After determining the level of Rebecca’s literacy level, I proceeded to gain insights about her effective development. The child’s attitudes, beliefs, and self-perception can become potential facilitators or obstacles for the following reading development. Thus, these parameters need to be taken into consideration for choosing the most appropriate strategies for supporting the development of Rebecca’s literacy.
The objective of this week’s reading assessment was to estimate the student’s affective development or the so-called non-cognitive aspects of Rebecca’s literacy. Conducting the Garfield reading assessment and the TPRI reading assessment last week, I determined the cognitive aspects of her literacy. This week, I used the Motivation to read profile (MRP) for assessing Rebecca’s non-cognitive aspects of literacy development. The two parts of MRP, namely a self-report Reading Survey conducted in groups and an Individual Conversational Interview, help define the student’s self-concept and read preferences respectively.
According to the results of the last week’s assessments, Rebecca loves and is ready to read and write but because of her difficulties with sounding out, the unfamiliar words feel inadequate to read in front of others. As to the non-cognitive aspects of the student’s literacy, the girl loves to read and uses every opportunity for it though is embarrassed to read aloud to the others. Her special interest in insects and weather books shows that the girl has got a certain reading experience and it allows her to give preference to particular kinds of texts. It can be stated that there is a direct relationship between her unwillingness to read in front of others and her difficulties in pronouncing new words. Thus, the cognitive and non-cognitive aspects of a student’s literacy are inseparable and interrelated. On the one hand, the lack of necessary skills and related difficulties can discourage students. On the other hand, it is stated that “motivation can contribute to the increased reading that in turn contributes to increased reading achievement” (Afflerbach, 2007, p. 158). Taking into account the direct relationship between cognitive and non-cognitive aspects of Rebecca’s literacy, it can be stated that both of them are equally significant for the further development of the girl’s skills.
Rebecca’s unwillingness to read aloud can be caused by her prior experiences, including those of unsuccessful public performances, the insufficient reward for her efforts as well as the associated unpleasant memories. For this reason, empathy is required for determining the major reasons for the lack of student motivation, getting to the roots of the problem, and developing more effective strategies for solving it. In that regard, empathy should become one of the research-based principles helpful for determining the non-cognitive factors which become the obstacles for the students’ literacy development and finding the ways for overcoming them. The implementation of this principle is critical for supporting both cognitive and non-cognitive aspects of literacy development.
Sharing the information retrieved from the analysis of the above-mentioned reading assessments, I could help enhance the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process. Thus, if I communicate the information concerning Rebecca’s level of reading comprehension, her passion for reading and her difficulties in reading aloud the unfamiliar words and the related unwillingness to read to others, we could unite our efforts for creating favorable conditions for improving the student’s motivation and involving her into the class activities. The same goes for the information concerning the girl’s reading preferences and interests. Including the texts which could generate Rebecca’s interest in the program, we would motivate her to read more and consequently contribute to her literacy development by enriching her vocabulary and reducing her fear of unsuccessful public performances. Sharing the same information with Rebecca’s parents can be advantageous as well. By paying more attention to the girl’s reading preferences, her relatives can also contribute to her literacy learning. Taking into account the fact that the girl has no siblings and a few cousins, it can be stated that her parents rarely can see her in the company of other children. It means that they are likely to be unaware of Rebecca’s fear of public performances and the difficulties she has with reading to others. Parents’ support can become a valuable contribution to student’s literacy development. Sharing the results of Rebecca’s reading assessments, including cognitive and non-cognitive aspects of the assessments, I would be able to enhance the effectiveness of the chosen strategies.
Though the assessments of the cognitive aspect show that Rebecca is comfortable with reading and ready to read, I must admit that her unwillingness to read to others need to be taken into consideration as a potential obstacle for further development of her skills. Thus, the student’s affective development, attitude to reading, and self-concept as a reader should be viewed about the cognitive aspect of literacy development (Tompkins 2010). On the one hand, the importance of the non-cognitive aspect should not be underestimated. On the other hand, it cannot be separated from the cognitive ones.
Empathy should become the main research-based principle in assessing Rebecca’s literacy and affective development for choosing the most appropriate strategies for generating her interest and improving her motivation.
Reference List
Afflerbach, P. (2007). Understanding and using reading assessment, K-12. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Tompkins, G. E. (2010). Literacy for the 21st century: A balanced approach (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.