In Their Own Words: High School Emergent Bilingual Students' Interpretations of Research Study Findings

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: Illuminating the Linguistic Repertoires of Emerging Bilingual Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine high school multilingual students’ (N = 55) interpretations of findings for a research study for which they were participants. Following a quasi-experimental study to investigate the impact of different instructional approaches on reading comprehension, we invited the students to interpret the data. Using positioning theory and the RAND framework for reading comprehension, we analyzed students’ responses to reflective surveys and discussion transcripts based on their own reading comprehension data. Emergent themes suggested that students were particularly agentive in explaining their comprehension performance, attributing much of their performance to their own interests and motivation. Implications for future research, both quantitative and qualitative, in reading comprehension are explored.

Authors

• Lizeth Lizarraga

• Dianna R. Townsend, University of Nevada - Reno

• Cynthia H. Brock, University of Wyoming

• Monika Bharti, University of Nevada - Reno

• Lisa Johnson, Washoe County School District