Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / F. Todd Goodson / Historically, advances in technology have impacted education, particularly in the field of literacy. Often, educators initially resist these changes. Today, this is the case with the new literacies. Although students increasingly turn to technology to communicate, school practices still largely ignore this cultural phenomenon. This qualitative study explores the roots of this resistance by examining how teachers negotiate the use of digital literacies in the classroom, particularly in respect to the rhetorical boundaries imposed upon schools by their local culture. Data were collected through 34 interviews with individuals in three demographically different schools districts. Of particular interest were the key literacy decision makers. At the district level, assistant superintendents who also served as secondary curriculum directors, technology directors and literacy coaches were interviewed. The school level focused on middle and high schools, and, in two districts, on alternative education centers. Principals, librarian, lead English teachers and new English teachers, defined as teaching for three years or less, provided information for the study at these schools. During the data analysis, grounded theory, as well as the gap and continuum theories described by Deanna Bogdan (1992a & b), guided the study. When examining what factors create the boundaries educators work within, nine initial themes emerged: infractions, distractions, dependency, immediacy, misinformation, safety, inappropriateness, funding and change. Further examination of the data revealed the central phenomenon: “The technological evolution that occurs outside the classroom must be adapted before it makes its way into pedagogical practice.” This phenomenon provides the first layer for the model. To better understand the adaptation process, the gap and continuum theories were employed, leading to a spectrum between gatekeepers and facilitators. Each of the three districts fit in distinctively different places on this spectrum. Axial coding was then used to further explore the relationship of the themes to the adaptation process. The nine themes could then be collapsed into three categories: perceptions of student behaviors, perceptions of technology, and perception of school’s role in society. This study provides educators insight into the factors that guide their decision-making processes when considering the incorporation of technology into the classroom.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Marjorie R. Hancock / With the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (PL 107-110), Kansas state reading standards, benchmarks and indicators have been aligned to meet the recommendation of the National Reading Panel (2000). The components that are aligned with the Kansas reading standards are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. High stakes testing and test scores disaggregated by race creates accountability in meeting instructional reading indicators for all students, specifically African American students. With increased pressures to meet and exceed the reading standards and close the achievement gap between Black and White students, schools are searching for instructional factors supportive of to meeting No Child Left Behind requirements. This mixed method study was conducted in three urban school districts in the state of Kansas. The quantitative study was conducted by analyzing African American fifth grade state reading assessment scores before and during implementation of No Child Left Behind to determine whether No Child Left Behind is positively impacting test scores. Data analysis revealed that African Americans increased in being at or above the standard, while decreasing the number below the standard. Out of the 180 schools in the three districts, six high performing schools were identified based on the percentage of African American students in the school, average mean scores before and during No Child Left Behind , and percentage of students at or above the standard from 2000-2007. Data were collected through detailed observational field notes and interviews with fifth grade teachers and principals in order to determine their perceptions of the instructional factors impacting reading scores. Data analysis revealed the following instructional factors impacting reading scores: analysis of data, quality professional development, teacher collaboration, high expectations, and parental involvement. Instructional reading indicators were coded throughout the observation of fifth grade classrooms. Observed indicators taught were phonics, vocabulary, comprehension of text types and text structures. This study provided perspectives of instructional strategies essential to increasing the reading strategies, skills and test scores of African American students while closing the literacy achievement gap between Black and White students in Kansas schools.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Marjorie R. Hancock / 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.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Elementary Education / Marjorie Hancock / A portion of the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004), Response to Intervention (RtI), aims to prevent unnecessary student placement in special education. The intent of RtI is to provide all students with effective classroom instruction first and afford low-performing students with increasingly intensive, individualized interventions (Fuchs, Fuchs, & Vaughn,2008). Although there is considerable information available in regard to the effectiveness of the multi-tiered model of the Response to Intervention approach to deliver intervention services to struggling readers (Speece & Walker, 2007), very little is known about implementing RtI in the schools (Allington, 2009). This qualitative, exploratory, collective case study was conducted during the fall/spring semesters of the 2009/2010 school year between November 16, 2009 and February 26, 2010. This study investigated how three kindergarten classroom teachers, located in two elementary schools, delivered Tier 2 literacy instruction to kindergarten struggling readers within the Response to Intervention model in the classroom setting. Multiple data sources were gathered from interviews with administrators and teachers, guided conversations with students, classroom observations and field notes, and documents/artifacts. Data were collected and analyzed during three phases of the study. This study’s findings established that in the new era of Response to Intervention (RtI), teachers were able to apply literacy instructional approaches and pedagogy based on their teaching philosophy to address the needs of at-risk struggling readers within the kindergarten classroom environment. However, data analysis revealed dissimilar perceptions of the three case study teachers regarding their roles and responsibilities teaching literacy within the Response to Intervention approach which influenced how they delivered Tier 2 intervention instruction. The three classroom teachers utilized the modeled, shared, and guided approaches to literacy instruction and provided lessons in phonemic awareness and phonics during Tier 2 small group literacy interventions. In addition, the data collection and analysis identified three pedagogies which occurred during Tier 2 instruction: 1) monitoring of learning; 2) encouraging and supportive learning environments; and 3) feedback and reinforcement. Data analysis also revealed the student participant benefits included positive attitudes towards reading, students’ perception of themselves as self-confident and motivated readers, development of an emerging love of reading, and enjoyment of practicing their reading skills in small groups.

Master of Arts / Department of English / Phillip Marzluf / Much recent scholarship about boys and literacy focuses on the “crisis” of male underachievement in schools, and a number of authors address why boys’ literacy rates are low (e.g., Newkirk, Wilhelm and Smith). In this paper, I use current scholarship and primary research to examine the literacy ideology of a specific group of adolescents who are underrepresented in the literature: those living in rural areas. Using interviews from eight high school boys as case studies, I examine how literacy manifests itself in male adolescents from the rural Midwest. This study follows a qualitative empirical methodology. I find that the boys’ ideology is shaped by societal and familial influences and is essentially a “serviceable” literacy ideology. A serviceable literacy is rooted in a male identity or “habitus,” which refers to the way individuals perceive, assess, and act in the world (Bourdieu, “Habitus”). The findings in this study suggest that rural young men have a habitus characterized by independence, expediency, competition, and individuality. Complicating this habitus of young rural men is a stigma that some of the boys are very aware of. This stigma asserts that rural inhabitants value literacy less than middle- and upper-class urban inhabitants. My findings clearly demonstrate that people who live in rural areas are certainly literate and value literacy, but school-sponsored literacy is very different than serviceable literacy, and classrooms are the arena for a struggle as educators attempt to expose students to unfamiliar forms of reading. Therefore, the results of this study present pedagogical challenges for rural English teachers who are responsible for literacy instruction. Lastly, I will present some solutions found in the literacy scholarship.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Marjorie R. Hancock / Children who struggle in reading must be offered additional pathways of communication in order to enable them the opportunity to express themselves and enhance listening/viewing comprehension. Through understanding of the elements of art, the utilization of artistic response, and exposure to distinctive literature such as Caldecott Medal picture books, students are better equipped to grasp both visual and textual meaning. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate the convergence of the elements of art, artistic response, and Caldecott Medal picture books and how they influence the listening/viewing comprehension of the struggling reader. Two, forty-minute lessons were given exclusively about the seven elements of art prior to the listening/viewing of Caldecott picture books. Participants engaged in the listening/viewing of six selected Caldecott Medal picture books through an initial listening/viewing within a small group setting, a second listening /viewing followed by an individual interview, and a third listening/viewing combined with an artistic response to each Caldecott picture book in a small group setting. General questioning concerning both story elements and elements of art were asked during both the initial listening/viewing and artistic response. Specific questioning occurred during the individual interview. Data were collected through interview and discussion transcriptions, visual and audio taped group work, field notes, and actual artistic response artwork. Data analysis revealed the enrichment of listening/viewing comprehension of the participants through 1) verbal usage of the elements of art, 2) comments regarding the elements of the story- setting, characters, events, problem, solution, 3) discussion of topics relating to personal experiences, 4) the dialogue of art media and the importance of art, and 5) distinct qualities of the picture book message theme articulated through artistic response. Art opened up the world of expression for the nine participants in this qualitative case study. Through the elements of art and artistic response combined with Caldecott literature, children were able to convey knowledge through an alternative pathway in order to enhance their listening/viewing comprehension of the picture books. Furthermore, documented evidence of the motivation of the participants indicated the value of exploration of rich literature and creative expression through artistic representation.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Socorro G. Herrera / This quasi-experimental study was designed to measure the effects of a research-based intervention on fourth and fifth grade culturally and linguistically diverse students' vocabulary development. Through the extensive review of literature on vocabulary instruction and second language acquisition, a substantive theoretical framework titled the IBA Framework was developed. The IBA Framework incorporates characteristics of effective vocabulary instruction by accessing students' background knowledge, connecting unknown vocabulary words to known knowledge, ensuring opportunities for meaningful use of the vocabulary words, providing multiple exposures, and focusing on higher-level word knowledge. The IBA Framework also addresses second language acquisition by incorporating the linguistic, academic, cognitive, and sociocultural processes of the prism model. The IBA Intervention, derived from the IBA Framework, examined the affect of targeted vocabulary strategies on the overall vocabulary development of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) students. Quantitative and qualitative methodologies were utilized for data collection and analysis. Quantitatively, the affect of the IBA Intervention was measured by the Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment and the Ecobehavioral System for the Contextual Recording of Interactional Bilingual Environments (ESCRIBE). MAP assessment scores were used to measure the overall literacy achievement of CLD students. Analysis of the data indicated that the treatment group made greater gains than the control group. ESCRIBE was used to measure students' overall engagement. The affect of the IBA Intervention was measured by combining the results of three student variables: language initiating/responding behaviors, oral responses, and activity-related responses. The overall engagement scores indicated that CLD students who received the IBA Intervention had higher levels of engagement than the control group. Qualitatively, the affect of the IBA Intervention on students' vocabulary retention was investigated using student documents, participant observation, and informal interviews. The emic perspective that emerged from the data suggested that students in the intervention group demonstrated their vocabulary retention by building vocabulary knowledge, clarifying vocabulary knowledge, extending vocabulary knowledge, and using vocabulary knowledge across settings. Exemplars from each of these categories were provided as evidence of the CLD students' attainment of a deeper level of permanent vocabulary knowledge.

While members of any group of men may appear to be ordinary gendered examples of humanity, behind their physical similarities lie many socio-political and familial differences; thus it is only by knowing such men as individuals that their identities are revealed. Such is the aim of this thesis: to discover the 'real man' behind the statistics about sex-roles and the predominance of male characters in children's and adolescents' literature. From within a selection of Spanish texts a variety of male characters are analysed, focusing on six major roles: father, grandfather, imaginary friend, detective, outlaw or similar marginalised man, and foreign other, with particular attention paid to the Gypsy. All the chapters are linked by the Bakhtinian theory that dialogue with the other leads to the development of a character's or potential reader's sense of identity. The first chapter, concerning fatherhood, is related to a person's sense of intrinsic identity, given with their name and genetic heritage. The grandfather represents a similar sense of family continuity, as well as enabling the young reader to understand Spain's recent historical and rural past. An imaginary friend may symbolise an aspect of identity concerned with a child's ability to achieve a goal or to occupy a special place within the family. Detective stories are analogous to the young person's developing identity as a reader able to decipher the mysteries of texts, whilst marginalised men typify children themselves: persons who have neither status nor money, but who are able to indulge in carnivalistic behaviour which adults call 'play.' The development of one's sense of national identity is fomented through interaction with texts about foreigners who have contributed to Spain's growth as a nation from pre-historic times to the present. A brief critical evaluation of the role of women in detective fiction and as marginalised figures is offered by way of contrast in the appropriate chapters. The thesis concludes that, when analysed as individuals, many male characters demonstrate traits not traditionally considered masculine, and that it is necessary to look beyond mere representations of gender in judging the value of characters in literature for children and adolescents. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

While members of any group of men may appear to be ordinary gendered examples of humanity, behind their physical similarities lie many socio-political and familial differences; thus it is only by knowing such men as individuals that their identities are revealed. Such is the aim of this thesis: to discover the 'real man' behind the statistics about sex-roles and the predominance of male characters in children's and adolescents' literature. From within a selection of Spanish texts a variety of male characters are analysed, focusing on six major roles: father, grandfather, imaginary friend, detective, outlaw or similar marginalised man, and foreign other, with particular attention paid to the Gypsy. All the chapters are linked by the Bakhtinian theory that dialogue with the other leads to the development of a character's or potential reader's sense of identity. The first chapter, concerning fatherhood, is related to a person's sense of intrinsic identity, given with their name and genetic heritage. The grandfather represents a similar sense of family continuity, as well as enabling the young reader to understand Spain's recent historical and rural past. An imaginary friend may symbolise an aspect of identity concerned with a child's ability to achieve a goal or to occupy a special place within the family. Detective stories are analogous to the young person's developing identity as a reader able to decipher the mysteries of texts, whilst marginalised men typify children themselves: persons who have neither status nor money, but who are able to indulge in carnivalistic behaviour which adults call 'play.' The development of one's sense of national identity is fomented through interaction with texts about foreigners who have contributed to Spain's growth as a nation from pre-historic times to the present. A brief critical evaluation of the role of women in detective fiction and as marginalised figures is offered by way of contrast in the appropriate chapters. The thesis concludes that, when analysed as individuals, many male characters demonstrate traits not traditionally considered masculine, and that it is necessary to look beyond mere representations of gender in judging the value of characters in literature for children and adolescents. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.

While members of any group of men may appear to be ordinary gendered examples of humanity, behind their physical similarities lie many socio-political and familial differences; thus it is only by knowing such men as individuals that their identities are revealed. Such is the aim of this thesis: to discover the 'real man' behind the statistics about sex-roles and the predominance of male characters in children's and adolescents' literature. From within a selection of Spanish texts a variety of male characters are analysed, focusing on six major roles: father, grandfather, imaginary friend, detective, outlaw or similar marginalised man, and foreign other, with particular attention paid to the Gypsy. All the chapters are linked by the Bakhtinian theory that dialogue with the other leads to the development of a character's or potential reader's sense of identity. The first chapter, concerning fatherhood, is related to a person's sense of intrinsic identity, given with their name and genetic heritage. The grandfather represents a similar sense of family continuity, as well as enabling the young reader to understand Spain's recent historical and rural past. An imaginary friend may symbolise an aspect of identity concerned with a child's ability to achieve a goal or to occupy a special place within the family. Detective stories are analogous to the young person's developing identity as a reader able to decipher the mysteries of texts, whilst marginalised men typify children themselves: persons who have neither status nor money, but who are able to indulge in carnivalistic behaviour which adults call 'play.' The development of one's sense of national identity is fomented through interaction with texts about foreigners who have contributed to Spain's growth as a nation from pre-historic times to the present. A brief critical evaluation of the role of women in detective fiction and as marginalised figures is offered by way of contrast in the appropriate chapters. The thesis concludes that, when analysed as individuals, many male characters demonstrate traits not traditionally considered masculine, and that it is necessary to look beyond mere representations of gender in judging the value of characters in literature for children and adolescents. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.