Effects of the Post-It Note Strategy on Reading Achievement among Eighth-Grade Students with Learning Disabilities

The purpose of this eight-week research study was to examine the effects of the post-it note intervention on achievement, attitudes, and engagement towards reading comprehension among eighth-grade students with learning disabilities. The participants (N=12) were enrolled in special education, reading class based on their Individualized Education Plans. The students engaged in the think-aloud strategy the first four weeks of the study, and they engaged in the post-it note intervention the second four weeks. Data were collected throughout the study on academic achievement, attitudes toward reading, and engagement. Field notes were collected to analyze major themes of the study. When the data were analyzed, the mean increase from the post-it note intervention was higher than the think-aloud strategy at a statistically significant level (t (11)= -8.44, p<.001). Data showed the students’ attitudes toward reading and engagement improved when 2 Deese et al.: Effects of Post-It Note Strategy Published by Digital Commons@Georgia Southern, 2019 they used the post-it note intervention compared to the think-aloud strategy. Reading comprehension is a skill that is necessary for students to master in order to contribute effectively to society (Williams & Ari, 2011). However, students may not be able to master this skill if they are passive readers (Hughes & Parker-Katz, 2013). A passive reader is an individual who reads words within a text but does not analyze it for meaningful value (Foster, 2011). Conversely, students who are active readers participate with a text by analyzing it, questioning it, drawing conclusions from it, and making meaningful connections to it for a greater understanding and application (Harvey & Goudvis, 2013). The purpose of the quasi-experimental study was to determine the effects of active reading, specifically utilizing the post-it note strategy, on comprehension among eighthgrade students with learning disabilities. Deficits or difficulties in reading comprehension: National data The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assesses students in fourth and eighth-grades every two years to determine their reading and math progress (2016). The results are reported on the Nation’s Report Card and the data are aggregated in various ways. The students are placed into one of four categories based on their performance: below basic, basic, proficient, and 3 Becoming: Journal of the Georgia Middle School Association, Vol. 30 [2019], Iss. 1, Art. 2 https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/becoming_journal/vol30/iss1/2 DOI: 10.20429/becoming.2019.300102 advanced. According to the NAEP (2016), only 8% of eighth-grade students with learning disabilities (SWLD) scored proficient on the reading portion of the assessment administered in 2015 and none of them scored in the advanced category. The majority of eighth-grade SWLD scored in the below basic level for the reading assessment with 63% and 29% scored in the basic level. The National Assessment of Educational Progress data for eighth-grade SWLD show that those students are significantly struggling with reading comprehension. Deficits or difficulties in reading comprehension: Research School According to the school improvement plan for the research site, 10% of the population was comprised of students with disabilities. In eighth-grade, there were 31 students with learning disabilities and 30 of those students had Individual Education Plan (IEP) goals addressed for increasing reading comprehension. Overall, the SWLD in the research school struggled with reading comprehension more than any other subject area. According to the research school’s 2015 state testing data, 69% of SWLD scored in the beginning learner category, 28% scored in the developing learner category, 3% scored in the proficient learner category, and 0% scored in the distinguished learner category for reading. In comparison, only 11% of students without disabilities scored in the beginning learner category for reading. The achievement gap in reading between SWLD and non SWLD students was significant enough to be addressed in the form of a goal in the research site’s school improvement plan. 4 Deese et al.: Effects of Post-It Note Strategy Published by Digital Commons@Georgia Southern, 2019 Review of Literature Reading comprehension is an area in which students with learning disabilities continuously struggle (Hollenbeck, 2013; Hughes & Parker-Katz, 2013; Jitendra & Gajria, 2011; Kim, Linan-Thompson & Misquitta, 2012). Students with learning disabilities perceive and process information differently than students without learning disabilities (Hughes & Parker-Katz, 2013). Teaching SWLD explicit strategies to learn comprehension skills is vital because the students are not always able to glean the strategies through inferencing (Hughes & Parker-Katz, 2013; Jitendra & Gajria, 2011; Reed & Vaughn, 2012; & Wolff et al., 2013). Students should be actively engaged in reading in order to fully understand and analyze a text (Unrau & Quirk, 2014). Upon reviewing the literature, there was profound emphasis on motivation and engagement in regard to reading comprehension and reading comprehension strategies to utilize with SWLD. Motivation and engagement for reading comprehension Unrau and Quirk (2014) suggested that before teachers implement explicit comprehension strategies, teachers should evaluate students’ motivation and engagement towards reading. The researchers found that motivation and engagement affect comprehension when students read passively or stop when a text is uninteresting. Wolff et al. (2013) agreed with Unrau and Quirk (2014) that motivational factors play a substantial role in reading comprehension, and 5 Becoming: Journal of the Georgia Middle School Association, Vol. 30 [2019], Iss. 1, Art. 2 https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/becoming_journal/vol30/iss1/2 DOI: 10.20429/becoming.2019.300102 furthermore Wolff et al. (2013) suggested that teachers use technology to motivate and engage students in the reading process. Fisher and Frey (2014) conducted a study to examine the effects of motivation on students when they were involved in an after-school intervention for reading comprehension. The intervention was based on close-reading techniques. The results of the study indicated that the students receiving the intervention came to the after-school program more frequently than the students who were not receiving the intervention and showed significant improvements in reading comprehension. Therefore, the researchers proved students should be actively engaged in reading to make sufficient academic progress. Reading comprehension strategies After evaluating and addressing students’ engagement and motivational issues, teachers should teach students avenues to glean meaning from texts they read and provide a framework on ways to do so (Finnegan & Mazin, 2016; Hollenbeck, 2013). Finnegan and Mazin (2016) and Jitendra, Burgess, and Gajria (2011) found that using graphic organizers is an effective instructional strategy for teaching SWLD to make meaningful connections to texts. Jitendra et al. (2011) suggested numerous strategies such as completing study guides, summarizing information, and questioning information to support and increase SWLD interactions with texts. Mahdavi and Tensfeldt (2013) explained that teaching students to use multiple modalities to grapple with a text is essential since all students learn in 6 Deese et al.: Effects of Post-It Note Strategy Published by Digital Commons@Georgia Southern, 2019