ERIC ED440215: Action Research Monographs. Complete Set. Pennsylvania Action Research Network, 1998-99. A Section 353 Project of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education. A Learning from Practice Project.

358 Pages·1999·4.7 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
CE 079 962
ED 440 215
Action Research Monographs. Complete Set. Pennsylvania
TITLE
Action Research Network, 1998-99. A Section 353 Project of
the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Adult
Basic and Literacy Education. A Learning from Practice
Project.
Pennsylvania State Univ., McKeesport.
INSTITUTION
Department of Education, Washington, DC.; Pennsylvania State
SPONS AGENCY
Dept. of Education, Harrisburg. Div. of Adult Basic and
Literacy Education Programs.
1999-00-00
PUB DATE
359p.; For individual monographs, see CE 079 963-985. For
NOTE
the project's final report, see CE 079 961.
099-99-9010
CONTRACT
AdvancE, PDE Resource Center, Department of Education, 333
AVAILABLE FROM
Market Street, Floor 11, Harrisburg PA 17126-0333. Tel:
717-783-6788; Web site: http://www.pde.psu.edu/able.
Collected Works - General (020)
PUB TYPE
MF01/PC15 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
*Action Research; Adult Education; *Adult Educators; Adult
DESCRIPTORS
Literacy; Deafness; *English (Second Language); Family
Literacy; *Goal Orientation; High School Equivalency
Programs; *Literacy Education; Metacognition; Parent
Participation; Pretests Posttests; *Professional
Development; Program Improvement; School Holding Power;
Student Motivation; Teacher Improvement; Teaching Methods;
Test Selection
*Pennsylvania; 353 Project
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
This publication consists of the complete set of 23
monographs developed by the Pennsylvania Action Research Network to
supplement the 67 monographs produced over the past 3 years. The specific
audience are literacy, General Educational Development (GED), and English-a-a
Second Language (ESL) practitioners. The titles are: "Use of Metacognitive
Teaching To Enhance English Language Literacy of Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Adult Learners" (Robert A. Anthony); "Phonemic Awareness Education with an
ESL Class" (Anne Y. Barton); "Increased Tutor Participation" (Daniel Corle);
"Will the Use of Videos Designed for the Purpose of Teaching English
Pronunciation Improve the Learners' Production of Discrete Sounds by At Least
80% over a 12 Week Period?" (Christina Davis); "Development of an IEP Form
for Adult Students" (Ginny Edmonston); "Will Parental Incentives Increase
Parental Involvement?" (Barbara Elsleger); "Contacting Students To Raise
Retention Rates" (Lydia Frankenburger); "Post-Test Learner Evaluation"
(Sydney Schwartz Hardiman); "Teaching Short-Term and Long-Term Goal-Setting
to ESL Students for Educational, Personal, and Career Application" (Shirley
F. Jackson); "Using Communication To Retain Tutors" (Judy Kline); "Peer
Vocabulary Building Teams" (Pat Kriley); "Implementation of a Procedure
Manual To Improve Teacher Performance" (Eileen Madgar); "Increasing Student
Motivation through the Development of a Personal Mission Statement" (Jeanette
G. Matthews); "Issues around Teaching Competencies in a Family Literacy
Program" (Susan Finn Miller); "Integrating Professional Teaching Staff into a
Volunteer-Based Agency" (Karen Mundie); "Making a Choice Between the TABE and
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
the CASAS" (Elaine Nagel); "Increasing Positive Outcomes in GED Classes
through Family Literacy Programs" (Stuart Roe); "The Benefits of a Tutor
Training Manual" (Stacey Roles); "Teaching Grammar in an ESL Classroom"
(Timothy Shenk); "Developing an Intense Goal-Setting Portion of Student
Orientation: Helping Students To Focus on Their Goals and Remain with GPLC
until Those Goals Are Achieved" (Sue Snider); "One-Size-Fits-All vs.
Pick-and-Choose Format" (Valorie Taylor); "Redesigning the Current Student
Tracking Form" (Donna Urey); and "Conversation Partners: Work in Progress"
(Lora Zangari).
(YLB)
Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made
from the original document.
BUREAU Or
ADULT BASIC &
LITERACY EDUCATION
able
PENNSYLVANIA
DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION
;Fetid Pulled
A Learning From Practice Project
r c
MAction rRaepshe
O
A
COMPLETE SET
;11
PENNSYLVANIA ACTION RESEARCH NETWORK
1998-99
1
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Office of Educational Research and Improvement
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
si
This document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating it.
Minor changes have been made to
improve reproduction quality.
Points of view or opinions stated in this
document do not necessarily represent
official OERI position or policy.
For fitrther project detail contact:
The Pennsylvania Action Research Network
do Adult Education Graduate Program
Penn State University, McKeesport Campus
University Drive
McKeesport PA 15132
r
A Section 353 Project of the
Pennsylvania Department of Education,
Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education
U.
Contact State literacy Resource Center for Additional copies.
This monograph is a result of a Learning from Practice project developed by The Pennsylvania State University, under
support from
the tl.S. Department of Education, through the Pennsylvania Department of Education, 13tireau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education;
"a however, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the positions
or policies of the U.S. Department of Education or
the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and no official endorsement should he inferred.
,C'..0Fir AVM
'
k
EMI' COPY AVAIILABLIE
1998/1999 Pennsylvania Action Research Network Monographs
Anthony, Robert A., Ph D.:
Use of Metacognitive Teaching to Enhance
English Language Literacy of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Adult Learners
Barton, Anne Y.: Phonemic Awareness Education with an ESL Class
Corle, Daniel: Increased Tutor Participation
Davis, Christina
Will the Use of Videos Designed for the Purpose of
Teaching- English Pronunciation Improve the Learners' Production of
Discrete Sounds by at Least 80% over a 12 Week Period?
Edmonston, Ginny: Development of an IEP Form for Adult Students
Elsleger, Barbara:
Will Parental Incentives Increase Parental Involvement?
Finn Miller, Susan: Issues Around Teaching Competencies in a Family
Literacy Program
Frankenburger, Lydia Contacting Students to Raise Retention Rates
Jackson, Shirley F.:
Teaching Short-Term and Long-Term Goal-Setting to
ESL Students for Educational Persona4 and Career Application
Kline, Judy: Using Communication to Retain Tutors
Kriley, Pat: Peer Vocabulary Building Teams
Madgar, Eileen: Implementation of a Procedure Manual to Improve
Teacher Performance
Matthews, Jeanette G.:
Increasing Student Motivation Through The
Development of a Personal Mission Statement
Mundie, Karen: Integrating Professional Teaching Staff into a Volunteer-
Based Agency
Nagel, Elaine: Making a Choice Between The TABE and The CASAS
Roe, Stuart Increasing Positive Outcomes in GED Classes Through
Family Literacy _Programs
Roles, Stacey:
The Benefits of a Tutor Training Manual
Schwartz Hardiman, Sydney: Post-Test Learner Evaluation
Shenk, Timothy:
Teaching Grammar in an ESL Classroom
Snider, Sue: Developing an Intense Goal-Setting Portion of Student
Orientation- Helping Students to Focus on Their Goals and Remain
With GPLC until Those Goals Are Achieved
3
One-Size-Fits-All vs. Pick-And-Choose Format
Taylor, Valorie:
U rey, Donna Redesigning The Current Student Tracking Form
Zangari, Lora Conversation Partners: Work in Progress
BUREAU OF
ADULT BASIC IL
LITERACY EDUCATION
able
PENNSYLVANIA
DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION
1.1
Special Pwiett
Action Research
A Learning From Practice Project
Monograph
PENNSYLVANIA ACTION RESEARCH NETWORK
1998-99
Monograph Tide:
Use of Metacognitive Teaching to Enhance English Language
Adult Learners
Literacy of Deaf and Hard of
Hearing.
Action Researcher's Name:
Robert A. Anthony, Ph. D.
For further project detail contact:
The Pennsylvania Action Research Network
do Adult Education Graduate Program
Penn State University, McKeesport Campus
University Drive
McKeesport PA 15132
A Section 353 Project of the
Pennsylvania Department of Education,
Bureau of Adult Basic and Literacy Education
Contact State Literacy Resource Center for Additional copies.
from
This monograph is a result of a Learning Hum Practice project developed by The Pennsylvania State University. under support
and Literacy Education;
the U.S. Department of Education, through the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Bureau of Adult Basic
of Education or
however, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the U.S. Department
the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and no official endorsement should be infen-cd.
5
PRODUCT
"Pennsylvania Action Research Network:
Staff Development Through
Six Professional Development Centers"
Project Number 099-99-9010
July 1998-June 1999
Project Director
Dr. Gary Kuhne
Assistant Professor and Regional Director of Adult Education
The Pennsylvania State University
6
Pennsylvania Action Research Monograph
Note: Action Research is a process of systematic inquiry credited
to Kurt Lewin who popularized it in the U.S. in the 1940's. Today
Typical of
it is considered a system of qualitative research.
action research, none of the individual projects in this monograph
series claims to have generalizable application beyond the
However, each monograph report can
specific project described.
serve to be illustrative, instructive and provides the potential
For a level of
for replication in other locations.
generalizability, it is recommended that the reader seek common
patterns in the monograph reports in this series, and the wider
literature, or contact the Action Research Network for assistance
in this.
7
I. ABSTRACT
Deaf and Hard of Hearing learners, but particularly Deaf
learners, have very low English
literacy levels compared to their ability levels. This
occurs in spite of their education beginning at 2
or 2 1/2 years of age. In fact, the average literacy level of deaf adults in America
is below a fourth
grade level (CADS, 1991; Allen 1986; Trybus and
Karchmer, 1977).
The population served in this study is Deaf and Hard
of Hearing adult learners in the Center
On Deafness Adult Basic Education Program. This
is a mixed urban-rural population with
some
students coming from the City of Pittsburgh and others
coming from small towns in southwest
Pennsylvania.
The Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE)
was used in this study. Reading pretest scores
of students participating ranged from
a high of 2.6 to a low of 1.9. Language pretest scores
ranged from a high of 2.8 to a low of 1.1.
The intervention used for this study
was a metacognitive teaching-learning process
pioneered by Dr. Donald Meichenbaum. The intervention
focuses on assisting students to
use their
knowledge and apply it to new learning
or tasks, e.g., reading and comprehending a story
or
article.
Data were collected using pretest and
post test scores of students on the TABE, samples of
student writing, and observations of student learning
during instruction.
The results of the TABE showed significantly
less than one grade level gain from pretest
to
posttest. Writing samples showed no significant grammatical
change but growth in content
organization and elaboration. Learning clearly
became more student directed.
II. PROBLEM
The Center On Deafness in Pittsburgh
provides an Adult Basic and Literacy Education
Program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing adult
learners in southwest Pennsylvania. Adult learners
have ranged from 17 to 69
years of age. Deaf and Hard of Hearing learners, but particularly
Deaf
learners, have very low English literacy
levels compared to their ability levels. This
occurs in spite
of their education beginning
at 2 or 2 1/2 years of age. In fact, the
average literacy level of deaf
adults in America is below
a fourth grade level (CADS, 1991; Allen, 1986; Trybus and
Karchmer, 1977).
1
8
Deaf and Hard of Hearing people comprise approximately 9 percent of the total U.S.
population. The incidence of hearing loss is not evenly distributed across age groups. The
distribution is bipolar. There is a higher incidence of hearing loss, especially deafness in very
young children than there is in children at the secondary level. As people age the incidence of
hearing loss increases until it is thirty percent of the population over sixty years of age. Hearing
loss, particularly deafness, is a hidden handicap. There is no overt physical manifestation of its
existence. As a result of this few people are aware of the presence of deaf and hard of hearing
people in the community.
The role of the Center On Deafness is multiple. It provides ABE programs of the Deaf and
Hard of Hearing communities; it advocates in the work place to assist hiring, training, and
promotion; and it provides ongoing education for deaf and hard of hearing workers whose jobs
have been phased out or revised requiring that they add to their knowledge and skill base.
The low English literacy level occurs because of Deaf and Hard of Hearing persons limited
proficiency in phonetic, morphological and syntactic aspects of English. This problem is further
compound in pragmatic aspects of English by the absence or limited amount of incidental learning
(indirect learning) caused by early onset of severe hearing loss which also reduces the general
cultural knowledge base. The reduced cultural knowledge base adversely impacts reading
comprehension, as does the limited proficiency in English.
Historically, deaf individuals have been taught with a great reliance on rote memory. This
results in limited metacognitive skills and limited development of strategy and strategy abstraction
in thinking. The teaching method and limited development in metacognitive areas causes deaf and
hard of hearing learners to rely on memorization of facts and ideas instead of comprehension of
them.
Use of metacognitive and strategic thinking-learning processes in teaching literacy should
increase deaf and hard of hearing learner independence in mastering English literacy. More
independence would lead to learners more effectively using their ability, experience and existing
knowledge.
Resolution of the problem of limited English literacy would improve the number of deaf
and hard of hearing individuals capable and willing to continue their battle toward English literacy.
The learning environment would be improved through learners having feelings of durable
2
9