Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Kerri Jones
5/1/16
Title
Music Vocabulary?
Abstract
visuals can help a student correlate the meaning behind the words. However,
adding visuals may take away from the complete reading of the vocabulary
students in grade five were tested over specific music vocabulary each
visuals. Each grade level has a specific number of questions that they
continue to build upon each year as they move grade levels. The vocabulary
also builds each year with the same words, but new words are added as the
students learn new concepts. The students scores are then averaged as
average. Our goal is to be at 80% as an overall district for the 5th grade
students at the end of the school year. While I believe that the visuals help
the students achieve this goal, I also believe that too many students are
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relying on the visual only and not fully reading and/or comprehending the
females. Students were then randomly divided into the control group and
experimental group. The control group completed the usual exam, while the
experimental group completed the same exam but without the visuals that
visuals scored significantly higher than those completing the exam without
increase in scores from pretest to posttest, with females scoring higher than
male students.
study is: Can students in grade five fully comprehend music vocabulary
Review of Literature
blocks during the day. Although students can read the words, do they fully
comprehend the meanings behind the words? In 2000, The National Reading
Panel identified five core components of early reading success for children.
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music vocabulary test, do students choose the correct answer based off the
meaning of the words or the visual? At Centennial, I believe that the students
look more at the visuals, than reading the definition of the vocabulary word,
Every student has different styles of learning. Some are visual learners,
others auditory learners, and others learn from hands on activities (Rohrer &
According to Rohrer and Pashler (2012), there is no evidence that links this
hypothesis to be true in that visual learners did have higher scores in that
tests.
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technology advances and make the best use of available resources for
remember that the students must take ownership of their learning through
these visuals as well (1995). The findings of this study include that visuals
can have a great impact on students lives and can be useful tools to
improve reading comprehension. Phillips (2005), notes in her article Look and
both image and word that children construct meaning and understanding.
Reading comprehension relies on more than knowing the words on the page.
One strategy that she uses and suggests that teachers use is Think Alouds
(2003, p. 4). Through this strategy, teachers can help students visualize the
text and comprehend the story and vocabulary. The first time the text is
read, it is read straight through. The second step is for the teacher to share
thoughts aloud during the reading of the text and invite students to share
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their knowledge and thoughts as well. This helps students visualize the text
without the actual picture. Lapin (2003) also notes that proficient readers
create images in their mind as they read. However, poor readers are not able
transform the text into a scene (Lapin, 2003, p. 5). This strategy will help
student connect with the text without having the visual on the page.
decorating the page, helping the reader become organized and interpreting
the text, and provides additional information not stated directly in the text.
These four ideas help assist in reading comprehension. However, if these are
taken out of the text, will students still be able to use context clues to help
with their overall comprehension? Norman (2010) also noted that few studies
attempt to investigate how participants use the graphics as they read. Since
Method
Participants
10-11. Using stratified random sampling; the students were first divided into
groups of males and females. Once this was completed, the control group
and experimental group were drawn at random from the male and female
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groups using popsicle sticks (Patten, 2014). The control group was
experimental group had 17 female and 21 male students. These students are
52.4% of free and reduced lunch population. The school also has a 34%
Instrumentation
The control group took the same test with the visuals each time
throughout the year. The test is taken on an IPad in the music classroom,
during music time, which is a 25 minute period. The test is student run
control the pace, and are allowed to go back to questions before finishing the
The experimental group also took the test on the IPad, using the
Socrative app, at their own pace in the music classroom during music time.
However, the visuals were taken off of the test forcing the students to use
Procedure
This was a yearlong research study. Pretests were given in August, and
a vocabulary test was given each quarter to see how the participants
singing, worksheets and activities. The quarter tests were given in the 6th or
7th week of each quarter, and the 4th quarter was the posttest. Each test
score was then charted individually, as well as for the two groups to see the
difference. For the purpose of this study the results are analyzed according to
Data Analysis
Data was analyzed in two different ways: as a whole group and gender.
The results have the percentages for the pretest, and vocabulary test for
each quarter. The 4th quarter test is the posttest. Table 1 includes whole
Table 1:
Group Difference
Pretest-August 71% 54% 17%
December
Quarter 3-March 81% 61% 20%
(Posttest)
Mean (Total) 77% 58.6% 18.4%
The differences between the two groups, shows the following results:
Mean: 18.4%
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Median: 19
It is also important to note the vertical growth between both groups as well.
Both the control group and experimental groups showed 12% increase in
The data was then broken down by gender to look for any trends. Table
2 includes results of female students for each group and Table 3 shows the
Table 2:
December
Quarter 3-March 81% 59% 22%
Quarter 4-May 84% 67% 17%
(Posttest)
Mean (Total) 77.6% 59% 18.6%
Mean: 18.6%
Median: 17
Mode: 17
Table 3:
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December
Quarter 3-March 81% 61% 20%
Quarter 4-May 82% (I absent) 65% 17%
(Posttest)
Mean (Total) 77% 58% 19%
Mean: 18.8%
Median: 18
Mode: 18
Results
that the students that had access to the visuals scored significantly higher
than the students that did not have visuals. The results showed a significant
from pretest to posttest is 17%-20%, with the 3rd quarter vocabulary test
having the largest difference of 20%. The mean of the difference in scores is
18.4%, while the median is 19 and the mode is 17 and 19 as both scores
It is also important to note that any student that was absent from class
did not make up the test. If students were absent the day the testing took
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place, the test was not taken when they came back to school. There were
only two instances when students were absent, both males and both from
the control group. This could account for bias of the test scores, however,
only having two students absent will not account for much change
from 17-22 points, and the percentage point difference ranged from 17-21
for the male groups as shown in Tables 2 and 3. The control group and
While the females in both groups showed 11% vertical growth, the males in
second quarter test was taken shortly after a concert and Thanksgiving
break, resulting in a lower score on the vocabulary test. Even though there is
a difference between the two groups during the year, notice that there was
vertical growth for each group from the pretest to the posttest.
Discussion
The research question for this experimental research study was: Can
students in grade five fully comprehend music vocabulary without the visuals
results with the experimental group results, I do believe that visuals hinder
their reading comprehension of music vocabulary in the 5th grade and that
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the difference between the two groups is significant. The results show that
the students that have the visuals scored higher on the vocabulary test as
they had both learning strategies (visuals and comprehension) to use when
After analyzing the data between females and males, one noticeable
trend is that the females of both groups scored the same percentage or
higher than the males this school year. Further study is suggested to
determine why this is the case, and should include comparison of overall
grades, study habits, differences in learning styles between boys and girls,
and gender-specific issues that may be occurring at the time of the study.
Other factors that could impact scores in general, include attitudes at test
time, not taking their time during the test, not feeling well that day, other
may present challenges as sometimes the IPads will stop the app, or
students fingers will hit the wrong button taking them out of the program.
Students then have to log back in and typically start the test over, creating a
Vertical growth between each group is another trend in the data. The
experimental group and the control group showed vertical growth from
included or taken away. Males showed higher percentages of growth than the
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styles may need to be researched to find a specific reason for this increase in
overall male students vertical growth compared with the female students
vertical growth.
There are several limitations that affected this study. One threat to
validity might be that students are close enough to share the answers.
Students are spread about the music room in their own space as they take
the test. I try to combat this by use of space and myself monitoring the room
as the students take the test. A confounding source of this experiment could
be the John Henry effect. Although the control group was not told prior to
testing that the visuals would be on their test and not the experimental
and the teacher explaining why the pictures were absent from their test.
Conclusions
The conclusions of this study find that the use of visuals on exams
between the students that were given visuals on the vocabulary test versus
the students that did not have the visuals. The findings of this study support
and Thanksgiving break. This data would support a change in when the
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second quarter test should be given. These findings may also provide
additional insight into the difference in boys and girls with reading
References
Bazeli, M. J., & Olle, R. E. (1995). Using visuals to develop reading vocabulary
(pp. 371-377,
Lapin, G. (2003). Get that brain reading. Retrieved April 18, 2016, from
http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED479123
Phillips, L. (2005, July). Look and see: Using the visual environment as access
to literacy.
Rickenbrode, R., & Walsh, K. (summer 2013). Lighting the way: The reading
panel report
Rohrer, D., & Pashler, H. (2012). Learning styles: Wheres the evidence?
Medical Education,