Impact of Interactive Word Walls on Literacy Development

The Effect of Interactive Word Walls on Literacy Development of English Language Learners (ELL) in Middle School – Data Collection Completion and Potential Actions
Part 1 – Data Collection
As previously indicated, a qualitative descriptive research design will be employed to examine the effect of interactive word walls on literacy development of ESL learners in middle school. Since the nature of the research issue is exploratory, the study will collect and analyze qualitative data to help answer the research question. Qualitative data for this study will be collected from existing data relating to this issue. The use of existing data sources is suitable for the study because of the time and finance constraints facing the research. Moreover, the researcher believes that existing data already contains significant insights on this issue and would help answer the research question. As previously indicated, existing data on the research issue will be collected from three different sources.
Existing Data on Instructional Strategies
To help answer the research questions, data will be collected from existing school achievement data, existing school data on instructional strategies adopted by teachers, and student performance data at the school. The existing data to be obtained from these three sources will be for grades 7 and 8 students. In addition to examining student performance data, the researcher will collect information relating to the current instructional strategies adopted by teachers. This will involve reviewing teachers’ reports to determine the different kinds of instructional strategies adopted in grades 7 and 8 classrooms. Teachers’ reports usually provide details on various issues relating to the learning process and student outcomes/achievement. According to Hollingsworth & Heard (2018), teachers’ comments in school reports serve different functions including providing information regarding the general learning dispositions and work habits as well as describing student learning in terms of general abilities. Such reports play a critical role in understanding teaching strategies employed by teachers in the classroom and their impact on student learning and achievement.
For this study, the researcher will primarily focus on identifying how teachers utilize interactive word walls as instructional strategies for grades 7 and 8 classrooms. Teachers’ comments on this instructional strategy will help understand its use in the classroom and determine its impact on literacy development among ESL learners. Teachers’ comments on school reports are qualitative in nature. By reviewing the comments and reports within the past two school years, the researcher will obtain an understanding of how interactive word walls are employed in grades 7 and 8 classrooms with ESL learners. In addition, the researcher will gain insights on the impact these instructional strategies have on literacy development of these students and their learning. This information will play a critical role in understanding the effect of interactive word walls on the learning process of ESL learners in middle school and their literacy development.
Existing Data on School Achievement
Student achievement data is reflected in the overall data relating to school performance or ranking. School achievement data serves as a reflection of the standardized test results that assess the achievement of students in a specific learning period. In this regard, teachers utilize formative assessments and summative assessments to examine students’ performance, which is documented in the overall school achievement data. Therefore, school achievement data provides a suitable framework for understanding student performance. For this study, the researcher seeks to examine school achievement in order to determine students’ performance. The researcher will focus on examining the results of formative assessments in grades 7 and 8 classrooms. Formative assessment results will be examined since the tests are used to inform teaching and promote student learning (Piro, 2011).
Formative assessments correlate with state standards to ensure that the various subject- or topic-specific objectives are achieved. In addition, formative assessments help to identify student weaknesses through which teaching strategies are designed. In this regard, the results of formative assessments documented in the overall school achievement data will help indicate the extent to which the adopted teaching strategies promote student learning. Such qualitative insights are essential in determining how interactive word walls impact the literacy development of ESL learners in grades 7 and 8. The information obtained from reviewing school achievement data will help answer the research questions by demonstrating the link between teaching strategies and student learning. The effect of the teaching strategies on student learning is demonstrated in the school achievement data.
Part 2 – Future Action Plan
The three sources of data i.e. existing school achievement data, existing school data on instructional strategies adopted by teachers, and student performance data at the school play an important part in understanding how teaching strategies shape student learning and outcomes. In essence, these sources of data will help determine instructional strategies employed for the target population and their impact on student learning as reflected in student and school achievement data. These sources of data are part of the data-based decision-making processes employed for school improvement. School leaders, teachers, and students use various sources of data to support efforts toward school improvement goals (Schildkamp, 2019).
As evident in the data, there is a strong link between instructional strategies and student learning and outcomes. Teachers face the need to develop and adopt suitable instructional strategies that meet the needs of learners regardless of their diverse cultural, racial or ethnic backgrounds. Instructional strategies should be tailored in a manner that enables educators to meet the needs of learners while actively engaging them in the learning process. Without promoting the active engagement of students in the learning process, the instructional strategies employed in the classroom fail to improve student learning and outcomes. English language learners in middle school are examples of students with unique learning needs and styles. Educators have constantly used traditional instructional strategies and methods that are seemingly ineffective in meeting the needs of ESL learners.
A review of these three sources of data reveals some weaknesses relating to the use of traditional instructional strategies in terms of student learning and outcomes. On the other hand, the data reveals the increased use of interactive word walls as instructional strategies to meet the needs of ESL learners in middle school classrooms. As these instructional strategies are increasingly used, they continue to have significant impacts on students’ learning and outcomes. However, the extent to which these instructional strategies promote literacy development among ESL learners in grades 7 and 8 remains relatively unknown.
In this regard, one of the potential future action plans is to examine the link between interactive word walls and literacy development. Educators and other stakeholders in this field should evaluate and understand how the use of these instructional strategies affects literacy development of different student groups including English language learners. The second potential future action is promoting the increased use of interactive word walls in middle school classrooms. This instructional strategy is commonly used in elementary classrooms, but not employed in middle school classrooms. The increased use of this instructional strategy is attributable to its potential in enhancing the literacy development of different learners. Therefore, educators and school administrators should create learning environments that promote the use of interactive word walls in middle school settings.
References
Hollingsworth, H. & Heard, J. (2018, December 10). Teacher Comments in School Reports: What’s Effective? Retrieved November 25, 2020, from https://www.teachermagazine.com/au_en/articles/teacher-comments-in-school-reports-whats-effective/
Piro, J.S. (2011, January). Data Literacy for Student Achievement. National Social Science Journal, 36(1), 114-119.
Schildkamp, K. (2019, June 12). Data-based Decision-making for School Improvement: Research Insights and Gaps. Educational Research, 61(3), 257-273.