In a Southern state at a rural high school, leadership staff implemented phonics-based strategies with 9th grade English teachers to improve students' Lexile reading scores. The absence of formative data related to program implementation left stakeholders without a clear understanding of the influence of the phonics-based strategies. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to obtain formative information from teachers to discern the perceived influence of the phonics-based strategies on reading. Dual coding theory was used to examine teachers' perceptions of the influence of phonics-based strategies on students' motivation, fluency, and self-efficacy. Data were collected using interviews with 9 purposefully selected English teachers who taught Grade 9 students and had at least 1 year of experience using the phonics-based strategies. Data were coded in NVivo and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results indicated that phonics-based strategies were perceived to benefit students' extrinsic motivation and fluency; conversely, teachers perceived the strategies had a limited effect on students' intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy. Implementation of recommendations presented in a white paper based on these findings could result in positive social change by strengthening students' reading and promoting their academic success.

This study represents findings of a case study focused on the connections between balanced literacy and the reading development of African American students in first and second grade. Utilizing a conceptual framework of culturally relevant pedagogy, this study investigated: (a) the ways in which teachers understood and implemented balanced literacy; (b) the role culturally relevant pedagogy played in balanced literacy instruction; and (c) how teachers utilized balanced literacy to support the reading development of African American students. Data from multiple observations of instruction and interviews resulted in the identification of three factors that contributed to the implementation of balanced literacy and the reading development of African American students – a sense of community, emphasis on reading strategies to decipher unknown words, and assessment as a tool to guide instruction and gain a deeper understanding of students’ reading ability. The findings of this study build on current literature and also contribute to new knowledge of the factors that play a role in developing the reading abilities of African American children.

The purpose of this study was to investigate methods for improving reading comprehension among struggling adolescent readers. More specifically, this study was concerned with: the effectiveness of pull-out intervention for reading outcomes in this population; the most effective type of intervention; and the contributions of instructional method to reading comprehension after decoding has been removed. These questions were answered with the help of 29 students from a rural school division in Saskatchewan who volunteered to participate in testing and various forms of reading intervention for a period of four to five weeks. Students were placed into one of three groups: the MSI group practiced decoding and learned six comprehension strategies; the FSI group practiced decoding and learned just two comprehension strategies; and the control group who participated in their typical education program. In sum, the analysis produced the following results:<p> 1.Pull-out intervention (pre-test M = 6.00; post-test M = 7.33) did not offer a statistically significant advantage over the typical classroom setting (pre-test M = 7.00; post-test M = 7.05) when attempting to remediate reading comprehension;<p> 2.Participants in the MSI group demonstrated significant improvement on measures of decoding (p = .001; ©¯p2 = .75);<p> 3.Although statistical testing did not reveal significant results, effect sizes were large for: participants in the MSI group on measures of fluency (©¯p2 = .39); participants in the FSI group on measures of fluency (©¯p2 = .53) and the Oral Reading Quotient (©¯p2 = .37); participants in the control group on measures of decoding (©¯p2 = .21), comprehension (©¯p2 = .38), fluency (©¯p2 = .32), and the Oral Reading Quotient (©¯p2 = .50); and<p> 4.Decoding accounted for a statistically significant 15.4% of the unique variance in post-test comprehension scores (p = .03), but differences in grouping contributed a negligible amount (p = .1; R2 change = .004).

The purpose of this study was to investigate methods for improving reading comprehension among struggling adolescent readers. More specifically, this study was concerned with: the effectiveness of pull-out intervention for reading outcomes in this population; the most effective type of intervention; and the contributions of instructional method to reading comprehension after decoding has been removed. These questions were answered with the help of 29 students from a rural school division in Saskatchewan who volunteered to participate in testing and various forms of reading intervention for a period of four to five weeks. Students were placed into one of three groups: the MSI group practiced decoding and learned six comprehension strategies; the FSI group practiced decoding and learned just two comprehension strategies; and the control group who participated in their typical education program. In sum, the analysis produced the following results:<p> 1.Pull-out intervention (pre-test M = 6.00; post-test M = 7.33) did not offer a statistically significant advantage over the typical classroom setting (pre-test M = 7.00; post-test M = 7.05) when attempting to remediate reading comprehension;<p> 2.Participants in the MSI group demonstrated significant improvement on measures of decoding (p = .001; ©¯p2 = .75);<p> 3.Although statistical testing did not reveal significant results, effect sizes were large for: participants in the MSI group on measures of fluency (©¯p2 = .39); participants in the FSI group on measures of fluency (©¯p2 = .53) and the Oral Reading Quotient (©¯p2 = .37); participants in the control group on measures of decoding (©¯p2 = .21), comprehension (©¯p2 = .38), fluency (©¯p2 = .32), and the Oral Reading Quotient (©¯p2 = .50); and<p> 4.Decoding accounted for a statistically significant 15.4% of the unique variance in post-test comprehension scores (p = .03), but differences in grouping contributed a negligible amount (p = .1; R2 change = .004).

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Marjorie R. Hancock / To become lifelong readers, young children require instruction from teachers who integrate their knowledge of the reading process and expert instructional skills to support students' progress in reading and writing. These teachers are entitled to support from professional development to assist their implementing instructional approaches, which lead to student achievement. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to describe the impact of a year long balanced literacy professional development on 13 K-2 teachers and their students. The study focuses on the potential impact of ongoing professional development and literacy coaching. Participants engaged in study sessions to expand their understanding of literacy learning processes, to read recent reading research, and to implement guided reading instruction. Three of the participants allowed me to act as their literacy coach in their K-2 classrooms. Results of this study suggest that participating teachers made changes in instructional practices, which aligned with balanced literacy practices. The three teachers who worked with me as their literacy coach expressed positive impacts from the opportunities to collaborate in their classrooms with a coach. Results of the study reflect differences in teachers' responses to professional development and to literacy coaching. Even with trusting relationships, not all teachers became reflective or analytical. The findings of this study confirm and support the literature and research that show the literacy goals of all children can be met through a balanced literacy approach to instruction which is designed and guided by focused and sustained professional development to deepen teachers' understandings.

In response to fourth grade students' performance on the National Assessment of Education Progress reading test, states across the nation have enacted laws which stipulate third-grade students achieve reading proficiency in order to be promoted. With the passage of the South Carolina Read to Succeed Act 2014, school leaders in an urban school district implemented a balanced literacy framework to address 3rd grade students' low reading achievement. Approached from a constructivist framework, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to present 3rd grade teachers' perceptions of the balanced literacy framework with regard to students' reading achievement. Vygotsky's theories of zone of proximal development and scaffolding served as the framework guiding the study. For this study, 5 3rd-grade teachers from elementary schools within the same urban district in South Carolina participated in one-on-one interviews, observations, and a focus group. The data analysis consisted of coding to categorize participants' responses for emerging themes and summarize teacher perceptions. Three major themes emerged: (a) Implementing Balanced Literacy to Promote Reading Achievement, (b) Teachers' Perceptions Affected Reading Outcomes, and (c) Challenges to Balanced Literacy and Professional Development Needs. Subsequently, a 3-day professional development was developed for 3rd-grade teachers that focused on effectively implementing the balanced literacy framework to increase reading achievement. This study can promote social change by increasing teacher expertise in implementing the balanced literacy framework, increasing reading achievement, and positively impacting students' school success and college and career readiness.

This study investigated the effectiveness of the READ 180 balanced literacy program in addressing the problem of low reading achievement among urban minority high school students. Research has shown low reading achievement to negatively impact academic and economic success. Holdaway's theory of natural literacy, which suggests reading instruction should be purposeful and realistic, supports READ 180 as a remedial intervention. The specific purpose of the study was to evaluate READ 180 in relation to improving classroom reading achievement, standardized language arts test scores, and graduation rates among students in a low-income, high-minority urban high school. Subjects were 2 cohorts of students consisting of 619 enrolled in READ 180 during the school year of 2007-2008 and 358 students enrolled in READ 180 during the school year of 2010-2011 at an urban high school in New Jersey. Following a goals-based program evaluation design, a paired difference t test was used to evaluate classroom reading achievement; a chi-square test was used to evaluate graduation rates; and a multiple regression analysis controlling for initial status was used to evaluate performance on the standardized language arts test. Findings indicated moderate improvement in classroom reading achievement, no improvement in graduation rates, and strong improvement in standardized test scores only for English learners. Results suggested that a balanced literacy program such as READ 180 may provide effective reading remediation for English learners in low-income urban areas, thereby promoting social change through increased academic success and upward economic mobility.

In a large urban school system located in a metropolitan city in the southeastern United States, third- and fifth-grade minority students in Title I elementary schools are performing below proficiency in social studies on the statewide standardized assessments. The lack of exposure to the social studies curriculum continues to hinder minority students from successfully comprehending complex informational text, which is important to their success in the newly adopted Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the problem teachers faced with an insufficient amount of time for teaching social studies content and the recent requirement to increase student exposure to informational text. The research used Lev Vygotsky's theory of social constructivism to provide a framework for the methods used in this paper. To address these problems, this study explored two third-grade and two fifth-grade language arts teachers' perceptions of integrating social studies text during their reading-language arts block. Further, the study observed teachers as they integrated social studies text to teach reading. Data for this case study were compiled from interviews, observations, and focus group discussions. The data were reviewed and coded to identify major themes and were then analyzed to generalize data findings. Teachers reported integrating social studies text afforded them the opportunity to maximize instructional time, teach the CCSS, and expose students to more informational text. Implications for positive social change include enabling teachers to identify the benefits of integrating social studies text during reading-language arts instruction and enabling minority students to increase their scores on the statewide social studies assessment.

Atlantic Avenue Elementary School (AAES) experienced reading achievement gaps between high-performing students and below-basic students within the school reading curriculum and balanced literacy framework. Vygotsky's theories of scaffolding and zone of proximal development served as the framework guiding this project, which used a qualitative case study design to explore reading teachers' perceptions of the ways in which they were addressing this reading achievement gap. Individual interviews, classroom observations, and lesson plans were the sources of the qualitative data collected from 6 reading teachers. The data were coded manually using emerging and constant-comparative strategies to identify common themes. The themes that emerged from the findings were the need for (a) balanced literacy instruction, (b) reading instruction to be taught at individual ability levels, (c) enrichment of students' background knowledge, (d) meaningful reading assessments to drive instruction, and (e) sustainable and informative professional development (PD). A teacher-informed PD plan was developed in the form of a professional learning community. The potential positive social impact of success of this PD at AAES could benefit similar schools in the district, state, and nation.

In a small, rural school district in the southeastern United States, elementary school teachers were receiving positive evaluation ratings while student proficiency on state assessments was below the state average. Due to changes in federal and state laws, school personnel evaluate methods have undergone significant reform. The purpose of this study was to answer the guiding research questions of teachers and administrators perceptions toward the value-added model (VAM) of evaluation and how those perceptions affect teacher performance. Taylor's scientific management theory, which suggests examining human productivity through the lens of applied science served as the conceptual framework. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with a homogeneous group of 4 elementary teachers and 4 principals. Thematic data followed an open-coding process to identify categories and emergent themes. The findings revealed that teachers believed VAM had little effect on their instructional practice and principals rarely used VAM data to recommend professional development to teachers. This study included the creation of a professional development project to provide a clear understanding of VAM and a method for analyzing student data to inform (a) instruction, (b) pedagogical and content knowledge in the area of balanced literacy and assessments, and (c) a summative review of student data related to VAM. The study and project have implications for positive social change by providing district and school-based leaders with insight into the effects of many decisions related to teacher evaluations.