Stage 1: Identifying Challenges in Reading Comprehension and Creative
Writing
Objective:
The first stage of the project aims to understand the specific difficulties that
students face in reading comprehension and creative writing. This
understanding will serve as the foundation for developing targeted strategies
and interventions to enhance students’ skills. We aim to identify the root
causes of these difficulties and categorize them so that we can provide
individualized support based on each student’s needs. By conducting a
thorough analysis of student performance and gathering insights from both
students and educators, we will create a comprehensive picture of the
challenges that hinder students’ growth in English language proficiency.
Activities:
1. Surveys and Interviews with Students and Teachers
A fundamental approach in identifying challenges is gathering direct
feedback from both the students and teachers. Through surveys and
interviews, we can identify common themes that emerge in students’
experiences with reading comprehension and creative writing. Both
quantitative and qualitative data will be collected to analyze patterns in the
difficulties faced by the students.
- Student Survey:
The survey will consist of open-ended and multiple-choice questions that
probe students’ experiences with reading comprehension and writing tasks.
Key questions might include:
- How often do you struggle to understand reading materials in English?
- What type of reading passages do you find most difficult (e.g., fiction,
non-fiction, poetry, etc.)?
- Do you find creative writing assignments challenging? If so, why?
- What skills do you think you need to improve in reading and writing?
The survey results will help identify whether the students struggle with
specific aspects such as vocabulary, sentence structure, the complexity of
the texts, or generating creative ideas for writing. This data will serve as a
benchmark for the next steps in the project.
- Teacher Interviews:
Interviews with teachers will provide additional insights into the students’
performance in class. Teachers can share observations on common trends
they see in the classroom, such as:
- Are there particular topics or writing genres where students show
consistent difficulty?
- How do students respond to different types of reading materials (e.g.,
narratives, argumentative texts)?
- In what ways do students show frustration or disengagement during
writing exercises?
This qualitative data will allow us to pinpoint areas of difficulty that may
not be immediately obvious from test scores alone.
2. Classroom Observations
Direct classroom observations will be used to assess students’ engagement
during reading and writing activities. The purpose of these observations is to
gather firsthand evidence of students’ behaviors and attitudes when
interacting with reading and writing tasks. Observers (could be project staff
or volunteers) will take detailed notes on the following:
- How do students approach reading tasks? Are they focused, or do they
get distracted easily?
- How confident are students when asked to summarize or answer
questions based on a reading passage?
- Do students hesitate or show signs of frustration when given creative
writing assignments?
- How much support do students seek from teachers during these
activities?
These observations will highlight areas where students struggle, such as
lack of focus, difficulty in extracting key information from texts, or challenges
in organizing thoughts for writing. This evidence will be crucial in identifying
the most significant barriers to comprehension and creative expression.
3. Analysis of Test Scores and Assignments
Examining students’ performance on English tests and assignments will
provide concrete data on their proficiency in reading comprehension and
creative writing. By reviewing scores on reading comprehension quizzes,
creative writing assignments, and essay responses, we can assess:
- What common errors do students make in answering comprehension
questions? Are they misunderstanding key ideas, making inferences
incorrectly, or failing to identify details in texts?
- How do students perform in creative writing tasks? Are they unable to
generate ideas, or do they struggle with grammar, spelling, and
organization?
- Are there specific types of assignments (e.g., essays, short stories) that
cause greater difficulty?
The analysis of this data will allow us to draw correlations between test
scores and the difficulties identified in the surveys and observations. For
example, if multiple students struggle with reading comprehension, we may
see consistent patterns in their inability to identify key themes or details in
passages. Similarly, low performance on creative writing tasks could reveal
specific challenges, such as lack of confidence in writing, difficulty with
grammar, or insufficient vocabulary.
Solutions:
Once the challenges have been identified through the above methods, it’s
important to develop a tailored approach to address them. This phase of
Stage 1 will focus on creating solutions that are aligned with the specific
needs of the students.
1. Diagnostic Assessments for Individual Needs
Each student will be given a diagnostic assessment to determine their
current level of reading comprehension and writing proficiency. This could
include:
- A short reading passage followed by questions to test their
understanding.
- A creative writing prompt that asks students to generate a short story or
essay.
Based on the results of these assessments, students will be categorized into
groups according to their skill levels. Some students may need more
foundational support in reading comprehension, while others may require
more focus on improving their creative writing abilities.
2. Small Group Interventions
Based on the diagnostic assessment, students will be grouped into small
cohorts, each receiving targeted instruction. These groups will be designed
to match students’ abilities and needs:
- Reading Comprehension Group: Students who struggle with
understanding and interpreting texts will receive focused practice on
breaking down reading passages, identifying main ideas, making inferences,
and improving their vocabulary.
- Creative Writing Group: Students who have difficulty with creative writing
will work on exercises designed to enhance their writing skills. This may
involve brainstorming ideas, using graphic organizers to outline stories, and
practicing grammar and sentence construction.
These small-group interventions will allow for more
