Episode 5: Findings & Impact on Learner Confidence and Fluency

What happens when struggling readers begin to believe they can succeed?

In this episode of Education Unlocked — Learn. Apply. Thrive., Marc Pietersen shares the key findings from his action research exploring how technology-supported, research-informed strategies impacted reading fluency and learner confidence among low-ability EAL students.

This episode unpacks:

•How fluency improved through structured practice

•Why confidence became a catalyst for progress

•Practical strategies teachers can apply immediately

•How action research can inform wider teaching practice

Grounded in established literacy research, this episode offers actionable insight for teachers looking to improve reading outcomes while strengthening learner confidence.

References:

Dignath, C., & Büttner, G. (2008). Components of fostering self-regulated learning among students: A meta-analysis on intervention studies at the primary and secondary school level. Metacognition and Learning, 3(3), 231–264. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11409-008-9029-x

Pinnell, G. S., Pikulski, J. J., Wixson, K. K., Campbell, J. R., Gough, P. B., & Beatty, A. S. (1995). Listening to children read aloud: Data from NAEP’s integrated reading performance record (IRPR) at grade 4. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED522191

Virginia Literacy Partnerships. (2024). Fluency infographic. University of Virginia. https://literacy.virginia.edu/sites/g/files/jsddwu1006/files/value-series/inforgraphics/Fluency-Infographic-20240611.pdf

Zuo, X., & Ives, D. (2023). The effectiveness of Reading Tutor software for improving EAL students’ oral reading fluency and comprehension. SAGE Open, 13(3), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/20965311231179490

About the Podcast

Education Unlocked supports teachers in building confidence, clarity, and classroom impact through research-informed, practical strategies. Hosted by Marc Pietersen, this podcast bridges the gap between theory and practice — helping teachers thrive, one lesson at a time.

If this episode helped you reflect or refine your practice, consider following the podcast or sharing it with a colleague.

Learn. Apply. Thrive.

Transcript

Speaker 0:10

Welcome back to Education Unlocked. Learn, Apply, Thrive. Thank you for clicking on and for listening to this new episode. My name is Marc, and I have one question for you before we start.

Speaker 0:22

What happens when struggling readers stop fearing reading aloud and start believing they can succeed?

Speaker 0:30

In earlier episodes, I've shared how this action research was designed, implemented, and analyzed. Today we'll be focusing on what matters most. Impact. Did it work? Or how did it impact students as well? Not just focusing on test scores, but focusing on impacting confidence, engagement, and growth.

Speaker 0:54

So the first thing I want to talk about is what changed. What key findings from the classroom did I discover? So what actually changed across this research period, which was seven weeks, students started showing improved oral reading fluency. With the consistency of them practicing and practicing, it improved their oral reading fluency and prosody. There was also a greater willingness to read aloud, developing the confidence that they were willing to read in front of others. It increased their reading stamina. With that constant practice, their stamina began to increase and grow. And more positive learner self-taught. That came through their reflection, talking about their reading and how they fought that went. So listening to children read aloud has been longly recognized as a reliable way of assessing student fluency. Now, this was recognized by Pinnell and colleagues in 1995. So teachers have been using this strategy for years. We need to be listening to students read in order to truly understand and hear if their fluency is progressing. And how do we do that? There are different ways of doing it. I mean, some teachers do it in the classroom. I prefer doing an audio recording version just to eliminate that anxiety of it because I wasn't a confident reader when I was in school. So my way of looking at it is from that perspective. So what this research added was a different structure, consistency and reflection through journaling. Technology supported reading when intentionally integrated and used, supported progress rather than distracting from it. Now that was Zuo and Ives from 2023. Now, how are you using technology to enhance the experience for your learners? When it's been used purposefully, it creates purposeful learning, linking to long-term recognition and understanding. So I wanted my students to link their reading journey to what they were doing in the classroom. This way they could build that understanding, a better understanding of their writing skills as well while they were developing the reading. Now I've mentioned this previously in other episodes, but this way was my purpose and impact for the overall development and just focusing on that. Which brings me to my second point confidence as a catalyst for fluency. Now, one of the clearest outcomes wasn't numerical. It wasn't about the numbers, it was about the behavior. So focusing on that behaviorism characteristic, like changing the attitude. So it wasn't about focusing on those number scores at all. It was more about changing their perspective and attitude towards learning, towards reading in this case. So students who previously avoided reading were volunteering more. I had students putting their hands up to read up in front of the rest of their peers in the classroom while we were doing our class reader. So they were then also re-recording their reading independently. While they were at home, they would read to themselves, record that, and listen to themselves read. That way they would be able to then identify, reflect, which is the next point, reflecting on that honestly, on their progress. So that self-reflection, so when they had to journal later on, they could take that information, they could write about it. This supports research strategies that fluency sits at an intersection where two things meet, which is skilled and confidence. This was highlighted by Virginia Literacy Partnership in 2024. So reading is a journey, but we always learn something new when we choose a road to take. And that's what we wanted to do was to get my students to that point where they were choosing the road towards reading and learning about reading as they went along that journey. So if confidence improves before fluency, are we sometimes measuring progress too late? Or is that in the wrong way? What comes first? Is it fluency comes first? Or is it confidence? In my eyes, it's confidence. Because once you develop confidence, then the other things are going to start to come because they're going to hear themselves practicing, they're going to hear themselves progressing, and once that confidence is foundation, they can then build on top of that. So journaling and reflection then strengthened my learner's self-regulation. So as a key factor of sustained improvement, which was then has also been echoed by Dignath and Büttner of 2008. Because when they could take that back and reflect on that, they could then self-identify areas they need to work on, which then would boost their confidence. Brings me to my third point. So what teachers can apply immediately. So practical takeaways teachers can apply straight away without new programs or budgets. Now, the first thing is audio modeling with familiar voices. Now, in an AI generated or AI context world, I mean everyone's so quick to jump onto AI. But you can hear when something is generated, right? So I know that relationship building is so important when it comes into the classroom. So if students are hearing me read, they're more open to have that connection and to link with that. So record short reading samples using your own voice. Students engage more with that trusted voice because they hear it every day. It supports pronunciation, phrasing, and pace. You have control over that. This is also supported by Zuo and Ives of 2023 using modeling as a tool. The second thing is low-stakes oral reading opportunities. Now, creating those safe spaces, you know, you can do reading in small groups, you can do it in paired reading groups, or you can do it as recorded reading instead of public performances. So small groups work. If I'm in a classroom and I group my students together, they can read to each other and practice reading. But you're also going to potentially have your more reserved students that would pull out of that a bit more, who'd be a bit more anxious in order to do that. Now you can also go with paired reading, which is also a great tool, but you need to make sure you're really careful about who you pair students up with. So it needs to take that lot of thinking. Don't just pair strong with a weak student, okay, or a student that's struggling with reading, because they might feel inadequate by listening to someone else read so much. But also don't link then a struggling student with another struggling student, because is that going to support their progress? So you really need to think carefully about that. That brought me to recording readings instead of public performances. So even though reading in public is an important tool, we first need to develop those tools first. So that's why I did home recordings as my first option. And then I saw that with my own eyes how that filtered into the classroom. So those students who are a bit anxious first built the confidence and then they chose to do that. So this reduces anxiety and increases practical fluency, which was also saw, but was seen in Pinell and company in 1995 and their work. The third thing here is structured reflection. So important. If we as teachers or people anywhere are reflecting on how we're developing in our own journey, shouldn't we be developing that in our students as well? So ask your students, what helped you read better today? What helped you read better today? What did you find tricky? What would you try next time? You know, and then when you give them that feedback, they can then apply those things. So with me at the moment, what I'm doing is I'm getting my student to send me audios, I'm analyzing those audios, writing up areas of strength, but then also maybe just giving them two areas of improvement. Only two, not overloading, just give them two, because then they can focus on those two things for the next reading piece. And then they can also reflect on that and monitor their own progress. So this builds metacognition and self-regulation. Again, this was also reflected in Dignath and Büttner of 2008, and that is so important because once you start reflecting and recognizing in yourself, it's easier to then reapply that, right? The fourth thing that teachers can do is measure confidence, not just accuracy. So track willingness to read. How willing are they to read? Has that made progress? Reading stamina, are they are they developing that reading fluency more effectively over time? So if you're wanting a child to read for two minutes, that's great. You can word count as well if you wanted to, that's great. But all that's all dependent on on the reading piece that they're reading. Okay, so reading stamina, how are they progressing with their sentences? Is it flowing nicely? The other thing that we need to do or that you can track is self-reported confidence. Again, reflect on that. How did you feel that went today? Where do you think you could improve? Did you notice anything? So fluency growth often follows confidence, it's not the other way around. Okay, fluency growth follows confidence. So we start with confidence first, and then the fluency develops after that. And this was mirrored in Virginia Literacy Partnership of 2004. 2024, sorry, 2024. So my my fourth point and my last point before closing is why this matters beyond one classroom. So what began as an action research project linked to my master's degree became something way more powerful than I could imagine. So it shifted a teacher's practice or teaching practice. This is how we read a word in the classroom, practice reading with me, to more of a tool that students could use at home when they potentially did not have that support. Okay. The other point was it boosted learner confidence. Learners felt more encouraged and more proud that they're taking that step about reading in front of those in the classroom. But also it was also creating that environment of no judgment. So my students had that care for each other. They wouldn't laugh or judge someone else that they read. And we need to build and develop that in the classroom as well, which is vitally important. So a model that that that other teachers can also adapt to is also another thing that teachers can do here. Teachers modeling it. And you listening can adapt it to your classroom, to your students. Okay. I was I teach 10-year-olds, so 10, 11-year-olds, depending where they are on their school journey. But I mean, if you're in high school, that's a different, that's a different avenue that you can look at. If you're in if you're in lower key stage two, okay, if you're teaching eight or seven-year-olds, you can also adapt that as well to suit your modeling. So what if improving reading outcomes started with changing how safe students feel when they read? Because we need to develop that confidence. We need to make sure they feel safe, that they don't have that form of judgment. And this is how the action research moved beyond compliance for just the study, and actually has become for me a professional growth where I can also share with my colleagues these different things as well. And they could also potentially put it into their practice. So my closing reflection for this episode is if you're a teacher listening, remember you do not need more tools, you need intentional practice, intentional and purposeful practice that leads to confident development. And like I often say, with confidence, anything is possible. Small, consistent changes can be grounded in research, can unlock confidence, fluency, and a learner's belief. So in the next episode, we'll explore the implications from classroom teaching and whole school practice and how action research can shape professional learning cultures within your school environment. It moves from one teacher trying to make a change and to influence that change for all.

Speaker 13:54

So thank you for listening to Education Unlocked, Learn, Apply, Thrive. If today's episode gave you something to think about, something to try, or something to grow with, share with a colleague who you feel might need it too, or leave a review to help others discover this podcast. You can follow the podcast for more episodes where we continue to break down real strategies, real research, and real classroom impact. Until next time, keep learning, keep applying, and keep thriving. And I'll see you in the next episode.