The research problem
Introduction
Balanced literacy approach to reading is a program involving language art acquisition. The program has every component that a learner needs to understand written and spoken communication. The program puts more emphasize on reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing. Literacy is a very vital aspect in the modern society because almost every activity is guided by education. However, even with the high rate of globalization and as more people become more advanced, some people are yet to get solutions to education challenges they face. Literacy courses are integrate in the school curriculum because if two main reasons. Firstly, they are essential in teaching children how to read and write proficiently, which contributes a lot in achieving their academic goals. Secondly, literacy classes are necessary for assisting children understand a language deeply in order to gain the ability to decode words and become independent readers
In modern society, literacy acquisition not only takes place in schools but also at homes where parents hire private tutors to teach their children. The learning institution, however, creates a favorable room for learners to interact with one another and facilitate knowledge sharing process. Most children experience many challenges in learning to read. For instance, second learners of English language have difficult times digesting the rules of English grammar and implementing them while communicating with other learners (Shoebottom, 2013). Researchers have produced reports showing that most children, especially those coming from poor families, have limited access to early education that inhibits their ability to catch up with others. Introduction of the above program to these children will play a significant role in improving their learning skills (Parr & Jesson, 2011, pp. 214-216).
Learners today face many challenges associated with the quality of education they get. Teachers sometimes do not have time for children who are slow in learning and the only way to assist such children is through the implementation of the above program. The program will provide students with the necessary materials required to achieve success in education. Teachers play a vital role in the implementation of this program by ensuring learners move in the correct direction by responding to their questions. According to Iaquinta (2006), guided reading has continued to assist a large number of learners since its acceptance into the education system as a form of helpful reading instruction. The system is largely utilized in the primary levels of education because it is at this stage when learners require more teachers’ attention.
On the other hand, illiteracy levels are the major contributors to underdevelopment and poverty in a country. Areas with poor education facilities such as lack of school, teachers, and education programs experience high levels of illiteracy leading to high unemployment rates. In addition, such countries lack the necessary knowledge to compete with the diverse global economy. By introducing guided reading programs, children will get an opportunity to gain education knowledge and assist in promoting their society into the modern literate world. Children who come from poor backgrounds lack exposure to education materials because of the ignorance of their parents. Guided reading approach will have the capacity to explain to such parents the importance of education in a child’s life. In addition, the program will eliminate the aspect of teachers concentrating on specific children because it advocates for equality for all (Fountas & Pinnell, 2012).
Effects of balanced literacy approach to reading on children success
The balanced literacy approach to reading will affect children success in a number of ways. Firstly, the program promotes the interaction between teachers and children. Teacher-learner relationship is very essential in improving the literacy of a student. A teacher is a valuable component in success in education regardless of the age, reading proficiency, and financial status of a leaner. The interaction between children and their teachers through the above program will aid in achieving their success because teachers will always guide them on how to read and write correctly. Through guided reading, a teacher is allocated small groups of children where various strategies are applied to discover texts children in the group fail to understand. These texts match with children’s understanding, which they can apply them later in their strategies to overcome any learning challenge. Children end up succeeding in their education after utilizing the learned strategies. Secondly, the program is monitored by education professionals who always evaluate the children’s progress, and provide necessary help where needed (Secker, 2010). By implementing this program, children grades will improve because it ensures they acquire the necessary language skills that are essential in passing of other subjects.
Through this program, teachers are encouraged to offer support and encouragements to children always. Literacy is important for child development and growth. Learning to speak and use a certain language contributes more to the success of a child not only in school, but also in the outside world. Most children who come from rural areas have a lot of influence on their mother tongue and find it difficult to cope with the learning standards at schools. Utilizing this program will give a chance for non-native speakers to learn and digest the phonetics and norms of a language (Ford, 2008, p. 309). According to Bukowiecki (2007), teaching children reading and writing skills forms the basis for all academic achievements. Understanding language instructions promotes the success of a child in any other filed because language acts as the mode of instruction in all other subjects.
Thesis questions
The research will be guided by the following two questions:
- How is a balanced literacy approach to reading beneficial for student reading success?
- How does a balanced literacy approach to reading influence student success?
The scope of the problem
The research will focus on the benefits and effects of balanced literacy approach to reading towards the success of students. The problem will be analyzed in relation to children joining primary schools who have not acquired language skills. In addition, the research will try to compare the performances of children who have undergone through the program and those who have not gone through it in order to determine the validity and reliability of the study. The study will also come up with various suggestions on literacy teaching skills that mitigate the problem of illiteracy in the present society.
The significance of the problem
After conducting the research, the findings will play a significant role in the field of early childhood education and linguistics, specifically in the area of language acquisition. Many learners fail to succeed in their education because they lack the necessary language skills when they get to higher levels of learning. Early intervention of the issue of literacy among children will assist them apply the learned skills throughout their lives, and eliminate communication barriers among people from different ethnicities. Analyzing the problem will also help linguistics and language teachers in primary schools have humble time teaching students who already have knowledge on language norms and grammar rules. Finally, the study is significant to future researchers because the recommendations will assist them tackle more problems on this topic in the future.
The literature search criteria used
Getting literature about this topic required much-specified criteria that ensured all factors are totally addressed. Firstly, a thorough analysis on previous studies dealing with the same problem was done. All the studies were analyzed to determine their objectives, significance, and scope. The literature was then grouped in terms of importance and closeness to the topic of discussion. The results achieved from previous studies were used to determine research gaps for this particular research. In addition, literature selection was conducted through implementing some recommendations provided by previous researchers in the same field. Secondly, literature was selected on the bases of the research objectives. All materials that provided information about benefits and effects of balanced literacy approach to reading were given priority. The information was thoroughly screened to highlight only areas that concentrated on guided learning, language acquisition, teachers’ contribution, and students’ success. Moreover, literature searches criteria made use of various methodologies used by previous studies to determine the most effective, reliable, and valid approach that will fully address the problem.
Some of the literature that was considered undressed the following issues:
- The effects of guided reading on primary grades and student success
- Effective literacy learning
- Challenges faced by children in the process of gaining literacy
- Teaching children how to read and its effects of their grades.
References
Ford, P. M. (2008). “A national survey of guided reading practices: What we can learn from
Primary teachers”, Literacy Research and Instruction, 47 (4), 309-331
Fountas, I. C., & Pinnell, G. S. (2012). Guided Reading: The Romance and the Reality. The
Reading Teacher, 66(4), 268-284.
Iaquinta, A.” Guided Reading: A research-based response to challenges of early reading
Neuman, S. B., & Dickinson, D. K. (2011). Handbook of early literacy research. New
York: Guilford Press.
Parr, J. M., & Jesson, R. (2011). From research to policy and practice: a review of The Routledge
International Handbook of English, Language and Literacy Teaching. Literacy, 11(3), 211-218
Secker, J. (2010). Information literacy education in US libraries. Journal of Information Literacy, 4(1), 1-9.
Shoebottom, P. (2013). The factors that influence the acquisition of a second
language. Retrieved from:
http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/factors.htm
