"The purpose of this paper is to present a description of achievement in reading of the pupils, who have had five years in the Avon Park Elementary School as compared to pupils, who have had two or less years in this school. By analysis and comparison, the writer hopes to ascertain some of the strengths and some of the weaknesses of the reading program of the Avon Park Elementary School"--Introduction. / "August, 1956." / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: S. T. Lastinger, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 27-28).

With federal gender equity mandates in place, some may assume that schools are now havens were children are protected from discrimination based on failure to conform to stereotypical notions of masculinity and femininity. Yet, research suggests that the school literacy curriculum serves as a site that privileges gender performances consistent with the binary gender order. This pattern has been observed such that school literacy practices reproduce the binary gender order through text, talk, and disciplining of the body. Informed by post structural feminist perspectives on discourse, power, and performativity, this qualitative case study employed feminist methodology to explore how power flowed through performances of gender within the context of one second grade literacy classroom. Data sources included participant observation field notes, informal student and teacher interviews, video and audio recordings, and the collection of literacy related objects/documents. Results of the analysis suggest that there were two distinct literacy spaces within the classroom: the teacher-controlled official literacy space and the student-governed unofficial literacy space. Within the official literacy space, particular teaching moves made at the intersection of gender and literacy could later be linked to particular students’ gender performances. In the unofficial literacy space of the classroom, some students’ gender performances diverged greatly from those they performed in the official literacy space thus making visible how power operates within embodied acts. Lastly, in looking across the two distinct literacy spaces of the classroom, it was revealed how the flow of power through performances of gender and thus, the discursive practices that hold existing gendered structures in place, were more visible in unofficial literacy spaces than in official literacy spaces. Therefore, results of the analysis suggest that looking to unofficial literacy spaces will provide invaluable guidance when reconceptualizing how official literacy spaces might better support gender equity within the early elementary literacy classroom.

Despite widespread concern and many attempts to eradicate illiteracy, it persists. Part of the problem is that too little is known about the people for whom literacy programs are designed. Such programs may fail if they are designed by people who view their clientele as deficient. This perspective of deficiency is based on two assumptions: first, that literacy is a necessary pre-condition for success in life and second, that illiterate people are lacking in self-confidence, are unable to maintain employment, are poor, and are caught in a cycle of deprivation and under education. This study examines the characteristics and perceptions of illiterate men who have achieved varying degrees of financial and employment success but do not read beyond the grade-three level. The findings indicate that in spite of deficiencies in reading, illiterate individuals learn a number of coping techniques and manifest innumerable skills and achievements. Thus, a "deficiency" oriented intervention program that over-emphasizes the importance of literacy diminishes the observable accomplishments of the illiterate adult and may fail. Intervention programs designed for illiterate adults need to bolster the participants' sense of accomplishment and teach coping skills as well as literacy skills.

Despite widespread concern and many attempts to eradicate illiteracy, it persists. Part of the problem is that too little is known about the people for whom literacy programs are designed. Such programs may fail if they are designed by people who view their clientele as deficient. This perspective of deficiency is based on two assumptions: first, that literacy is a necessary pre-condition for success in life and second, that illiterate people are lacking in self-confidence, are unable to maintain employment, are poor, and are caught in a cycle of deprivation and under education. This study examines the characteristics and perceptions of illiterate men who have achieved varying degrees of financial and employment success but do not read beyond the grade-three level. The findings indicate that in spite of deficiencies in reading, illiterate individuals learn a number of coping techniques and manifest innumerable skills and achievements. Thus, a "deficiency" oriented intervention program that over-emphasizes the importance of literacy diminishes the observable accomplishments of the illiterate adult and may fail. Intervention programs designed for illiterate adults need to bolster the participants' sense of accomplishment and teach coping skills as well as literacy skills. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

Thesis (MEdPsych )--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Adequate literacy skills form the basis for learning and development. Unfortunately, a lack of adequate literacy skills is a world-wide tendency. Literacy in South Africa is part of this problem. The Department of Basic Education has, since 2000, been using the National Systemic Evaluation (NSE) to determine the level of learners' literacy skills. This evaluation takes place in grades 3 and 6 every alternate year. The latest evaluation indicated that the number of Intermediate Phase learners in South Africa who do not have the required literacy skills has increased over the last few years. The school where this research was undertaken also experiences problems with learners whose literacy skills are not up to standard. The results of the National Systemic Evaluation (NSE) of 2005 indicate that only 30% of the grade 6 learners in the school are able to read and write at the required age level. As a result, a large percentage of the learners' reading and writing skills can be compared to learners in the Foundation Phase. Teachers in the Intermediate Phase have indicated that they do not have sufficient knowledge and self-confidence to support learners whose literacy skills are comparable with those in the Foundation Phase. It is within this frame of reference that I developed a support programme for teachers who teach in the Intermediate Phase. The aim of the research was to evaluate the efficacy of the Literacy Support Programme (GOP) for the Intermediate Phase. The study will determine if the teachers' self-confidence, skills and strategies for literacy support have improved. Transformation of the learners' backlog cannot take place before their teachers' self-confidence to support them has improved dramatically. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Voldoende geletterdheidsvaardighede vorm die basis van leer en ontwikkeling. Ongelukkig is 'n gebrek aan voldoende geletterdheidsvaardighede 'n wêreldwye tendens. Suid-Afrika ondervind ook hierdie probleem. Die Departement van Onderwys gebruik sedert 2000 die Nasionale Sistemiese Evaluering (NSE) om die vlak van leerders se geletterdheidsvaardighede te bepaal. Hierdie evaluering vind al om die ander jaar in graad 3 en 6 plaas. Die evaluering het getoon dat die aantal Intermediêre Fase-leerders in Suid-Afrikaanse skole wat nie oor voldoende geletterdheidsvaardighede beskik nie, die afgelope paar jaar toegeneem het. Die skool waar hierdie navorsing gedoen is ondervind ook probleme met leerders se geletterheidsvaardighede wat nie op standaard is nie. Die sistemiese evalueringsuitslae van 2005 het getoon dat slegs 30% van die Graad 6-leerders in dié skool volgens hul ouderdomsvlak kan lees en skryf. Gevolglik is daar 'n baie groot persentasie leerders wie se lees- en skryfvaardighede met leerders in die Grondslagfase (GF) vergelyk kan word. Die onderwysers in die Intermediêre Fase het aangedui dat hulle nie oor genoeg kennis of selfvertroue beskik om leerders te ondersteun wie se geletterdheidsvaardighede steeds met die van die Grondslagfase vergelyk kan word nie. Dit is binne hierdie verwysingsraamwerk dat ek 'n ondersteuningsprogram vir onderwysers van die Intermediêre Fase ontwikkel het. Die doel van die navorsingstudie was om die effektiwiteit van die Geletterdheidsondersteuningprogram (GOP) vir die Intermediêre Fase te evalueer. Die studie wil bepaal of die onderwysers se selfvertroue en vaardighede/strategieë vir geletterdheidsondersteuning in die Intermediêre Fase verbeter het. Transformasie van leerders se agterstande kan nie plaasvind alvorens die onderwysers nie oor genoeg selfvertroue beskik om hierdie leerders te ondersteun nie.

This dissertation is composed of three chapters, each applying different quantitative methods to study a specific early childhood education policy or program. Chapter One explores whether expanding preschool education in low- and middle-income countries with public resources would be a viable policy option, using a benefit-cost analysis. Chapter Two examines economic costs of an emergent literacy program that places paid community tutors into pre-K classrooms in Minnesota using the ingredients method of cost analysis. Chapter Three investigates the effectiveness of a school-based attendance intervention at public preschools in high poverty communities of Chile by using student level observational data. The three chapters each highlight different policy problems: global inequalities on access to preschool education, reading gaps among American PK-12 students, and high student absenteeism at publicly funded preschool programs. Together, these studies advance our knowledge about ways to address existing early childhood education policy problems. These studies also help shed light on gaps in our current knowledge and lay out future research agenda.