Reflection: Young Readers with Reading Difficulties

It has been over five weeks, and it is time to reflect on what I have learned about qualitative research. It is a crucial time to learn how to construct the dissertation topic of inquiry that I am interested in and why I am choosing it. In the previous reflection, we discussed how I learned to identify a research problem, locate and review literature, conduct ethics and research, establish a hypothesis, create data sampling, choose an instrument, and analyze data (Fraenkel et al., 2011). However, to understand why your selected topic of inquiry would be great for a dissertation, I must grasp and comprehend the importance of the conceptual framework for the research.

I have learned in recent weeks that the conceptual framework guides and helps you see the topic of inquiry through your lens in the research. The conceptual framework is like an integrated ecosystem that combines all the parts in a study. After combined parts, work through a process that analyzes and develops a study of phenomena in a research setting (Ravitch & Carl, 2019). When selecting a topic of inquiry, you must understand why your topic is vital to the field of Learning Technologies and how the data collection and methods will answer and support your research questions (Ravitch & Carl, 2019).

I am currently interested in my dissertation's topic of inquiry, "Learning Interventions for Young Children with Reading Comprehension and Word-Reading Skills Difficulties." The narrow scope to address the research question is sufficient in this research setting. Numerous studies are showing that these critical issues are a constant problem. The existing problems of reading difficulties among young readers also focus on literacy-related skills acquisition and oral language during the early years of preschool. Many research studies have shown the various factors impacting a student's low reading proficiency (Chatterji, 2006; Duke & Block, 2012; Knight-McKenna, 2009). A high level of reading proficiency continues to be a challenge today (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019). In the 21st century, research shows that advanced reading skills are a prerequisite to students having successful adult careers in a global society. The topic of inquiry is a global problem. Two hundred and fifty million children fail to acquire skills and knowledge in basic literacy skills (UNESCO, 2021). Interventions help remediate reading deficiencies as young readers acquire strong decoding skills, language comprehension, and word-reading skills while improving reading challenges.

References

Chatterji, M. (2006). Reading achievement gaps, correlates, and moderators of early reading achievement: Evidence from the early childhood longitudinal study (ECLS) kindergarten to first grade sample. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(3), 489-507. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.98.3.489

Duke, N. K., & Block, M. K. (2012). Improving reading in the primary grades. The Future of Children, 22(2), 55-72. https://doi.org/10.1353/foc.2012.0017

Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., & Hyun, H. H. (2018). How to design and evaluate research in education. McGraw-Hill Education.

Knight-McKenna, M. (2009). Literacy Courses and the Prevention of Reading Difficulties. Forum on Public Policy Online, 23.

National Center for Educational Statistics. (2019). NAEP reading: State achievement-level results. NAEP Report Cards.

https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading/states/achievement/?grade=4

Ravitch, S. M., & Carl, N. M. (2019). Qualitative research: Bridging the conceptual, theoretical, and methodological. SAGE Publications.

UNESCO. (2021, March 8). Literacy. https://en.unesco.org/themes/literacy