Date Approved

5-2-2019

Embargo Period

5-3-2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA Reading Education

Department

Language, Literacy and Sociocultural Education

College

College of Education

Advisor

Madden, Marjorie

Committee Member 1

Browne, Susan

Committee Member 2

Lee, Valarie

Keywords

independent reading, metacognitive strategies, self-selected, sight words

Subject(s)

Reading

Disciplines

Language and Literacy Education

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how first-grade students recognize sight words in self-selected texts during independent reading. The context of the study was a suburban school district in South Jersey involving four first-grade students below grade level in at least one reading area. The four first-grade students, two boys and two girls, selected texts during independent reading. The participants engaged in pre-assessment and post-assessment surveys and initial participant interviews and exit participant interviews. The purpose was to analyze how first graders approach sight words in texts using metacognitive strategies. The students were audio recorded reading self-selected texts during the independent reading session. All participants grew in the recognition of regular and irregular sight words from the Dolch list, Fry list, and Pearson Reading Street list. The results revealed that first-graders identify sight words in self-selected texts using a combination of metacognitive strategies. The metacognitive strategies included self-monitoring, self-correcting, and using a reading strategy bookmark. Therefore, first-graders can become metacognitive readers to recognize sight words in self-selected texts.

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