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...…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.