Reading While Viewing: Same Language Subtitling - A Strategy To Raise Literacy Achievement

Author(s):

Ronnie Davey(presenting / submitting)Faye Parkhill

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

31. LEd – Network on Language and Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

31 SES 11, Reading and Literacy Research

Paper Session

Time:

2014-09-04

17:15-18:45

Room:

B006 Anfiteatro

Chair:

Ana Sofia Pinho

Contribution

Concern about the performance of students in reading from low socio-economic and ethnically diverse backgrounds has once again been highlighted in the recent PISA results (OECD, 2013). This presentation reports on a study that investigated the impact of using subtitled popular movies to build fluency, comprehension skills and vocabulary on underachieving students in an eight week programme called the Audio-Visual Achievement in Literacy, Language and Learning (AVAILLL). In Western jurisdictions at least, the use of same language subtitling (SLS) to enhance literacy achievement in mainstream classrooms is a novel phenomenon. AVAILLL combines images and words to foster comprehension and fluency in reading. Students ‘read-watch’ sub-titled movies and complete a range of collaborative-competitive activities designed to keep them on track when reading the subtitles. These provide opportunities for purposeful and focused reading. AVAILLL, a six to eight week, literacy programme for one hour per day, is designed to enhance rather than replace normal instruction classroom literacy practices.

Underpinning the AVAILLL programme is the central premise that social and cultural practices shape literacy, and that students traverse individual and multiple pathways in their learning. Effective teachers of literacy balance the teaching of literacy skills with immersing students in high quality literature and authentic text experiences where the story content reflects that of experiences in students’ lives and narratives resembles the conventions of quality fiction (Ministry of Education, 2006; Pressley, 2006).

In the AVAILLL programme the students are immersed in a socially mediated interactive learning environment. It utilises motivating materials in the form of age-relevant Hollywood popular movies along with carefully designed associated activities that involve both collaborative and individual tasks. Student engagement appears to be the mediating factor that impacts on student outcomes (Alvermann, 2002). Many teachers now acknowledge that new technologies and popular culture provide teachers with powerful tools for engaging all students, not only those who are underachieving. Often 21st century students view reading as a school-only activity with many schools ignoring the potential power of students’ interests and culture to act as a powerful interchange between these experiences of the world and school learning. The amount of time that a student spends in reading related activities both inside and outside of school has a major impact on reading fluency and comprehension and there is now growing evidence that SLS can dramatically increase the time spent reading (McCall and Craig, 2009).

An earlier New Zealand pilot study on the effectiveness of AVAILLL (Parkhill & Johnson, 2009), indicated that Māori students in particular responded well to the programme both in terms of achievement gains and self-reported gains in reading engagement. With the assistance of four Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour (RTLBs) in a very low socio-economic area on the East Coast of the North Island, we investigated the effectiveness of an eight-week AVAILLL programme with Year 5 and 6 students. The majority of the students were what are know as ‘priority’ or targeted learners, with 65.3% Māori, 21.5% Pasifika and 13.2% New Zealand European or ‘other’. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the programme for Māori and/or Pasifika students aged between the ages of 8 -11 years in particular and to find out if any gains made were sustained over time.

Method

This study employed a mixed methods approach using first, second and third wave data sets designed to explore numerical trends in achievement in vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension. Qualitative data gathered personal responses to the programme using focus group interviews with all teachers and groups of students from each of the participating schools . This approach allowed us to investigate more fully the perceived effectiveness of the programme in regard to both self-reported achievement and engagement, from the perspective of both students and their teachers. In total, 12 classes of mixed ability Year 5 and 6 students (eight-ten year olds) from five schools in a high poverty very low socio-economic area with high Māori and Pasifika populations took part. 223 students attended the first, second (eight weeks later) and third wave of testing (six months later). The majority of the students were priority learners, with 65.3% Māori, 21.5% Pasifika and 13.2% New Zealand European or ‘Other’. The purpose of the study as noted above was to determine immediate results for Māori and/or Pasifika students and to see if any gains were sustained over time. Different versions of a commonly used standardised test in reading comprehension and vocabulary, normed and developed for New Zealand schools allowed for a comparison of the movement against expected progress over the same time period. Pre-testing and post-testing was carried out, followed by testing for sustainability six months later. Scale scores were used to measure progress over time. We used analysis of variance (ANOVA; significance level 0.01) to determine if the mean differences on the pre- and post-test PAT scale scores for each group were significant. Test Three was used in November of the same year to measure sustainability of results. In addition, to determine differences in responsiveness across the three phases of testing of the three main ethnic groups, we wanted to investigate whether the three different ethnic groups exhibited different patterns of interactions in their average scale scores over time. To gain insights into student response to the programme, we coded the students’ responses to each of the five questions according to recurrent and specific words or descriptions. Student responses were loosely categorised under the headings: positive, negative, or neutral response. Questions included general student feedback/response to the programme and perceptions of their improvements or not, in terms of their achievement and engagement/attitude to reading.

Expected Outcomes

The results of this study replicate previous studies of other cohorts and age groups (Davey & Parkhill, 2012; Parkhill, Johnson & Bates, 2011; Parkhill & Davey, 2012). The gains in scale scores for both comprehension and vocabulary over the eight-week time span for this cohort were significant (p < 0.001). The comprehension results of this study indicate a significant effect over time and also that by ethnicity, there is a significant difference across the testing phases. The lowest scoring group in NZ with reference to international and national literacy tests are our Pasifika students (Telford & May, 2011; Crooks, Flockton & White, 2007). Interestingly, this group made the largest gain after the programme had concluded. The Pasifika students not only sustained this level seven months later (April-November) but had improved on it. Focus group interviews with students in individual school groups revealed overwhelmingly enthusiastic responses to the programme. As well, students unanimously believed that their reading had improved. This self-reported improvement clustered towards gains in terms of reading fluency particularly. Overall, the main characteristics of the programme identified by students were its novelty and enjoyment, which in turn led to feelings of motivation and engagement. In one focus group, more than half the students suggested that they wanted to come to school because of AVAILLL. While this study reports on a NZ context, there are implications for practice for European jurisdictions where the achievement of indigenous and other diverse learners trails behind their peers. International comparative statistics such as PISA results are of great importance to policy makers internationally - not only in OECD countries but also beyond. Initiatives which may have a positive impact on those students who are not achieving are relevant to educators in both hemispheres.

References

Alvermann, D. E. (2002). Effective Literacy Instruction for Adolescents. Journal of Literacy Research, 34, (2), 189 – 208. Davey, R. & Parkhill, F. (2012) Raising adolescent achievement - with subtitled movies. English in Aotearoa (78): 61-71 Dooley, K. (2007). Multiliteracies and pedagogies of new learning for students of English as an additional language. In A. Healy (Ed.), Multiliteracies and diversity in education: New pedagogies for expanding landscapes (pp. 102−125). Melbourne: Oxford University Press. McCall, W.G., and Craig, C. (2009). Same language subtitling(SLS):Using subtitled music video for reading growth. In G. Siemens & C. Fulford. (Eds). Proceedings of World Conference on educational multi-media, hypermedia and telecommunications (pp 3983-3992). Chesapeake, Va: AACE. Retrieved from: http://www.editlib.org/p/32055 Ministry of Education, (2006). Effective literacy programmes in Years 5 to 8. Learning Media. Wellington: Learning Media. OECD (2013), PISA 2012 Results: Ready to Learn – Students’ Engagement, Drive and Self-Beliefs (Volume III), PISA, OECD Publishing. http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264201170-en Parkhill, F & Davey, R. (2012). We enjoyed it and we learned at the same time! Practically Primary. 17(2): 8-11. Parkhill, F., Johnson, J., & Bates, J. (2011). Capturing literacy learning: Evaluating a reading programme using popular novels and films with subtitles. Digital Culture & Education, 3:2, 140-156. URL: http://www.digitalcultureandeducation.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/dce1053_parkhill_2011.pdfPressley, M. (2006). Reading instruction that works: The case for balanced teaching. 3rd Ed. New York: Guilford. Parkhill, F., & Johnson, J. (2009). An unexpected breakthrough for rapid reading improvement: AVAILLL uses movies so students read it, see it and get it. set:Research Information for Teachers, 1, 28−34. Yelland, N. (2010). Multiliteracies and learning in a new age. In J. Fletcher, F. Parkhill & G. Gillion (Eds) Motivating Literacy Learners in Today’s World (pp 89-109). Wellington. New Zealand Council for Educational Research.

Author Information

Ronnie Davey (presenting / submitting)

University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Faye Parkhill