Collaborative Retrospective Miscue Analysis: a pathway to self-efficacy in reading
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Collaborative Retrospective Miscue Analysis (CRMA) is a process where students
participate in a small group discussion about their reading miscues, retellings, and thinking about
reading. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the self-efficacy beliefs
students hold about their reading skills and abilities while engaged in CRMA. The six sixth-
grade students audio taped their reading of text and followed by conducting an unassisted
retelling. Next, the researcher transcribed the tapes providing students with a transcription
during CRMA sessions. Students held discussions with their peers and the researcher about their
reading miscues and retellings revealing their thinking about their miscues and examining why
they occurred.
Data from the videotaped CRMA sessions, Burke Reading Interviews, Self-Efficacy in
Reading Scales, CRMA journals, and teacher e-mail interviews were extensively analyzed.
Findings revealed changes in each of the participants’ self-efficacy in reading from the beginning
to the end of the study. Analysis of the CRMA transcripts showed students held conversations
from six areas: 1) initial discussions focusing on numbers of miscues or reading flawlessly; 2)
discussion about reading strategies; 3) discussion about making sense of text; 4) discussion about
miscues that affected meaning and those that did not; 5) discussion centered on the elements of
retelling, and; 6) discussion finding strengths in peers’ skills. In addition, the transcripts
revealed students discussed vocabulary from the text to build meaning during reading.
Qualitative methods were employed to analyze multiple sources of data allowing
students’ reading skills to be studied and examined in detail and the self-efficacy in reading that
surfaced during the process. Thick, rich portraits of each student were developed looking through
the following lenses: 1) prior literacy assessment; 2) Burke Reading Interviews; 3) miscue
analysis; 4) retellings; 5) observational viewing; 6) the teacher’s lens; and, 7) developing self-
efficacy in reading. Finally, a holistic group portrait was unveiled. Students deserve to be
engaged in social learning, especially during reading when they can discuss their experiences with
text with peers. CRMA provides a respectful avenue for students to talk about their miscues,
retellings, and reading behaviors and nurture and extend self-efficacy in the process.