answer week 10

ZA

   My action research is based on not only assessing but also teaching reading: fluency and comprehension to a 7 years old boy, single-subject experimental research. Reading is a complex process and is the most important skill taught in school. According to Oakhill et al. (2014), Fluency denotes the automatic ability of students to read a set of linked words in the text and Comprehension is the process by which a reader can read a text and make sense of the text, that is, understand it. Rasinski (2006) describes fluency as one of the vital reading skills that are central in terms of enabling the child to comprehend the text. It is evident that children that are not fluent when it comes to reading are not likely to understand and even be able to connect while reading.

        Reading fluency is extremely essential among children because it bridges reading comprehension. As opined by Rasinski (2006), fluency refers to the ability to read with speed, accuracy, and proper expression. Children who can read fluently always interact with the content on a higher level. In line with Wren (2002), assessment is incredibly essential when it comes to delivering instructions. On this note, assessing and teaching reading: fluency and understanding to 7 years old boy is extremely crucial. Researchers have shown that children improve their academic performance when exposed to appropriate learning environments. In order to motivate and involve our student, we consider the conscious creation of an educational environment free from distractions, well ventilated, well lighted, quiet, private and comfortable.

        In my needs assessment, I employed Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) to assess the reading fluency and comprehension of the seven years old boy. The choice of the tool rested on its effectualness and efficiency in assessing student's performance in oral fluency and comprehension reading because it enabled the investigator to ascertain both the rate and accuracy of words read and also measure comprehension of passages and whole text which constitutes the ultimate goal of reading (Graney et al., 2010; Ardoin et al., 2013). Therefore, CBM is capable of helping instructors to assess the learner's areas of strengths and weaknesses as far as comprehension and reading fluency is concerned and to tailor the lesson plan in a way that ensures all exceptional comprehension and reading challenges are addressed (Jungjohann, & Gebhardt , 2020).

AC

My research project aims to examine the effect of antecedent and consequent strategies to decrease student off-task behaviors and increase student compliance with academic tasks. The study took place in the students' homes throughout distance learning sessions that they faced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion focuses first on examining what factors influence the students’ off-task behaviors in a home-schooled learning environment. This information allows the researchers to understand the functions of the participants’ off-task behaviors and, therefore, to apply the best interventions for decreasing them and increasing the time on academic tasks.

The data collection process took part through three main methods: the Functional Assessment Screening Tool (FAST), the observation, and the Event Recording tool. These methods were useful in identifying the task refusal behaviors and how to minimize them. The Event Recording tool allowed researchers to document the behaviors in real-time. The data collected reflected the necessity for an immediate intervention to prevent and decrease the task refusal behaviors. The data collected through the FAST tool and the observation was analyzed so that there was insight on the gaps that are there in the current learning model while learning at home.

Using both the FAST tool and the observation, I could find that different factors related to the tasks, the student, and the parents influence the off-tasks behaviors during the home learning period. Some factors are the increase of duration, amount, and complexity of the tasks, a non-stimulating learning environment, lack of the use of reinforcers to increase on-task behaviors, and parental reinforcement of their children's escape behaviors and avoidance of academic assignments. Based on these findings, I selected different behavioral antecedents and consequence interventions. The behavioral antecedent interventions applied are the delivery of reinforcement on a fixed-time (FT) schedule, the high probability sequence, and auditive stimulus (classical music). The behavioral consequence interventions are the Premack Principle and differential negative reinforcement of alternative behaviors (DNRA).

FT involves giving the student access to a reinforcer frequently enough that they are no longer motivated to exhibit disruptive behavior to obtain that same reinforcer. It consists of allowing students to take small breaks during the presentation of non-desirable tasks. High probability request sequences consist of having students consistently comply with several directions to perform desirable behaviors, and that momentum persists when a subsequent direction is changed to a perceived undesirable behavior. Classical music will be also integrated into the learning process. The research has shown that integrating art is an effective teaching strategy for students who have autism because it improves their concentration

On the other hand, Premack (1959, as cited in Maag, 2020) principle states that a high-probability behavior can be contingent upon the occurrence of a low-probability behavior. The DNRA consists of allowing the students to exit the non-preferred activities for some minutes when they request a break in an appropriate manner.

I found that children can comfortably complete the task assigned in the measured time, and complexity of the tasks, after implementing behavioral antecedent and consequent interventions.