Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 1981. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 355-363). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

This investigation examined the extent to which teacher implemented systematic, explicit instruction affected the literacy achievement of kindergarten and first grade students. Two cohorts of students in a southwestern United States school district were utilized for this study. Cohort 1 (n=94) received classroom literacy instruction from the state adopted basal reading series. Cohort 2 (n=96) received literacy instruction from the basal series and an additional reading program designed to systematically and explicitly teach phonological awareness, letter name identification, and the alphabetic principle. Each cohort was followed from the middle of kindergarten through the end of first grade. Kindergarten measures included the Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI) tests of phonological awareness, letter naming, letter sound knowledge, and listening comprehension, and were administered at the middle and end of kindergarten. At the beginning of first grade, TPRI phonological awareness, word reading, reading comprehension, and fluency were measured. Middle of year first grade variables were TPRI reading comprehension and fluency. End of the year first grade measures were TPRI word reading, fluency, reading comprehension, and Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) word analysis, reading comprehension, listening comprehension, vocabulary, and spelling. A MANCOVA was conducted at each interval using English language learner status as the covariate. Hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to determine which variables best predicted end of first grade reading comprehension, word reading, and fluency. Results from the MANCOVA indicated that Cohort 2 outperformed Cohort 1 on kindergarten TPRI measures of phonological awareness, letter naming, and letter sound correspondences. Cohort 2 also performed better than Cohort 1 on first grade TPRI reading comprehension, fluency, and end of year word reading, however, there were no statistically significant differences on the ITBS measures. Conclusions and recommendations for further research and for practice are also discussed.

The purpose of this study was to identify, examine, and validate the various components and systems in agriculture while investigating three objectives related to Careers, Industries, and Systems using the Delphi technique over three rounds. Three similar but different instruments were used to gather information from the expert panel. The following questions were considered: 1) What are the different Careers associated with agriculture? 2) What are the Industries that play an important role in the input segment of agriculture? and 3) What are the System components needed to depict the industry of agriculture? Twenty-one expert panelists from nine states with varied backgrounds such as Church/Religion, Education, Government, Insurance, Manufacturing, Natural Resources, Pharmaceutical, and Public Policy participated in this study. The expert’s years of service total 370 years in their respected occupations with a mean of 17.6 years of experience. Raw data submitted by the expert panelists in round one identified 477 Career items, 157 Industry items, and 130 System items, totaling 764 pieces of initial information. Over the course of the subsequent two rounds, duplicates were eliminated, items were categorized, and consensus was reached for 317 Careers associated with agriculture. There were 30 Industries recognized and validated to play an important role in the input segment of agriculture and 21 System components depicted in agriculture. In all, 368 items reached consensus and were confirmed in the study. Findings indicated: 1) It is difficult to find a comprehensive diagram that visually conveys the different Careers, Industries, and Systems to assist in recruiting efforts by colleges and universities; 2) Not all websites found in the literature convey an accurate distinctiveness of what agriculture is today; 3) More research is needed regarding the impact of agriculture on career education used in agricultural literacy initiatives; and 4) The information found in this study can be used to begin further development of models to aid in the visualization of how Careers, Industries, and Systems are interconnected in order to help the public better understand the complex and diverse agricultural sector and challenges facing the agricultural industry in all its dimensions.

No description available.

This study addresses the problem of a lack of culturally responsive literacy instruction in poorand marginalized communities, in developing countries. Relatedly, the study addresses factors that affect the implementation of this instruction, specifically the training of teachers to provide culturally responsive literacy instruction. This research provides a grounded description of how teachers in a Bolivian Fe y Alegria school use culturally responsive literacy instruction in the classroom and what factors affect their ability to do so. This case study was based on qualitative data collected from participant interviews, classroom and community observations and analysis of school and government documents. This study concludes that in this setting, despite the Fe y Alegria school's philosophy that reflects the aspects of culturally responsive instruction, few instances of this type of pedagogy in practice were observed. The data revealed rich and varied literacy practices within the community context. However, the data also suggested gaps between the home literacy practices and the literacy practices students were exposed to at school. As well, during the course of teacher interviews regarding formal and informal training, the data supports previous findings in other research that teacher training programs in the developing world were theory laden and for the most part impractical. This study contributes to a small but, hopefully, growing base of research on culturally responsive schools, give educators much needed information on how to consider and utilize the communities' cultural contexts when planning and teaching their students and highlight some of the factors, such as teacher training, that hinder or help the implementation of this type of instruction.

he purpose of this study was to determine if age and/or gender differences in the performances of typically developing preschool children on a measure of primary literacy skills (phonological awareness and alphabetic knowledge) were significant. A second purpose was to ascertain which primary literacy skills can be completed most successfully at specific age intervals. An additional purpose was to determine which predictor variables accounted for significant variance in performance on the primary literacy skills measure. Participants for this study were 91 typically developing preschool children ranging in age from 3 years 0 months to 5 years 11 months. Primary literacy skills, print concepts, and receptive vocabulary were assessed. Information about home literacy experiences were obtained by caregiver questionnaire. Differences in performance of primary literacy skills (measuring both phonological awareness and alphabetic knowledge) were significant for age but not for gender, with older children performing better than younger children. Differences in performance on phonological awareness tasks were also significant for age but not for gender. Differences in performance on alphabetic knowledge tasks were significant for age and also for gender, with girls outperforming boys. Primary literacy tasks completed most successfully by children at each of six 6-month age intervals were identified, with rhyme detection the only task that was completed successfully at all age levels. Results of a stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that out of seven predictor variables (age, gender, receptive vocabulary, print concept skills, mother's education level, father's education level, and/or home literacy experiences), print concept skills accounted for the greatest amount of variance in children's performance on primary literacy tasks. Father's education level, receptive vocabulary, and age accounted for a small but significant additional variance. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Wichita State University, College of Health Professions, Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders. / "December 2006." / Includes bibliographic references (leaves 61-78)

A controversy regarding literacy lies at the heart of debates over the current state of American education. In response to the debate, this study reviews and analyzes the literacy theories of E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Walter Ong, Sylvia Scribner and Michael Cole, Shirley Brice Heath, and Paulo Freire. The author presents a language arts teacher's perspective on these literacy theories and their implications for her own pedagogy by addressing the following questions: What is meant by the literacy crisis? How is literacy defined by contemporary literacy theorists? What are the implications of these theories for the teaching of language arts? The author concludes that literacy involves a repertoire of social and cognitive practices which inform a critical pedagogy in language arts. / Graduation date: 1992

The purpose of this study was to document the literacy practices of three 5-7 year old boys who were in the formative stage of formal schooling. The study took place in the British Virgin Islands, a group of 60 or so islands, cays, and islets located in the Caribbean. I examined these boys’ literacy practices in three contexts — home, community and school. Through observations, interviews and samplings of conversations at home, I found that school literacy dominated all three contexts and was used similarly in all three contexts. Additionally, parents were consciously reinforcing school literacy in the home. The three boys were reading, writing, speaking and listening at their expected grade level and appeared to be steadily progressing. Religion appeared to play an important role in supporting the children’s literacy development, consistent with the country’s Christian heritage. As previous research in other contexts (e.g., Marsh, 2003) has shown, home and community literacy practices remain largely unrecognized and untapped at school.

No description available.

This dissertation examined the use and variations of African American Language by middle school students. It focused on the relationships of African American Language to the social and cultural identities and academic achievements of students in educational settings. A second focus examined the educational complexities surrounding the uses of African American Language use by students in traditional classroom environments. Over a seven-month period, data were collected on interactions involving the use of African American Language in an eighth grade language arts classroom. Key classroom events and student interviews were examined utilizing the cultural analysis of discourse, thematic, and microethnographic analysis. Also examined were the cultural models for the use and meaning of African American Language and for cultural identity held by five African American Language student speakers. The study also examined the central role of prosody in signaling particular social and cultural identities and explored the significance of students adopting such identities across varying spaces in and outside of the classroom as a means to navigate social existences in a predominantly African American school community.