The consequences of less than proficient reading skills are well documented. In educational settings, as children progress through the grades, the expectation that they acquire content knowledge through reading continually increases. However, many children lack the proficient reading skills that would enable them to acquire content knowledge through reading. Consequently, less than proficient reading skills are associated with academic failure and academic avoidance behaviors such as absenteeism and discipline problems. This study examined the effects of sheltered instruction on the academic and non-academic behaviors of a group of struggling readers. A causal-comparative research design was used to compare MCT2 Language Arts scores, attendance, and number of discipline referrals of 28 sixth grade struggling readers attending a rural school in northern Mississippi. Paired-samples t tests were used to compare measures of the dependent variables of students when they were in a traditional classroom setting to when they were in a sheltered instruction classroom setting. The results of the data analysis failed to detect any statistically significant differences between the measures of the dependent variables under the two conditions. Therefore, it appears that sheltered instruction did not have an effect on the academic and nonacademic behaviors of struggling readers. However, there are limitations to the findings of this study. The two most serious limitations are the small sample size and the incomplete data sets. With this small sample size, the t tests may not have been robust enough to detect statistically significant differences. In addition to the small sample size, each of the dependent variables had cases where data were missing. Consequently, a replication of this study is one of the recommendations of this study. Another recommendation is that the effects of sheltered instruction on student achievement be examined after students have been exposed to the treatment for multiple years.

This study examined elementary teachers’ perceptions of their principal’s level of cultural proficiency. Practices for Developing a Culturally Competent School Environment, a survey Camille Smith and adapted by Dr. Mack T. Hines, was completed from a sample size of 119 teachers. The survey contained 35 items, including six constructs: valuing diversity, assessing the culture, managing the dynamics of difference, institutionalizing cultural knowledge and resources, adapting to diversity and inclusiveness. Teachers rated their principal using a Likert scale which consisted of 1 = never uses, 2 = rarely uses, 3 = sometimes uses, 4 = frequently uses, and 5 = always uses. Teachers of various races, ages and years with their principal participated in this study. The study reveals that these variables do not make a statistically significant difference in the teachers’ perception of how proficient they are in valuing diversity, a assessing his/her own culture and institutionalizing cultural knowledge. This quantitative study reveals the variances of statistical significance of teacher demographics: age, gender, years served under current principal and accountability rating of the school. Cultural proficiency is important to the development and maintenance of the necessary relationships among students, teachers, principals and the school community.

This study was conducted at a school designated as a higher primary school comprised of grade 0-9 learners (GET band) in Grahamstown in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. With the advent of the new curriculum in South Africa, we are also grappling with the implementation of the new curriculum at this school. This motivated me to investigate the benefits of eliciting and integrating learners’ prior everyday knowledge and experiences during teaching and learning of acids and bases. Essentially, the study sought to gain insight into whether engaging learners during practical activities using easily accessible materials from their homes facilitated meaning-making of acids and bases. This study is located within an interpretive paradigm. Within this paradigm, a qualitative case study approach was conducted with the researcher’s Grade 7 class. To gather data, document analysis, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, lesson observations, stimulated recall discussions while watching the videotaped lessons as well as focus group interviews with learners were used. An inductive analysis to discover patterns and themes was applied during the data analysis process. The validation process was done through watching the videotaped lessons with the teachers who observed the lessons. Also, transcripts of the interviews and a summary of discussions were given back to the respondents to verify their responses and check for any misinterpretations. Rich data sets were analysed in relation to the research questions which were: How do Natural Sciences teachers elicit and integrate learners’ prioreveryday knowledge and experiences to facilitate learning of scientific concepts of acids and bases in their classrooms? Does engaging learners in practical activities using everyday substances enhance their conceptual development and understanding of acids and bases? The findings from the study revealed that the use of learners’ prior everyday knowledge and experiences during teaching and learning of acids and bases facilitated meaningful learning. Furthermore, linking learning to learners’ everyday experiences enabled them to learn scientific concepts in a relaxed and non-threatening environment. It is thus recommended that teachers should be supported in their endeavours to incorporate learners’ real life experiences during their teaching and learning repertoires. Notwithstanding, as much as there were benefits in this study there were, however, also some challenges that were encountered, such as language, which warrants further research.

Este estudo é uma investigação sobre a relação entre as atividades de leitura praticadas durante o processo de alfabetização e a formação do leitor competente, para isso, inicialmente fez-se necessário considerar os aspectos de formação socioeconômica e cultural dos envolvidos, pertencentes a região colonizada por imigrantes italianos no Nordeste do Rio Grande do Sul, mais precisamente no município de Farroupilha. Em seguida, o mesmo objetivo levou-nos a resgatar a evolução dos métodos de alfabetização, para melhor entender as habilidades e competências de leitura desenvolvidas por esses métodos nas Séries Inicias. O corpus da pesquisa é formado por dados coletados através de diferentes instrumentos que permitiu a classificação de acordo com o meio comunitário, escolar e familiar de crianças em fase de alfabetização, para análise (das implicações causadas por esses meios na formação de habilidades e competências de leitura), numa abordagem sociointeracionista, segundo Vygotsky, Bakhtin, Freire e outros. Os resultados, após discutidos e analisados, nos levaram a identificar, apesar dos limites desta pesquisa um quadro preocupante em relação às práticas de leitura aplicadas as crianças em fase de alfabetização, o que tem resultado em dificuldades de compreensão do texto em diferentes níveis de escolaridade, ressaltando a necessidade de repensar ações integradas entre a comunidade, os pais e os educadores, em práticas reais, começando por uma alfabetização que vá além da decodificação, que considere a cultura do lugar e aquilo que realmente é significativo para o aprendiz. / Submitted by Marcelo Teixeira (mvteixeira@ucs.br) on 2014-05-13T17:59:29Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Janete Fassini Alves.pdf: 992781 bytes, checksum: ca30b32efb2a05ad701ef31d1f2371ee (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-13T17:59:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Janete Fassini Alves.pdf: 992781 bytes, checksum: ca30b32efb2a05ad701ef31d1f2371ee (MD5) / This study is a research about the relation between the reading activities developed during the reading and writing teaching process and the proficient reader development. In order to do it, firstly, was necessary to consider the economic and cultural development aspects of the engaged people in this study. They are from a region colonized by Italian immigrants in the northeast of Rio Grande do Sul, precisely in Farroupilha municipal district. After, the same target brought us to see again the evolution of teaching reading and writing approach, to better understand the reading skills and proficiency developed by these approaches in the Elementary Course. The corpus of this research is composed by data that were collected through different instruments, that allowed us to classify the social, familiar and school environment of children in the reading and writing process, to analyze (the implications caused by the environment in forming reading skills and proficiency) in a sociointeracionist approach, by Vygotsky, Bakhtin, Freire and others. The results, after discussed and analyzed, brought us to identify, despite of the this research limits, a worried table related to the reading activities applied to children in the reading and writing process. This had resulted in difficulties of text comprehension in different school grades, sticking out the necessity of thinking again the integrated actions between the community, parents and teachers, in real experiences, started by a reading and writing teaches that goes over of decode the signs, that consider the community culture and that is really significantly to the learners.

Este estudo é uma investigação sobre a relação entre as atividades de leitura praticadas durante o processo de alfabetização e a formação do leitor competente, para isso, inicialmente fez-se necessário considerar os aspectos de formação socioeconômica e cultural dos envolvidos, pertencentes a região colonizada por imigrantes italianos no Nordeste do Rio Grande do Sul, mais precisamente no município de Farroupilha. Em seguida, o mesmo objetivo levou-nos a resgatar a evolução dos métodos de alfabetização, para melhor entender as habilidades e competências de leitura desenvolvidas por esses métodos nas Séries Inicias. O corpus da pesquisa é formado por dados coletados através de diferentes instrumentos que permitiu a classificação de acordo com o meio comunitário, escolar e familiar de crianças em fase de alfabetização, para análise (das implicações causadas por esses meios na formação de habilidades e competências de leitura), numa abordagem sociointeracionista, segundo Vygotsky, Bakhtin, Freire e outros. Os resultados, após discutidos e analisados, nos levaram a identificar, apesar dos limites desta pesquisa um quadro preocupante em relação às práticas de leitura aplicadas as crianças em fase de alfabetização, o que tem resultado em dificuldades de compreensão do texto em diferentes níveis de escolaridade, ressaltando a necessidade de repensar ações integradas entre a comunidade, os pais e os educadores, em práticas reais, começando por uma alfabetização que vá além da decodificação, que considere a cultura do lugar e aquilo que realmente é significativo para o aprendiz. / This study is a research about the relation between the reading activities developed during the reading and writing teaching process and the proficient reader development. In order to do it, firstly, was necessary to consider the economic and cultural development aspects of the engaged people in this study. They are from a region colonized by Italian immigrants in the northeast of Rio Grande do Sul, precisely in Farroupilha municipal district. After, the same target brought us to see again the evolution of teaching reading and writing approach, to better understand the reading skills and proficiency developed by these approaches in the Elementary Course. The corpus of this research is composed by data that were collected through different instruments, that allowed us to classify the social, familiar and school environment of children in the reading and writing process, to analyze (the implications caused by the environment in forming reading skills and proficiency) in a sociointeracionist approach, by Vygotsky, Bakhtin, Freire and others. The results, after discussed and analyzed, brought us to identify, despite of the this research limits, a worried table related to the reading activities applied to children in the reading and writing process. This had resulted in difficulties of text comprehension in different school grades, sticking out the necessity of thinking again the integrated actions between the community, parents and teachers, in real experiences, started by a reading and writing teaches that goes over of decode the signs, that consider the community culture and that is really significantly to the learners.

At the beginning of the 21st century, few challenges for educators compared to that of meeting the academic needs of the growing number of limited English proficient (LEP) students. Divergent views on whether those needs were best met through instruction in the student's first language and English, known as bilingual education, or instruction solely in English, compounded the challenge and led to varied language support programs. The present study looked at the prekindergarten (preK) language support program as a predictor of 3rd grade reading achievement of students with the intention of helping educators understand how best to serve LEP students. The study included an analysis of 3rd grade reading achievement for four groups of students with a primary home language of Spanish who attended bilingual or ESL prekindergarten. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) followed by descriptive discriminant analysis (DDA) was used to analyze scores from the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) reading test and the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) reading test. No statistically significant difference in 3rd grade reading achievement was found among the four groups at the .05 level. There was, however, a small-to-medium effect size. The MANOVA indicated that the group to which the students belonged accounted for 5.5% of the variance in their scores. The DDA revealed the ITBS explained most of the difference in the group performance. The findings suggest that ESL instruction is a viable option to bilingual instruction for LEP preK students.

This study examined the possible relationships among the perceived implementation levels of elementary music standards and Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores for fourth graders in reading, mathematics, and writing for the years 2004, 2005, and 2006. Survey data for the study were obtained from 32 school district music supervisors from large, medium, and small districts who returned fully or partially completed questionnaires. The study was focused on the relationships, if any, between a school district's mean scale scores in reading, mathematics, and writing from 2004 to 2006 in grade 4 and (a) elementary music standards implementation, (b) the average amount of time spent in elementary school music classes per week, (c) demographic and economic factors, and (d) the reported average amount of time spent in elementary school music classes per week. Findings of the study indicated that, when all variables were considered, a relationship existed among district music supervisors' views on two variables, degree of music standards implementation and the amount of time allotted per month for elementary music in respondents' school districts in 2004, 2005, and 2006; and (a) the percentage of students achieving at proficient or higher on FCAT reading who were also identified as free and reduced lunch in 2004, 2005, and 2006, (b) the percentage of students achieving at proficient or higher on FCAT mathematics who were also identified as free and reduced lunch in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and (c) the percentage of students achieving at proficient or higher on FCAT writing who were also identified as Hispanic in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Finally, implications for educational decision making were offered and recommendations were made for future studies dealing with elementary music standards implementation in Florida's schools. These recommendations included (a) investigating reasons for achievement gaps on FCAT between majority and minority ethnic groups and between minorities themselves, (b) exploring socio-economic factors affecting FCAT scores, (c) continuing research giving special attention to brain research involving music and its impact on the brain, (d) determining why high-stakes testing is necessary, and (e) devising controlled studies both in Florida and nationwide that would compare the elementary students receiving consistent and varied teaching in music with those students not receiving consistent musical instruction. Controlled and experimental group studies of pre-schoolers should be conducted to determine the extent to which the use of musical rhythms impacts the rate of language acquisition.

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Contemporary research suggests that multiple criteria, including SES, ethnicity, first and second language proficiency levels, language dominance, immigrant and/or generational status, acculturation status, and educational placement history predict ELL student achievement levels (Abedi, 2008). However, the majority of states do not examine these factors and instead use a combination of the Home Language Survey (HLS) plus an English language proficiency test for screening and identification, though it is debated if these instruments adequately measure the type of language proficiency needed to be successful in mainstream classrooms (O'Malley & Pierce, 1994). Because of these findings, it seems that multiple criteria are important to examine when screening students for English Language Learner (ELL) placement. It is hypothesized that a more detailed classification system will better predict students' academic language abilities as part of a universal screening effort, and truly identify those at most need for specialized language support. The present study uses a correlational design to examine the relationship between a parent interview form, the Bilingual Parent Interview (BPI) and students' language proficiency scores in both their native and second languages, as well as their academic achievement. It was hypothesized that the multiple criteria assessed with the BPI would be more associated with language proficiency abilities and academic achievement than the HLS. English-Language Learners (ELLs; n= 42) in grades two through five were targeted for participation. Families were recruited from a public elementary school in a city in Southern California. Record reviews were conducted to collect parents' responses on the HLS and the BPI, as well as students' language proficiency scores on the California English Language Development Test (CELDT), the Language Assessment Scales Links Español, and the Preschool Language Assessment Scales 2000 Español 2000 (Pre-LAS 2000). In addition, students' academic achievement based upon the California STAR program was also collected. It was anticipated that items on the BPI would better correlate students' language abilities and academic achievement than those from the HLS. However, it was determined that the HLS better correlated with measures of English Language Proficiency and Spanish Language Proficiency, therefore providing initial support for the validity of this measure. Examination of the socio-cultural factors related to the language abilities and academic outcomes of at-risk ELL students expands upon efforts to identify students in need of remedial support as part of an early prevention model. In addition, the assessment of language proficiency and achievement data in both English and Spanish extends the effort to discriminate between endogenous learning disabilities and language delays resulting from second language acquisition amongst ELL children who struggle academically. / School Psychology