College Literacy in Content Areas

Victoria Appatova

University of Cincinnati

victoria.appatova@uc.edu

CRLA Conference, Houston, TX

November, 2012

History of Paired Reading at the University of Cincinnati

1983-2012

MathematicsCriminal Justice Sociology Economics Intro to Business Psychology Art History

• Paired Reading Courses have been offered for:

Some Skills needed for Success in Content Area Courses

• COMPREHENSION OF THE LANGUAGE OF A DISCIPLINE (LECTURES, BOOK INFORMATION, TESTS)

• NOTE-TAKING

• TIME MANAGEMENT

• TEST ANXIETY MANAGEMENT

Not Understanding a LectureStudents often have a hard time comprehending language of a lecture and responding to it (Jones, Marketos, Appatova, 2010)

Not Understanding Book Information

Many textbooks are not written with “ease of reading in mind” (Jones, Marketos, Appatova, 2010)

Inability to Extract Relevant Information

… especially, when verbal and non-verbal information is combined (Jones, Marketos, Appatova, 2010)

Inability to Read Non-Verbal Information (formulas, graphs, charts, tables, etc)

Translating

non-verbal information

into understandable

verbal information

is often a challenge (Jones, Marketos, Appatova, 2010)

Not Understanding a Test Question

Students often lack the reading skills to understand a task (Jones, Marketos, Appatova, 2010)

Test Anxiety

• 55.5% of College Algebra students reported being anxious about mathematics (Draznin, 2008)

• Math anxiety is an often-debilitating fear associated with manipulation of non-verbal information and solving problems (Tobias, 1987).

Time Management

Not Taking Effective Notes from a Lecture or a Text

Simply transcribing notes from a blackboard to paper can be challenging for students (Jones, Marketos, Appatova, 2010).

Integrating literacy and communication skills in content area courses

• ORAL COMMUNICATION

– Speaking (sending a message)

– Listening (receiving a message)

• WRITTEN COMMUNICATION– Writing (sending a message)– Reading (receiving a message)

READ courses currently taught at the University of Cincinnati:

• READ 1005 – Reading Academic Texts – Paired with Humanities and Social Sciences

• READ 1007 – Effective Reading for Mathematics/ Math Success Seminar

– Paired with Prep Math and Intro Algebra I

• READ 1003 – Integrated College Reading– Supports ENGL 1000 and ENGL 1001

Focus on Metacognition and Learning Strategies:

• text annotation• note-taking systems (Cornell, SQ3R, HIT, etc.)• vocabulary development• concept mapping• summarizing• outlining• test development• oral presentations• reading and creating visuals: charts, pictures, graphs • online reading strategies• learning with technology; etc.

Activities to develop literacy in content areas:

• Journal writing and formative self-assessment– Math Journals

– Psych Journals

• Journal portfolio and summative self-assessment• Peer teaching sessions

– Classroom teaching

– Reflective essay

• Focus on word problems in intro math courses• Final projects

– New and creative learning approaches

Paired versus Non-Paired with Introductory Algebra I & II

Intro Algebra I

Received Transferable

Grades (A, B or C)

Rate of Withdrawal

% Returned toIntro Algebra II

Paired 53% 16% 47%

Non-Paired 43% 24% 39%

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Intro Algebra IIReceived Transferable

Grades (A, B or C)Rate of

Withdrawal

Paired 68% 15%

Non-Paired 49% 34%

Data from 2004-2009

• Only data from the Fall terms was included to avoid skewing results with students who were repeating their English or math courses.

• All comparisons are made between students who scored a 55 or lower on the Degrees of Reading Power test given during New Student Orientation.

• For the math data, only students who took a developmental math course were considered.

• Significance was based on a α = .10 level.

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Results Completed any reading course

Complete Read N Math Pass Rate English Pass Rate

Yes 126 83.13% 75.49%

No 1132 73.67% 65.49%

Statistical testing shows that the pass rates above are significantly different (p-value<0.01).

Completed" a reading course = A, B, C, D, or F. In other words, students are more likely to pass their English or Math courses by completing a reading course even if they did not pass the reading course. 18

ResultsReading paired with math

Completed N Math Pass Rate

Math/Read Paired 67 86.57%

Other Read 59 81.36%

NO 1132 73.67%

Statistical testing also shows there is a significant difference in the pass rates of students with no reading course when compared with the Math/Read paired courses (p-value<0.01) and other reading courses (p-value=0.094)

While there is no significant difference between the pass rates for the two types of reading courses, our level of confidence is far greater when comparing the paired course students to those without a reading course. 19

Results Took any reading course

Took Read Course? N Math Pass Rate

Yes, DRP <=55 181 62.43%

NO, DRP <=55 1470 56.26%

NO, DRP >55 713 66.06%

Statistical testing shows that there is a significant difference in the pass rates of students who took a reading course and those that did not (p-value=.056).

We can therefore say that students who signed up for ANY reading course, even if they did not complete the course, had a higher pass rate in math than those that did not.

Additionally, there is not a significant difference in math pass rates of students with a DRP>55 and those who took a reading course. This indicates that the reading courses are making up for the students’ existing deficiencies in reading.

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Paired Reading & Content Area Courses:

Benefits forStudents

• More time to critically process information from content area courses

• More diverse and advanced curriculum

• More opportunities for different learning preferences/styles

• Interdisciplinary learning encourages critical thinking from different perspectives

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Paired Reading & Content Area Courses:

Benefits forStudents

Cont.

• Opportunity to establish connections among concepts in different disciplines

• Closer interaction with professors• Learning the value of

collaboration and team-work• More stable social environment

as an antidote for low-level self-motivation

• More confidence through rising to intellectual challenges

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Paired Reading & Content Area Courses:

Benefits forFaculty

• Pedagogical exchange• Professional development• Closer collaboration• Intellectually stimulating not

only for students, but also for instructors.

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Paired Reading & Content Area Courses:

Benefits forInstitutions

• Improved retention and success rates of under-prepared students

• Better access and service to underserved populations and under-represented groups

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Acknowledgements

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• Paul Jones, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio

• Dann Marketos, Columbus State Community College, Columbus, Ohio

Discussion

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Do you agree that there is a direct correlation between mastering the language of a discipline and succeeding in that content area? Please use examples from your experience that prove or disprove this claim.