Nelson, Larry R.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of student goal settingconferences and oral reading fluency growth. This study was conducted in a small ruralTitle I elementary school in a small suburban school district in western Missouri. Thesample for this study included two first and second grade cohorts from the 2013-2014 andthe 2014-2015 academic year for a total of 148 students. Goal setting conferences wereimplemented during the 2014-2015 academic year and were held three times a year.The independent variables were participation in student goal setting conferences,student gender, and student eligibility status for free or reduced priced lunch. Thedependent variables were the oral reading fluency growth on AIMSweb, calculated threetimes each year following the administration of a curriculum-based measurement probefor reading. Several ANOVAs were conducted to test hypotheses. Results were mixedoverall, but showed a statistically significant difference in oral reading fluency from thewinter to spring screening periods between students who did and did not participate.Recommendations for future research include replicating the study with a larger sample,including grades three through five, and including MAZE passages to measure readingcomprehension.