Thesis (M.Sp.Ed.)--University of Waikato, 2008. / Title from PDF cover (viewed March 10, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 153-164)

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-115).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1969. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliography (leaves 85-87).

<p> The purpose of this study was to explore the linguistic architecture of instructional language used during first grade read aloud lessons. The participants were from the CTL Year-3 Read Aloud study. The study&rsquo;s random assignment created 20 teachers in the treatment group and 19 teachers in the control group. My study investigated the variability of their teacher&rsquo;s use of instructional language during direct instruction read aloud lessons. Specifically, I analyzed the following linguistic attributes: (a) clausal density, (b) number of different words, (c) words per minute, (d) percentage of maze words, and (e) number of abandoned utterances. Exploratory associations for these variables were compared against the Quality Classroom Instruction protocol (QCI), a measure of teaching effectiveness. The results of my study yielded null effects due study limitations. However, the explored area addressed a blind-spot within the literature and provided preliminary data, insight, and recommendations pertaining to the linguistic attributes of instructional language used by first grade teachers during read aloud lessons. </p><p>

<p> This study examined students utilizing a computer-aided reading intervention Lexia Reading Core5 and the correlation with oral reading fluency for grades second through fourth at nine Title I schools in a medium-sized urban characteristic Midwestern school district. The researcher design utilizes a quantitative methodology to gauge the changes in reading scores measured for students utilizing Lexia Reading Core5 when utilized as a Tier I or Tier II intervention. The change in the dependent variable of student oral reading fluency rates from fall to spring as measured by the Formative Assessment System for Teachers (FAST) specifically the Curriculum-Based Measure for Reading (CBMR) determined student growth. The 2,514 students involved in the study came from nine Title I elementary schools in the Heartland School District for students in grades second through fourth. The student population in the study has characteristics of a typical urban school district that is a minority-majority school district in addition to approximately 34% of students being English language learners, with 95.1% free and reduced lunch rates. Students are distributed equally between grade levels with each grade having approximately one-third of the sample students. Gender was 51.45% male and 48.55% female. </p><p> The study supports a correlation between time and proficiency growth using Lexia Reading Core5 and student growth in oral reading fluency as measured by the CMBR assessment growth. This study supports the use of computer aided adaptive reading instruction for students in need of a Tier I or Tier II reading intervention.</p><p>

<p> Many students with Down syndrome now receive reading instruction in either inclusion-focused or skill-based instructional settings. There are, however, varied results in the level of reading skills that students with Down syndrome attain. The focus of this study was to determine if there was a significant difference in the reading skill acquisition of students with Down syndrome between those students placed for reading instruction by grade and those students placed in a developmentally appropriate classroom. The specific type of quantitative research design used was quantitative non-experimental because the study used archival data collected in previous testing for a different evaluation. This study analyzed the Wisconsin Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities (WAA-SwD) of 136 elementary school students with Down syndrome. The study compared the reading scores of students with Down syndrome placed for reading instruction in a classroom by chronological age with scores of Down syndrome students placed in an a developmentally appropriate classroom. The research questions related to whether there was a significant difference in reading skills acquisition for elementary school students with Down syndrome after receiving either grade-based or skill-based instruction. The hypotheses were tested using a <i>t</i> test. Based on the analysis, there was no significant difference in reading skills acquisition for elementary school students with Down syndrome when their scores were grouped by the two types of instruction (grade-based versus skill-based) they receive after controlling for the student&rsquo;s demographic characteristic of grade level. The importance of this study can inform the educational community of the specific response to the question of the consequence of placement for reading instruction on reading acquisition. The findings provided from this research study will benefit future studies and classroom planning.</p><p>

AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF CHRISTINE E. WIGGS, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in EDUCATION, presented on October 19, 2012, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: UNDERSTANDING READING THROUGH THE EYES OF THIRD-GRADE STRUGGLING READERS MAJOR PROFESSORS: Dr. Marla H. Mallette / Dr. Lynn C. Smith Within the vast research base on struggling readers, very few studies address the nature of struggling readers from their own perspectives; that is, how struggling readers experience reading instruction. The purpose of this qualitative case study research was to gain a deeper understanding of how three third-grade struggling readers viewed themselves as readers and how they experienced reading instruction in their classroom setting. In turn, this study captured their realities of being a struggling reader from their own perspectives. Data sources included measures of reading affect (i.e., attitude, motivation, and self-perception), interviews, classroom observations, work samples, records, and drawings. Data for each of the three cases were first analyzed separately using Boeije's (2010) Spiral of Analysis model, and then through a cross case analysis. In looking across the three cases, the unique and complex perceptions of each student were situated in three broad similarities: (a) their perceptions of reading centered on the idea that reading is about hard words, (b) their perceptions of themselves as struggling readers revealed their internal struggles, and (c) their sensitivity to the social in their perceptions of others' perceptions of them. The findings capture the important and often missing voice of the students, a major stakeholder in their own education, which leads to educational implications for reading instruction.

<p> This quantitative study investigated the effects of one school district&rsquo;s use of the Systematic Instruction in Phonological Awareness, Phonics, and Sight Words (SIPPS) program and professional development (PD) and coaching on ELL and non-ELL students&rsquo; literacy skills. The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) data of two cohorts of students from 12 elementary schools in a large Southern California district were examined. The teachers of one cohort taught the SIPPS program and received PD and coaching for two school years, while the second cohort served as a waitlist control group and only participated in one year of SIPPS instruction, PD, and coaching. Results indicated that students who received two years of SIPPS instruction had higher reading fluency scores than students who received one year of SIPPS instruction. Despite convergent research on the contrary, no significant findings were found for the effects of PD and coaching on student achievement. </p><p>

<p> The purpose of this study was to investigate the selection and use of picture books about issues of race by an early elementary school teacher, and to critically examine the content of selected picture books about race. The research questions were: How does a self-identifying anti-racist transitional kindergarten teacher in a public elementary school select and utilize children&rsquo;s picture books to address issues of race with their students? What are the underlying messages about race in the books? The case study utilized Seidman&rsquo;s (2013) three-interview series and critical content analysis was used to analyze ten selected picture books. The case study findings revealed that the personal identity and experiences of the participant and her relationship with her students and their families shape her professional race-related goals. Further findings demonstrated that the participant uses picture books to teach about race for a variety of reasons, including that they make race, an abstract concept, concrete for her students. The critical content analysis revealed that the race and experiences of the author or illustrator informed the content and underlying messages in the books. The results of this study add new dimensions to the field&rsquo;s understanding of what factors inform a teacher&rsquo;s selection and use of picture books about race, and what themes are common in children&rsquo;s picture books that address the topic of race. Additionally, this study demonstrates the need for books written and illustrated by people of color in order to provide young children with more authentic representations of the lives and experiences of racially and culturally diverse people. </p><p>

abstract: This study examined the effects of an intensive remedial program, Wilson Reading System (WRS), on 43 struggling readers from second to twelfth grade. The students, who attended a large southwestern urban school district, were all at least two grade levels below their peers in reading. Participants received 20 hours of WRS instruction over the course of one month as part of a WRS teacher certification course. Using the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement, students were evaluated prior to and following their participation in the intensive summer program using five subtests (Letter-Word Identification, Reading Fluency, Spelling, Word Attack, and Spelling of Sounds) and two clusters (Basic Reading and Phoneme/Grapheme Knowledge) to assess gains in students' reading achievement. Since the intervention was delivered for such a brief period, this study was designed to provide a snapshot measure of initial reading skill gains. While a failure to perform significantly better was observed on the Letter-Word Identification, Reading Fluency, and Spelling subtests, students demonstrated significant improvement on Word Attack and Spelling of Sounds subtests following WRS instruction. Furthermore, students significantly improved on the Basic Reading and Phoneme/Grapheme Knowledge clusters. Study limitations and implications for future research and practice are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Educational Psychology 2013