copy or ←
interacting with these online it
vignettes in this way “Interacting with the vignettes has changed my doesn't affect
changed your opinion? Do opinion on the digital versions because with my reading.
you still prefer a hard copy the vignettes it explains more clearly what the And no it
or these digital versions? point of every chapter is trying to say.” hasn't changed
Explain why. my opinion.”
2. Have you used the tools 13% EL Student: “Yes, because that way I can EL Student: 80%
of “Translate Document” + understand the readings and the questions” “No, because I -
or “Google Vox”? If you → didn’t have any ←
have, do you think they “I have used Google Vox and they have helped doubts on the
have helped your reading my reading comprehension by making the doc.”
comprehension? How? Do reading more understandable. I learned how to
you think you’ve learned use Google Vox and it will with my reading “No havent
how to use them so they by being more engaged.” used them
can help you on readings in because i dont
the future? Explain. need them.”
3. Have you used the tool 73% EL Student: “Yes, because that way I can see EL Student: 20%
of “Dictionary” to identify + what it means that I don't understand” “No, I did -
unfamiliar words? How has → understand the ←
it helped your “Yes, I’ve used the tool “Dictionary” to words in the
understanding and do you identify unfamiliar words. It helped me a little Document.”
think you will use it or better at understanding the words that I don’t
other online dictionaries to understand.” “No, because
help you in the future? all the words
“I think I only used it once but normally when are familiar.”
I don't know a word I google it.”
4. Did the links help your 80% “Yes the links gave me a better understanding “I didn't use 6%
understanding? Do you + of what im reading. Yeah it was kinda like i the links and I -
think they taught you to → used more info to make me understand it.” did not seek ←
seek out your own online my own online
searches in order to help “I did use the links to help my understanding. I searches.”
your reading in the future? do think that it taught me to seek out my own
Explain your answer. online searches in order to help my reading.”

5. Did the comments and 60% “The comment and questions helped me with “I don’t 20%
questions on the previous + my reading by telling me what I should be remember -
readings help you come up → answering while reading. Yes, because they about the ←
with your own questions helped me with what I should be asking myself questions and
and comments on this while reading.” comments
digital reading? Do you from the last
think you will use these “Yes it has helped me come up with my own reading, so I
reading strategies on future questions about certain things. I'm going to use don’t really
readings you may do? this reading strategy because it has helped me know if it did
Explain your answer. make me think.” “…more interesting” or not help
me.”
6. Which of the features of 53% “The tool “Dictionary” because it helped me “nothing” 26%
our digitally interactive + understand the words more and I think I can.” -
texts HELPED YOUR → “I just read the ←
READING list- “The video links on the digitally interactive text twice but said
COMPREHENSION? Do ed at texts helped my reading comprehension. Yes, that’s it” they
you think you can use your least because they made it easier for me to did
experience with them to one understand what was going on.” not
make you read more fea- use
effectively on your own in ture “I think the questions helped me but the dic fea-
the future? used helped me a lot cause it made it understand it tures
way more.”
7. Did any of the features 50% “They somewhat affected my interests as it did “No, the 50%
of our digitally interactive + intrigue me to look into the texts much more” features on the -
texts AFFECT YOUR → digitally ←
INTEREST in the “Yes, some features helped me and affected interactive text
readings? Do you think the interest in reading because it made me did not affect
they have taught you how think the reading is going to be more my interest in
to generate interest in interesting. I think it did taught me how to the readings.
readings in the future? generate interest in reading in the future.” They did not
teach me how
“When you gave us the links it helped me see to generate
images and gave me a direction of the thing I interest in the
had to read.” readings..”
8. What else can you share 60% “I think that it was for the both of us especially “It remained 6%
about your use of these + with whats going on now we both need a way the same -
digitally interactive → to under stand thing better.” nothing ←
readings? They were changed
intended to help both “Yeah i think it did because it could help really.”
students and teachers learn students that have trouble reading”
how to improve on their
reading lessons. Do you “They did help so much and it can improve on
think they did that? Why or reading lessons because it can help more that
why not? struggle with reading by improving their
reading lesson.”

“The digitally interactive reading did help me

 improve on my reading lessons by giving me
new strategies to use while reading that will
make the reading become way easier.”

Literature Connections

Kraver, J. (2007). Engendering Gender Equity: Using Literature to Teach and Learn Democracy.
The English Journal, 96(6), 67-73. Retrieved March 6, 2021, from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/30046755
Part of my data analysis revealed difficulties from my students in recognizing social commentary
in their reading. This process has been ongoing for several months, and now that they are tasked
with reading comprehension assessments that measure their ability to identify social inequities in
our text, I want to make sure that I give them as much scaffolding as possible so they can
potentially demonstrate that level of interpretation. To that end, I found the above article that
articulated the level of unpacking such a task requires. We have already used a number of
graphic organizers to identify and analyze possible social foci in the vignettes we have read. We
then used textual evidence to construct rough theme statements that the various vignettes may
express. Kraver’s article expands on the process in which we are already engaged and offers
rationale and pedagogy to further our course of inquiry. Next week my students will be
completing graphic organizers that identify stereotypical gender roles to inform their
understanding of our author’s themes, their own situations, and the reading itself. Kraver’s article
will aid in my delivery of this crucial step.

Kuldas, S., Satyen, L., Ismail, H. N., & Hashim, S. (2014). Greater Cognitive Effort for Better
Learning: Tailoring an Instructional Design for Learners with Different Levels of
Knowledge and Motivation. Psychologica Belgica, October 10, 2020,
https://www.psychologicabelgica.com/articles/10.5334/pb.aw/

The above work can be used should I chose to expand my study to investigate how my
innovation may find different affect for different student demographics. I have not employed this
aspect of my plan as yet, and must soon determine if it can be incorporated at all.
Loh, Chin Ee, & Sun, Baoqi. (2019). “I'd Still Prefer to Read the Hard Copy”: Adolescents’ Print
and Digital Reading Habits. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy : a Journal from the
International Reading Association., 62(6), 663–672. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.904
The primary focus of my action research project is to support students’ reading. As a result of the
distance learning model we are currently in, in conjunction with a shift from paper copy to
digital media in student’s textual interactions, I am seeking to create positive associations with
reading text by tapping in to the additional features digital text can offer. In reading Loh and
Sun’s study, I found it highly informative that in their rather comprehensive look at adolescent
reading habits and attitudes, they came to several conclusions that support my innovation and
give me ideas about how to continue to use digital text as a conduit for continued academic
reading of literature. They emphasize that students use hard copy and digital text for different
purposes according to different preferences, making neither format particularly preferrable in an
academic setting. This can help my instruction by offering both and allowing students to choose
which format works best for them.

Mangen, Anne, Walgermo, Bente R., Brønnick, Kolbjørn. (2013). Reading linear texts on paper
versus computer screen: Effects on reading comprehension. International Journal of
Educational Research, Volume 58, 61-68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2012.12.002.
This interesting and informative study focused on the differences between reading from a digital
format and a paper one, and how it affected students’ performance on reading comprehension
tests. As this is the exact focus of my project, I was excited to see its explicated methodologies
and findings. One of the study’s conclusions was that students who used the paper copy
performed better overall on reading comprehension than students who used the digital version.
The reasons they found for this were manifold and gave me validation for some of the issues I
was suspecting. The features inherent in digital text: scrolling, transient location of text, eye
fatigue, navigating from window to window, all contributed to the disparity. Having a text as a
solid object of permanence that can be viewed in its entirety by manual page turning, is a benefit.
The implications of their findings to my project are simply that I need to be mindful of how I
construct my digital model. I plan to have less embedded links that require readers to constantly
shift from one window to another. My videos, questions, and background links I plan to have as
marginated features, much like textbooks, so students don’t face some of the distraction that
Mangen and her colleagues documented.

McKenna, M.C. (2001). Development of reading attitudes. In L.Verhoeven & C. Snow (Eds.),
Literacy and motivation: Reading engagement in individuals and groups, 135–158.
Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

The above study can inform my data analysis, though I did not use it in my Data Analysis
Memos. I still think I can use it in framing my culminating action research findings.

McLeod, S. (2019). The Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding. October 8, 2020,
https://www.simplypsychology.org/Zone-of-Proximal-Development.html

This study has been at the heart of my innovation from the start. The entire aim of the project
was to find a reading tool that could serve such a disparate class as that that makes up my class.
The idea behind the digitally interactive text is to give a variety of supports so that those students
whose reading capacity needs them, can find them independently. This way the ZPD can have a
wide application: scaffolding for those students in need; and enriching for those that don’t.

National Assessment Governing Board. (2019). Reading Framework for the 2019 National
Assessment of Educational Progress. Retrieved 2021, from
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED604485.pdf

This published rationale behind the construction of the NAEP Reading Assessment provides a
cited explication of the three levels of reading that my action research study uses as measures of
reading comprehension. Its extensive bibliography lists many of the sources upon which much of
modern reading instruction and assessment is based on.
Prado, Y., Warshcauer, M., & Collins, P. (2018). Promoting Positive Literacy Attitudes in
Struggling Readers through Digital Scaffolding. Retrieved 2020, from
https://conference.iste.org/uploads/ISTE2018/HANDOUTS/KEY_110892405/Prado_Ye
nda_2018_ISTE_RP.pdf

I hope to employ the above study as the final step in my project. The culminating aim of my
innovation is that by showing students the effective reading strategies that the digitally
interactive text implements, and in so seeing how its use can both improve and enrich their
reading experience, that it will have a lasting positive impact on students’ approaches to future
reading. If students can internalize these effective reading practices, they can form positive
attitudes about themselves as readers in general.