Your assignment is to prepare and submit a paper on improving phonological awareness and decoding skills of high school students from diverse backgrounds by kathleen mcquiston, dor. Improving Phonological Awareness and Decoding Skills of High School from Diverse Backgrounds by Kathleen McQuiston, Doris O’Shea, and Michelle McCollin Table of Contents Introduction 3 Methods 4 Results 4 Implications 5 Reference 6 Bibliography 6 Introduction ‘Phonological awareness’ is defined as the ability of human beings to comprehend the sound structure of a language which he/she hears in the surroundings. As a consequence of modernization, ‘phonological awareness’ has emerged as an effective tool to predict the reading and learning ability in humans and it has become a focus for researchers. The research performed by Kathleen McQuiston, Doris O’Shea, and Michelle McCollin is also based on the aspect of ‘phonological awareness’. The prime objective of the paper is to investigate the efficiency of the awareness system in improving the reading and learning ability of high-school students belonging to the diverse backgrounds both in terms of culture and linguistics. The students suffering from impairments were also considered in the research study. It also objected to recognize few measures which can be used for the improvement of the decoding ability among those students. In this regard, the researchers concluded various noteworthy measures which can be beneficial for the students if implied with efficacy and effectivity. Methods In order to perform the research work and obtain relevant findings from the study, the researchers can be recognized to focus on the observation method of data collection. In this case the researchers implied a close observation of the research participants, i.e. the students and the teachers of high-schools. Perpetually, the researchers concentrated on studying the behavior of the student with impairments and belonging to different cultural groups and linguistics. The researchers also tended to observe the teaching methods used by the teachers to educate the students by developing their ‘phonological awareness’. Results The results obtained in the research can be stated as quite significant to understand the variances in the ‘phonological awareness’ possessed by high-school students suffering from impairments with that of other students. The research findings also highlighted various methods to improve the decoding abilities among the students. For instance, it suggested hip-hop, a modern day music art as a tool to enhance the reading and learning ability of the students. The findings also revealed that the inclusion of arts and culture specific programs are quite effective in improving phonological awareness among the students. The key findings of the research suggest that the improvements of phonological awareness among students belonging to the diverse backgrounds are subject to suitable instructional practices by the teachers. It also revealed that students who gain sufficient time and passionate involvement from their teachers improve rapidly and with greater efficacy. Therefore, it can be stated that the study was quite effective in obtaining the results with an accord to the research objectives according to the researchers’ expectations. However, the study collected few limitations which will be illustrated in the further discussion below. Implications The data collection process undertaken in the study was largely based on the observatory approach which specifies few limitations. For instance, as stated by the researchers, hip-hop music art can be an effective tool to improve the phonological awareness among the high-school students belonging to diverse background. But earlier researches reveal that the efficacy of hip-hop modern music art is limited in the case of high-school students and are largely effective for students aged between 4 to 5 years (Cheesman & Pry, 2010). The research topic and aim possesses a great significance to the context of literacy and improvement of teaching methods, especially for the impaired students. However, the research methodology raises few limitations to the context which in turn limits the effectivity of the research. Therefore, wider and more effective research method should be used in the study to increase its applicability and true potential. Reference Cheesman, E. & Pry, R. D., (2010). A Critical Review of Culturally Responsive Literacy Instruction. Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education: Vol. 5: Iss. 1, Article 10. Retrieved Online on April 08, 2011 from http://digitalcommons.library.unlv.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1034&context=jpme&sei-redir=1#search=%22Improving+Phonological+Awareness+and+Decoding+Skills+of+High+School+Students+From+Diverse+Backgrounds%22 Bibliography McQuiston, K. & Et. Al., (2008). Improving Phonological Awareness and Decoding Skills of High School Students from Diverse Backgrounds. Heldref Publications.