Data Collection

 What are the specific reading comprehension challenges that Spanish learners
typically face?
Certainly! Here's a survey question to gather information about specific reading comprehension
challenges that Spanish learners typically face, using a scale from 0 to 5:
Survey Question:
On a scale from 0 to 5, please rate the following specific reading comprehension challenges that you,
as a Spanish learner, typically face:
Difficulty understanding unfamiliar vocabulary.
0: Not a challenge at all
1: Slight challenge
2: Moderate challenge
3: Considerable challenge
4: Significant challenge
5: Very challenging
Struggles with comprehending complex sentence structures and grammar.
1: Slight challenge
5: Very challenging
Challenges in identifying main ideas and key details in texts.
1: Slight challenge
5: Very challenging
Problems with making inferences and drawing conclusions from texts.
1: Slight challenge
5: Very challenging
Difficulty understanding cultural references and nuances in texts.
1: Slight challenge
5: Very challenging
Struggles with maintaining focus and concentration while reading.
1: Slight challenge
5: Very challenging
Problems with synthesizing information and making connections across texts.
1: Slight challenge
5: Very challenging
Date: [Insert Date]
Observer: [Your Name]
Teacher: [Teacher's Name]
Grade Level: 10th Grade
Subject: Spanish Language

Lesson Observation
Date: November 30/ 2023
Teacher: Marjolein Snel
Subject: Spanish language
Class: 3 VWO/HAVO – 20 students Duration: 45 minutes
Introduction:
Upon entering the classroom, students were quietly seated, and the teacher greeted
them warmly. The teacher briefly introduced the purpose of the observation and
assured the students that their regular activities would continue as usual. The
teacher explained that the lesson would focus on reading comprehension in Spanish.
Reading Activity:
The teacher distributed texts in Spanish to each student, ensuring that the texts were
appropriate for their reading levels. Students were instructed to read the text silently
and independently. Throughout the reading activity, the teacher remained seated at
the front of the classroom and did not provide any explicit guidance or instructions to
support students' comprehension. There was no evidence of the teacher
implementing specific reading strategies such as skimming, scanning, questioning, or
summarizing. While some students appeared engaged in the reading, others seemed
unsure and hesitant.
Group Discussion:
After the reading activity, the teacher initiated a whole-class discussion about the
text. Students were encouraged to share their interpretations, ask questions, or make
connections to their own experiences. However, the teacher's questions were
primarily focused on factual recall rather than promoting deeper understanding or
critical thinking. There was limited student participation, with only a few students
actively contributing to the discussion. The teacher did not provide much feedback or
clarification to support students' comprehension during the discussion.
Conclusion:
Overall, the observed lesson lacked effective implementation of reading strategies to improve
reading comprehension in the Spanish classroom. The teacher did not provide explicit guidance or
support during the reading activity, and there was a lack of student engagement and participation
during the discussion. Moving forward, the teacher needs to incorporate research-based reading
strategies and foster a supportive learning environment that encourages active student participation
and critical thinking in reading comprehension tasks.
Online dictionaries or translation tools
Effectiveness: [1 - Not effective] [2] [3] [4] [5 - Very effective]
Comments/Suggestions:
Educational apps or websites specifically designed for Spanish language learning
Digital flashcards or vocabulary-building apps
Interactive reading platforms or e-books with built-in comprehension activities

Language learning platforms with reading comprehension exercises and assessments
Collaborative reading and annotation tools for group activities
Multimedia resources such as videos, podcasts, or interactive presentations related to Spanish texts
Other (please specify):
Comprehensive Instruction: It is vital to incorporate unambiguous and
precise instructions on the utilisation of digital activities, alongside guidance
on the use of proficient reading comprehension strategies, including
Skimming and Scanning, SQ3R Technique, Active reading, Detailed reading,
and the KWL reading method. The provision of clear instructions within digital
activities is crucial in facilitating students' ability to apply good reading
comprehension strategies (Muijs & Reynolds, 2018). This criterion facilitates
the cultivation of a more profound comprehension of how to handle and
interact with texts to improve understanding.
Adaptability to Student Needs: Develop digital activities that

accommodate the varied learning requirements and skill levels of 3
HAVO/VWO students, encompassing both HAVO and VWO tracks. The
capacity to adjust means that every student can actively participate in the
activities and achieve significant advancements in their reading
comprehension abilities(Terpstra & Prinsen, 2012 ). Therefore, reading
exercises are given up to level A2 at a different level of difficulty to ensure
that each student works at his/her own pace.
Curriculum Standards Alignment: It is imperative to ensure that the digital
activities follow the curriculum standards and learning objectives for Spanish
language instruction at the 3 HAVO/VWO level (Ashman, 2018). The
alignment between digital activities and the curriculum standards established
for Spanish language education at the 3 HAVO/VWO level is crucial. This
practice guarantees that the activities are pertinent and directly contribute to
the attainment of the intended learning outcomes as outlined in the
curriculum. The series of five lessons in Lesson Up covers the main topics
learnt during the first, second, and third years.
Authentic material: To enhance students' exposure to real-world language

use and cultural contexts, it is recommended to include authentic Spanish
texts from a variety of sources, including literature, news items, websites,
and multimedia tools. Utilising genuine Spanish texts from many sources
offers students the opportunity to encounter genuine language usage and
cultural circumstances in the real world (Brandl, 2008). This particular
requirement ensures that students can interpret and assess authentic
content that they may encounter outside of the educational setting. The texts
presented in the Lesson UP exhibit a strong correlation with the students'
personal experiences, thereby imbuing them with significance.
Engagement and Gamification: Create activities that are captivating,

pertinent, and culturally suitable to the student’s interests and backgrounds
to cultivate internal motivation and enthusiasm for reading comprehension.
The development of captivating and culturally appropriate digital activities
plays a pivotal role in catching the attention and fostering the motivation of
pupils (Pachler, 2007). Students are more inclined to actively engage and
dedicate themselves to enhancing their reading comprehension by
integrating subjects and resources that align with their interests and
backgrounds. By using gamification during class, the learning process is
more enjoyable and effective as the Lesson Up displays a range of options
to participate in class.
Interface Design: Develop interfaces for digital activities that prioritise user-
friendliness, ensuring straightforward navigation for both students and
teachers (Geerts & Kralingen, 2018). These interfaces should include clear
instructions and prompts to facilitate ease of use. Creating an intuitive
interface for digital activities is crucial for enhancing usability and enabling
navigation for both students and teachers. To optimise engagement and
effectiveness, this criterion aims to minimise the learning curve associated
with the utilisation of the activities. Consequently, Lesson Up has been
chosen because of its user-friendly interface and the convenience of
accessing it from home for students who wish to engage in additional
practice after school.
Feedback and assessment: Integrate functionalities that offer prompt
feedback on student replies and progress during digital activities, along with
chances for formative assessment to track the growth of comprehension
abilities (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). The use of Lesson Up, online
resources, and interactive material can enhance the overall efficacy of
language instruction by providing immediate feedback.
Summary of Data Collection
Firstly, I defined the research question: "How can Spanish teachers at Vissert Hooft Lyceum
Leiderdorp integrate digital activities to improve the reading comprehension skills of 3
HAVO/VWO students?”
The objectives of this research question were the following:
 I wanted to implement digital tools to improve reading comprehension

 I wanted to review the reading comprehension strategies used in the classrooms.
To address the research question, I employed multiple data collection methods:
1. Surveys:
Conducted two surveys to gather quantitative and qualitative data from students:
Both surveys were given to third-year HAVO/VWO students at Vissert´ Hooft Lyceum
Leiderdorp. Students are aged between 14 and 15 years old. All questions and answers
were given in English since students´ English proficiency is excellent.
The first survey focused on specific reading comprehension challenges faced by Spanish
learners, utilizing a scale from 0 to 5 to rate the severity of each challenge. The grading scale
provided was: 0: Not a challenge at all, 1: Slight challenge, 2: Moderate challenge, 3:
Considerable challenge, 4: Significant challenge, and 5: Very challenging. In total, there were
7 questions given to the students. The number of respondents was 20.
The second survey aimed to identify digital tools used by students to enhance their reading
comprehension skills in Spanish. It utilized a scale from 1 to 5 to rate the effectiveness of
each tool, with 1 being "Not effective" and 5 being "Very effective, along with an option to
provide comments or suggestions for improvement. In total, there were 8 questions given to
the students. The number of respondents was 20.
2. Observation:
Conducted an observation to gather qualitative data on the reading strategies being used in
the Spanish classroom to improve reading comprehension. Specifically, I focused on creating
an observation lesson about a teacher who commands students to read during class. This
observation provided insights into current instructional practices and areas for improvement.
The lesson lasted 45 min at 3 HAVO/VWO. The teacher is Dutch and has taught Spanish at
school already for 17 years. There were 27 students in class, aged between 14 and 15 years
old. The observation was written objectively and without any assumptions.
These data collection methods allowed for a comprehensive understanding of the current
challenges faced by Spanish learners, the effectiveness of digital tools in improving reading
comprehension, and the implementation of reading strategies in the classroom. The
combination of quantitative and qualitative data provided valuable insights that informed the
development of recommendations for integrating digital activities effectively to enhance
reading comprehension skills among 3 HAVO/VWO students.

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 What are the specific reading comprehension challenges that Spanish learners

Difficulty understanding unfamiliar vocabulary.

0: Not a challenge at all

Struggles with comprehending complex sentence structures and grammar.

0: Not a challenge at all

Challenges in identifying main ideas and key details in texts.

0: Not a challenge at all

Problems with making inferences and drawing conclusions from texts.

0: Not a challenge at all

Difficulty understanding cultural references and nuances in texts.

0: Not a challenge at all

Struggles with maintaining focus and concentration while reading.

0: Not a challenge at all

Problems with synthesizing information and making connections across texts.

0: Not a challenge at all

Date: [Insert Date]

Observer: [Your Name]

Teacher: [Teacher's Name]

Grade Level: 10th Grade

Subject: Spanish Language

Online dictionaries or translation tools

Effectiveness: [1 - Not effective] [2] [3] [4] [5 - Very effective]

Educational apps or websites specifically designed for Spanish language learning

Effectiveness: [1 - Not effective] [2] [3] [4] [5 - Very effective]

Digital flashcards or vocabulary-building apps

Effectiveness: [1 - Not effective] [2] [3] [4] [5 - Very effective]

Interactive reading platforms or e-books with built-in comprehension activities

Language learning platforms with reading comprehension exercises and assessments

Effectiveness: [1 - Not effective] [2] [3] [4] [5 - Very effective]

Collaborative reading and annotation tools for group activities

Effectiveness: [1 - Not effective] [2] [3] [4] [5 - Very effective]

Effectiveness: [1 - Not effective] [2] [3] [4] [5 - Very effective]

Other (please specify):

Effectiveness: [1 - Not effective] [2] [3] [4] [5 - Very effective]

Adaptability to Student Needs: Develop digital activities that

Authentic material: To enhance students' exposure to real-world language

Engagement and Gamification: Create activities that are captivating,

Summary of Data Collection

 I wanted to implement digital tools to improve reading comprehension

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