2. Title
• The effectiveness of readers theatre in improving motivation and reading
fluency of students in years five and six
3. Statement of the Issue
• Five students who are not motivated readers
• Leading to low level of reading
• Three students have a low attendance rate – two attended 50% of term one
and missed term two completely
• One student is attending a Reading Tutor Programme
• One student has ADHD and one has behavioural issues
4. Research Question
How effective is readers theatre in improving reading motivation
and fluency in year five and six students?
5. Literature Review – Reading Fluency
• Huey (1908/1968)‘fluency is reading aloud with accuracy, appropriate speed, and
expression’.
• Harris and Hodges (1995)‘freedom from word identification problems’.
• Pikulski and Chard, (2005)‘reading fluency refers to efficient, effective word recognition
skills that permit a reader to construct the meaning of the text’.
• Students who are proficient in reading identify words correctly, recognising them instantly
and easily (Kuhn & Rasinski, 2007; LaBerge & Samuels, 1974).
• Students who do not show proficiency in reading do not have instant recognition. ‘Their
reading can be so slow and word-by-word that by the time they get to the end of the
sentence they have forgotten what was at the beginning’ (Oakley & Fellows, 2010. p302).
6. Literature Review – Reading Fluency and
Readers’ Theatre
• Research shows that repeated reading helps struggling readers improve their fluency (Chard,
Pilkulski & McDongah, 2006).
• Oral reading practice is required for fluency development’ (Hennessey,p5)
• Readers’ theatre promotes fluency for struggling readers
• Research indicates that repeated readings lead to improvement in decoding, reading rate and
comprehension of texts.
7. Literature Review – Readers’ Theatre and
Students’ Motivation to Read
• Readers’ Theatre is a motivating factor that can transform a class into eager
readers.
• It is an activity in which struggling readers do not stand out.
• Motivation is gained because there is a reason for repeated reading
• Students read more because they enjoy reading (Pachtman & Wilson)
8. Intervention
• Research the children’s interests
• Students will be given the script day 2
• Students practice in a variety of ways throughout the day
• Students will have the opportunity to take the script home and practice
• At the end of the week students will perform their scripts to the class
• Students have the opportunity to create their own script
• It is hoped that the Readers’ Theatre will be displayed at the schools open night on
the second Wednesday.
10. Data Collection and Analysis
• Pre and Post Attitudinal Survey – (Garfield attitude to reading)
• Informal Reading Inventories
• Oral Fluency Assessments
• Observations on students engagement and motivation to read
• Discussion/interviews with students
• Personal reflections
11. Ethical Considerations
• A letter detailing the description and purpose of the research project will be issued
to 5 students from years 5 and 6, their parents and the classroom teacher.
• Each participant will be requested to complete a consent form before any data is
collected or the invention begins.
• They will also be informed that they may terminate their participation in the project
at any time without penalties.
• A course based ethics form will be completed by the pre-service teacher and
approved by the unit coordinators.
