The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of supplementary computer-assisted instruction in raising the reading achievement of Chapter I pupils in grades 4, 5 and 6. There were 340 subjects in the sample, students in the Manteca Unified School District. Subjects were assigned to either the Experimental or Control Group based on their Reading Subtest scores on the Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills.

Many research-based reading interventions exist, but little literature examines teaching secondary reading using entire novels as an intervention. This quasi-experimental study examined the relationship between whether entire novels were included in secondary intensive reading and students' English language arts skills. Data were collected through an online survey of eight reading teachers from one Florida school district. Data collected by the survey were teacher qualifications, inclusion of entire novels in reading curriculum, and implementation of research-based teaching strategies. Survey data, Florida Standards Assessment of English Language Arts (FSA ELA) student scores, student demographics and reading placement data were analyzed to answer six research questions regarding the use of entire novels in secondary reading classes. Students were enrolled in one of three leveled abilities reading classes (identified as a Reading Treatment). Data were analyzed using a series of Analysis of Variances (ANOVAs) with Kruskal-Wallis post hoc tests. Results indicated there were no statistically significant interactions between Reading Treatment, novels use, and student race or ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. No interaction effect was found between Reading Treatment and teacher self-reported implementation of research-based teaching strategies for students taught with entire novels. A statistically significant difference in language arts skills was found for students in Reading Treatments 1 and 3. Among those students, those taught without entire novels had higher levels of language arts skills than students taught using entire novels. Another statistically significant difference was in Reading Treatments 3 students who had teachers without reading endorsements had higher language arts levels. This research was conducted to better inform educational leaders in best practices when determining secondary intensive reading curriculum.

The purpose of this qualitative critical discourse analysis study was to determine if there was a benefit to using a young adult adaptation of a canonical piece to increase student comprehension in the 9th grade English-Language Arts classroom. The use of young adult literature in the secondary classroom is a prevalent topic that continues to circulate amongst educators and researchers. This research study addresses how canonical literature is far removed from the current set of twenty-first century students and its disconnect in the classroom. This study sought to discover student thoughts and perceptions on a specific set of text pairings to answer the research question: How, if at all, does young adult literature better inform canonical literature in the 9th grade English-Language Arts classroom. This qualitative study uses critical discourse analysis methods to examine four students' written and verbal transactions through the use of a pre-survey, Google Forms "Quiz", a Zoom interview, and a post survey as a means for critical interpretation. Using critical discourse analysis the researcher identified themes that reflected the following results: students identified with the young adult text because they can relate to the character's struggles and current events, colloquial and neologisms were used to convey understanding, and participant's silences expressed confidence, even when their words did not. Student's through their own narratives have indicated that there is a benefit and need to use, a more culturally relevant young adult literature adaptation alongside a canonical piece to increase student understanding in the high school setting.

Because preservice teachers will be tasked with the responsibility of preparing their future students for effective communication and engagement in our global society, the experiences and practices related to digital writing that preservice teachers engage in before they begin their practice as full-time educators is critical to their professional development. This qualitative case study investigated two research questions, "How do teacher educators describe their technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge of digital writing?" and "How is teacher educators' knowledge of digital writing practices evident in their teaching?" This study took place at a large university in the Southeastern United States. Documents, interviews, and observational data were collected from two participants, Megan and Nancy. Both participants were educators in the elementary education preservice teacher programs at the university. The data from this study demonstrated that teacher educators had knowledge of digital writing tools, including how to integrate the use of digital writing tools into literacy instruction, help preservice teachers recognize the affordances and constraints of digital writing tools, and reflect on digital writing tools. The data sources also demonstrated common practices teacher educators integrated into preservice teacher instruction such as providing choice in the use of digital writing tools and modeling the use of digital writing tools for course assignments. The results of this study indicate the importance of integrating digital writing knowledge with practice in elementary preservice teacher programs. Additional implications for practice and suggestions for future research in digital writing is provided as a result of this study.

This exploratory case study was conducted in order to determine what themes, if at all, emerged from the analysis of multimodal, graphic novel panels adapted from primary texts. While research has been conducted in understanding the academic validity of graphic novels, as well as how visual analysis abilities can lend themselves to the further understanding of grammar, space, and hierarchy of elements of graphic novels, there exists a gap in how situating the meaning-making readers generate in an analysis of adapted graphic novels. This research study addresses how adolescent learners utilize language after exposure to visual grammar terminology and concepts, and what roles are adopted by the adolescent learner in their understanding of the multimodal images. This case study relies on pattern matching to examine what roles under the Expanded Four Resource Model were utilized, both prior and after applying visual framework on graphic novel panels. This study utilized an educational unit, along with an interview, in order to collect data. This research is significant because it provides an exploration of comparison to processes similar to purely textual reading, the concepts readers understood has presence within multimodal images, and how dominance-based thinking presented itself within many explanations of visuals.

A theory is presented to explain the reading patterns found among dyslexics through a single process of encoding representations binding phonology and orthography of units of varying numbers of letters within the lexical repertoire. Dyslexia is explained as a function of lack of clarity in the phonological input, resulting in more tenuously bound orthographical-phonological representations. With extensive exposure to the proper phonological input such bound representations can be formed, but the process is very effortful compared to that among unimpaired readers. In order to demonstrate this claim it is necessary to show that errors among dyslexics occur more frequently in low-frequency words, that more sound-related errors are made, that substitution errors are phonetically close to the proper sounds and that the LATAS intervention, which involves memorization of lists of words, would cause the word parts contained on the memorized lists to have correspondingly fewer errors when they are contained in words read by the individuals than other, non-practiced word parts. The paper proposes ways in which to test these claims.

Formative assessment measures are commonly used in schools to assess early literacy skills as indicators of reading acquisition and to design instruction accordingly. The purpose of this research was to investigate the incremental predictive validity of formative assessment measures of reading comprehension. It was hypothesized that formative measures of reading comprehension will contribute more to our understanding of students' overall reading abilities than simply Oral Reading Fluency (ORF). It was also hypothesized that these measures can be modeled in a meaningful way to explain student performance on criterion measures of academic competence. Four formative measures of reading comprehension---Maze (MZ), Retell Fluency (RTF), Written Retell (WRT), and Sentence Verification Technique (SVT)---were used to measure unique aspects of reading comprehension through production-type responses in an efficient and instructionally meaningful way. The Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE) was used as a measure of overall reading proficiency while the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) was used as a measure of academic competence. Data were collected from 111 fourth grade students from two Western Massachusetts elementary schools. Four multiple regression equations were computed to test the hypothesis that measures of reading comprehension will contribute more to our understanding of reading proficiency than ORF alone. Each measure significantly predicted performance on GRADE above and beyond that predicted by ORF. A larger multiple regression equation was used to evaluate which measure predicted a unique and significant proportion of the variance in reading proficiency. The MZ, SVT and WRT were significant predictors in the model. Using the measures found to be significant with ORF, a logistic regression analysis was computed to evaluate how reliably the newly constructed model predicted a pass or fail status on the fourth grade English Language Arts section of MCAS. None of the predictors were significant. An additional multiple regression analysis was computed to predict MCAS performance and the newly constructed model of reading proficiency. This model predicted approximately .66 of the variability in MCAS performance.

Reading is a skill that unlocks the doors of learning and success. It is commonly accepted that reading is a foundational skill that plays a major role in a child's academic success. The history of teaching reading includes many theories about the development of reading, the source of reading difficulties, and interventions for remediation. A large body of research has demonstrated that reading difficulties stem from a phonological basis and interventions that target this area are generally beneficial in helping improving reading skills (National Reading Panel, 2000; Shaywitz, 2003; Stanovich, 1986). However, there are some who even with extensive intervention continue to struggle to read. Helen Irlen (2005) proposed that these people may experience visual-perceptual distortions when reading high-contrast text (black on white background). Irlen claims that symptoms of this disorder, termed Scotopic Sensitivity or Irlen Syndrome, can be alleviated by the use of color overlays or filters (tinted glasses). Research into the existence of this syndrome and the effectiveness of the overlays and filters to remediate reading problems has been inconsistent and criticized for lacking scientific rigor and heavy reliance on subject report of improvement. The present study seeks to evaluate differences that may exist in eye movements and reading fluency when subjects diagnosed with IS read text with and without color overlays. Participants were screened with the Irlen Reading Perceptual Scale (IRPS) to determine whether or not they suffered from the syndrome. From this screening, participants chose an overlay reported to alleviate distortions or discomfort they experienced when reading. They were then asked to read 18 passages under three conditions—with a clear overlay, with their chosen overlay, and with a random overlay—while their eye movements were recorded. Results indicated that participants showed no improvement in eye movement or reading fluency when they read passages with an optimum (chosen) overlay verses a clear overlay or a random overlay.

Information literacy at higher education institutions is an important issue at the local and national levels. In 2000, the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) created a set of information literacy standards and asked academic institutions to incorporate them into their college curricula (ACRL, 2000). The ACRL states that, to be considered information literate, a person must be able to recognize when information is needed and be able to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information (ACRL, 2000). Academic institutions follow these standards to teach their students information literacy skills and assist them to become lifelong learners. Library literature indicates that international students face some linguistic, cultural, and technological challenges in using the library and learning information literacy skills. The purpose of this study was to examine the information literacy of international graduate students. It assessed their current skills and investigated their challenges and needs. Understanding the challenges international students face and exploring the factors associated with these challenges can be helpful to understand the academic needs of this group of students. The study was conducted on international graduate students at the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) at University of Central Florida (UCF). The study used a mixed methods design. Quantitative data were collected through an online survey that was sent to all U.S. and international graduate students at CECS. Qualitative data were collected through interviews with a selected number of international graduate students at CECS. The findings of the study indicated clearly that international graduate students have a relatively low level of information literacy skills. The study also showed that U.S. graduate students have a better information literacy level than the information literacy level of international graduate students. The study presented some implications and provided recommendations for future planning and programming of outreach programs and library services for international students on campus.

Dystopian literature allows for there to be an avenue, or safety net as I would call it, for people to be able to discuss topics of a harsh nature. Students or young adults today are becoming increasingly more apolitical upon completion of high school. This is due in part to the lack of information or knowledge given to them prior to entering, "the real world." The gravity of situations occurring in today's world during the time of this paper such as the how similar living with COVID-19 is to a dystopian society, or the Black Lives Matter movement, it is vital that young adults know who to turn to, that way they can figure out what is happening within the world. Utilizing dystopian literature within the classroom setting will allow for that avenue each year and create an extra safe space for students to be able to discuss their thoughts on societal issues such as power and individualism. By doing so, teachers will be able to better gauge a student's comprehension of these themes regarding real life. As much as we say it, the youth truly are the future; they are the ones who will determine the direction that our society will move. Teaching them to think metacognitively not only with content specific skills, but also with real world issues that society faces will benefit them, and society down the road.