A multi-site video study exploring the effectiveness of audio pens in promoting reading fluency
Submitted by:
Seda Yilmaz Wörfel
Abstract:
To understand texts, readers need basic skills, such as the ability to decode words automatically, an appropriate reading speed and intonation, as well as the ability to extract the meaning of texts (Rosebrock, 2012). Reading skills are of great importance for full participation in the information society. Studies, however, show that one-fifth of elementary school children in Germany have inadequate basic literacy skills, this applies also to reading skills concerning reading fluency (IGLU 2016; Hußmann, Wendt, & Bos, 2017). The trends highlight that this amount is even higher in 2021 (Stanat et al., 2022). These results underline the fact that children with inadequate reading fluency require further support regarding their reading skills at elementary schools. The Project SchuMaS (funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research) supports students in disadvantaged areas nationwide and offers various training concepts to promote reading and writing skills.
This sub-study aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of audio pens in enhancing reading fluency among struggling elementary-grade readers in L1 German. The dataset comprises video recordings (pretest, posttest, N=12 videos) capturing classroom interactions during the reading fluency training, teacher questionnaires, and student assessments of reading fluency from 4 participating schools in North Rhine-Westphalia. The study addresses three research questions:
1) To what extent does the integration of an audio pen enhance reading fluency?
2) What is the teacher’s role in a lesson where a digital audio pen has been integrated?
3) What are the classroom interactions (teacher-student, student-student), when using the audio pen?
We will discuss the impact of the audio pen on reading fluency regarding motivation, encouragement of active participation, as well as its impact on self-regulation, such as planning and time management across the different classrooms. We will also focus on classroom interactions, as the audio pen replaces the teacher in some instances, enabling students to practice at their own pace through the read-aloud function.
Overall, this study contributes to a better understanding of how the integration of audio pens influences and shapes interactions within the classroom, ultimately leading to the improved development of reading fluency.
References:
Hußmann, A., Wendt, H., & Bos, W. (2017). IGLU 2016: Lesekompetenzen von Grundschulkindern in Deutschland im internationalen Vergleich. Münster: Waxmann.
Rosebrock, Cornelia (2012). Was ist Lesekompetenz, und wie kann sie gefördert werden? leseforum.ch Verfügbar unter: https://www.leseforum.ch/myUploadData/files/2012_3_Rosebrock.pdf [23.9.2020].
Stanat, P., Schipolowski, S., Schneider, R., Sachse, K. A., Weirich, S., & Henschel, S. (Hrsg.). (2022). IQB-Bildungstrend 2021. Kompetenzen in den Fächern Deutsch und Mathematik am Ende der 4. Jahrgangsstufe im dritten Ländervergleich. Waxmann Verlag GmbH https://doi.org/10.31244/9783830996064