SCET Journal 2020/2021

Language Matters »

not want to stop and look up the meaning of unknown words. She also alludes to using context clues to find out the meaning of unfamiliar words. When asked about what her teacher would do to help a struggling reader, Elisa’s response revealed an emphasis on pho- nics rather than meaning: Researcher: “What would your teacher do to help that person?” Elisa: “She would probably help them sound out.” Miscue Analysis and Over the Shoulder Miscue Analysis Of the four sessions for miscue analysis, only two could be used for coding and analysis, as Elisa did not make enough miscues, neither in English nor Spanish. Therefore, I found two new reading materials in both languages, both at the same reading level. Materials were drawn from Reading A to Z (https://www.read- inga-z.com/). Across all reading sessions, Elisa had a good attitude; translanguaging was present after every reading. She read fast, and I did wonder if she did so to try to impress me or because she was nervous. Elisa’s miscues revealed that she omitted reading labels of pictures across all text and in both languages, which could have helped her understanding and retell- ing of the stories. She made more miscues in Spanish than in English. Her miscues in Spanish were mostly with words she did not know; however, she attempted every time to read those words, and self-correction proved to be her forte during these reading sessions. The analysis of her miscues revealed that she made more high-quality miscues, and high-quality miscues do not affect meaning. Although Elisa was suggested for participation in this study based on teacher recommendation, she proved to be a good reader, and good readers can also benefit from miscue analysis, as our aim is to challenge stu- dents to set goals and reach their full potential. The mis- cue analysis data helped me choose a strategy lesson to focus on as well as provide hints for ways to boost Elisa’s confidence as a bilingual reader. Retrospective Miscue Analysis Elisa was very eager to know how miscue analysis worked, so I told her that I would show her how it was done and that she could help me with her “miscue ears.” I told her that I would have a mystery reader, but she asked if her dad could be the reader instead. I communicated with her dad, and he was very happy to

participate and learn more about what Elisa’s reading sessions were about. Elisa’s dad read about six hundred words at the same reading level I used for his daugh- ter. Elisa and I marked miscues on separate printed versions of the text. I told Elisa to mark repetitions, omissions, and word substitutions, as I did not want the process to be tedious for her or her dad. There was a level of excitement in the room as I in- structed Elisa to tell her dad one thing he did well while reading, and she commented on his pace and rhythm, then we both told him about his miscues. I allowed her to lead the conversation, occasionally pointing out if she overlooked a miscue. We also asked Elisa’s dad to do a retelling, and Elisa’s enthusiasm got a hold of her when her dad gave an incorrect retelling; she quickly correct- ed him, and she did the rest of retelling, modeling to her dad the elements of retelling. Towards the end of the sessions, we had a short conversation. Elisa’s dad was surprised to see his miscues. He also used translan- guaging in English and Spanish. Overall, Elisa was ex- cited she could help her dad structure a more accurate retelling of the story, and he was happy and somewhat surprised about Elisa’s comprehension. Regardless of the language of the texts, Elisa chose to conduct the RMA in English. However, when she got really excited during the discussion, she used Spanish to communicate her ideas; translanguaging was essen- tial for our interactions. Translanguaging acted as an agent of “flow,” honoring Elisa’s bilingual identity. More- over, Elisa’s retrospective miscue analysis revealed that she omitted reading picture descriptions in both English and Spanish texts. During our conversation, she told me that she had not seen the pictures at all, which sparked my interest for following up with eye tracker move- ment research in the future. During our sessions, Elisa acknowledged the importance of reading the picture labels as they are part of the texts. I am hopeful she will pay more attention to images in the future. RMA also reaffirmed Elisa’s confidence in herself, her biliteracy, and her opportunities of growth. She said she enjoyed the RMA sessions as it allowed her to hear herself read and become more aware of her strengths. Semi-Structured Interview The last session of the study was a short, semi-struc- tured interview to analyze if Elisa’s perception on reading and readers had changed and to gather her thoughts about being part of this study. During this

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