The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of two methods of teaching literature. An attempt will be made to ascertain whether the teacher-directed method or the free-reading method will be more effective in meeting the needs of the elementary children in the field of literature.

<p> Previously, improvisation has served as a term for describing a quality of the action taking place in classrooms between teachers and students. This project begins to theorize a way of understanding embodied literacies and scenes of learning through a lens of improvisation that enhances the description and better equips researchers to analyze this quality. This project synthesizes numerous research threads and theories from theater (Halpern, 1994, 2005; Johnstone, 1992; Spolin, 1999), anthropology (Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner, &amp; Cain, 2003), psychology (Sawyer, 2011b; Vygotsky, 1978), and literary theory (Bakhtin, 1981) in an effort to provide a theory of improvisation that could be deployed in future qualitative studies or serve as a way for literacy teachers to think about their classrooms. A theory of improvisation enables qualitative researchers in the field of education to acquire a more thorough understanding of the way literacies are an improvised process in scenes of learning. This project is necessary because no such theory yet exists. As part of theorizing literacy and improvisation, I draw upon scenes from my own teaching and from theatrical improvisation. I analyze these moments to illustrate various theoretical premises such as instances of "yes, and-ing" that carry a scene of learning forward. This theory building and analysis amount to a first iteration of improv theory.</p>

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Education, 2005. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Nov. 10, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-03, Section: A, page: 0885. Adviser: Jerome Harste.

Research paper (M.A.) -- Cardinal Stritch College -- Milwaukee, 1970. / A research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education (Reading Specialist). Includes bibliographical references (p. 44-47).

Thesis (PH.D.) -- Syracuse University, 2004. / Adviser: Hinchman, Kathleen. "Publication number AAT 3132685."

Thesis (Psy.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 2002. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 63-02, Section: A, page: 0542. Chair: Ron Dumont. Available also in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Language Education, 2005. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Dec. 3, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-03, Section: A, page: 0936. Chair: Larry J. Mikulecky.

The purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore the self-perception of three rural, intermediate, ELA teachers to motivate their students to read for pleasure. The methods utilized in this study included one-on-one interviews, and a focus group discussion, including all three participants and the researcher. The subjects shared teaching strategies from their childhoods that succeeded and failed in motivating them to read. The biographical perspective proposed by Kelchtermans and Vandenberghe allows us to see how the teachers' biographies influenced their instructional beliefs. Through this lens, it was revealed that, in their current classrooms, the teachers in this study utilize strategies they recalled from childhood as motivational. For example, they have confidence in read-alouds, literary freedom of choice, the development of positive student-teacher relationships, and engaging lessons that are significant to the students. Further, they avoid strategies they recollect from childhood that failed to motivate them to read such as teacher-chosen literature and lessons they believed were irrelevant. Findings have the potential to inform teachers, teacher educators, school administrators, and in-service providers of the nature of beliefs and intentions regarding reading motivation that rural, ELA teachers possess.

<p> In this qualitative study, I sought to open a space where previously marginalized fifth and sixth graders - those identified for remedial reading classes - could become agents of their own reading. Rather than using mandated or scripted reading programs, I co-created an apprentice program with my intermediate students by which they became teachers of reading to first graders. My teacher-researcher stance allowed me to explore agentic acts among the students involved and identify classroom conditions which supported school-productive literacy. </p><p> The Apprentice-Teaching Project drew on sociocultural perspectives of literacy, apprenticeship theory, and a view of agency which connects students' agentic actions with the various identities they enacted. Data, including field notes, audio and video recordings, and student work, were analyzed using a combination of thematic and narrative methods. </p><p> In their roles as apprentice-teachers, participants learned new Discourses and remade their identities from school-identified "struggling" readers to Readers and Teachers, thereby joining the "literacy club." In general they exerted school-productive agency when confronted with difficult reading tasks, rather than remaining marginalized from school literacy communities. </p><p> I argue that students marginalized by the teaching practices fostered by recent educational policy initiatives are best served by knowledgeable, professional teachers who are free to create <i>responsive curricula </i> in light of needs observed among students. I further argue that the educational community needs to examine the ways we have approached the teaching of metacognitive reading strategies. The apprentice-teachers did not take up these strategies as tools to deepen their understanding; instead, they perceived the strategies as "tasks" to be done after reading. Furthermore, to foster <i>engaged reading</i>, this study demonstrated the efficacy of a curriculum that provides students with <i>voice</i> and <i> choice</i> in selecting texts and <i>socially-interactive environments </i> in which to construct meanings around those texts.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to design, pilot, and evaluate the effectiveness of a teacher-led intervention using karaoke to improve the reading skills. Elements from previous research (Biggs, Homan, Dedrick, Rasinksi &amp; Minick, 2008; Gupta, 2006) were adapted and integrated with the structure of Writer's Workshop (Calkins, 1991; Graves, 1983) to create an intervention referred to as Karaoke Workshop. The researcher, who also participated in the role of the after-school intervention teacher, adapted existing instructional and design methods and the efficacy of the adaptation of these methods in this context was part of the pilot nature of this study. </p><p> Two rounds of the design-based research cycle were followed to develop, implement, and evaluate a teacher-led intervention. The impact of the design on three key outcomes was observed leading to several key findings. The most significant finding validated the impact that karaoke has on oral reading fluency. Over an 8-week period, every participant experienced a significant improvement in oral reading fluency, with the average reading rate of participants increasing from 64 to 94 WCPM. </p><p> In addition, this study offers an instructional model for teachers who want to use karaoke in the classroom. The revised model includes separate instructional routines for teacher-led lessons and for student-driven activity. This model is based on teacher manipulation of three variables, the curriculum, the music, and the technology, which were also explored. </p><p> This study serves as an exemplar for the integration of music into the curriculum in a way that supports both the arts and student performance with core content. Given the current educational landscape, where arts instruction is often shadowed by an emphasis on the core curriculum and high-stakes testing, it is important for educators to identify ways to integrate the arts that contribute to these high-stakes outcomes.</p>