Education Commons^™

Unstacking The Matryoshka Nesting Doll: A Self-Study Of Playful Language Instruction For Adult Second Language Learners, Marine Pepanyan

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In the recent three decades teaching second language (L2) vocabulary has expanded from sentence-level morphosyntactic features and pragmatics to the promotion and advancement of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). Nevertheless, the L2 instructors are constantly seeking alternative strategies for vocabulary teaching and assessment due to a superficial level of vocabulary memorization and lack of student engagement. As an instructor-practitioner, I undertook a self-study of the process of implementing Playful Language Instruction (PLI) of L2 vocabulary in an Intensive English Program. In this self-study I combined conceptual lenses of theories of play, CLT, and the Adult Learning Theory to examine how playful …

Lexile Levels And Their Value To Public School Teachers, Kristin Schumacher

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This thesis examines how teachers perceive Lexile level and its value, and whether or not their beliefs inform their practice. To address questions regarding teachers’ beliefs about Lexile level, I designed and implemented an online survey for public school teachers. My research shows that teachers have a favorable view of Lexile level, that they believe both students and parents should be informed of students’ Lexile level, that books should be labeled with Lexile level, and that asking students to read within their Lexile level range is a good practice. This survey research reveals the need to further interrogate whether or …

Technology Based Grammar Instruction, Erin Mary Summerhays

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

There are a wide variety of technology-based grammar instruction resources available for educators, and it is important for them to select the best tool for their school district’s and individual students’ needs. It is also important for educators to know whether the technology they have chosen is better than the traditional way of grammar instruction using paper and pencil. This paper studied the free grammar tool Noredink and looked specifically at the concept of active and passive voice. 22 10th -grade students were participants, with 11 receiving grammar instruction using traditional methods, and the other 11 receiving grammar instruction using …

Writing Workshop And Creativity Despite Standardization: An Exploration Of Elementary Teachers' Practices, Darcie Kay Kress

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Writing instruction in today’s classrooms is often structured with “formulaic, sterile writing instruction” (Brown, Morrell, and Rowlands, 2011, p. 17). The focus on formulaic approaches can be problematic, for it may inadvertently cause the quality of students’ writing to decline (Brown, Morrell, & Rowlands, 2011; Gillespie, Olinghouse, & Graham, 2013). The National Writing Project (NWP) provides teachers with professional development to strengthen their own skills as writers, and also to learn how to effectively incorporate evidence-based practices into their writing instruction.

The aim of this study was to explore the practices of three elementary classroom teachers (second, fifth, and sixth …

Understanding Esl Undergraduate Students' Beliefs About Learner-Centered Instruction, Mahjabeen Hussain

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was undertaken to determine undergraduate ESL students’ beliefs about learner-centered teaching (LCT) practices in English classes and to understand to what extent their learner-centered learning experiences influenced their beliefs about the quality of LCT practices. The study involved explanatory sequential mixed-methods. The Learner-centered Battery Student Survey and focus group interviews were used to collect data. One hundred and twelve undergraduate ESL students at a Midwestern university took part in the survey, 17 of whom, predominantly Asians, subsequently took part in multiple mini focus groups that lasted approximately 50-70 minutes each. Quantitative data analysis included descriptive statistics, t-Tests, and …

The Effects Of Book Club Participation On Reading Comprehension In Children With Disabilities, Elizabeth Ann Kosmicki

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Reading comprehension is a skill that effects future employment and income. However it is an ability that children with various disabilities struggle with. Researchers suggest that instruction in the use of reading comprehension strategies may improve understanding of texts. Furthermore, book clubs might serve as a vehicle to deliver this instruction in a natural setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of book clubs on the reading comprehension strategy use of children with disabilities. Two third grade children, one male with ADHD and one female with Down syndrome, participated in a book club. As part of …

Using Blended Learning To Improve Undergraduate Introduction To Literature Courses: A Mixed Methods Approach, Julie Leigh Klein

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Blended learning is being used more and more in higher education. However, for humanities and other loosely content structured areas, blended learning can be challenging. It has generally been reserved for subject areas such as computer programing, mathematics, business, science, and statistics--courses where competence is commonly assessed by administering work on which performance is either right or wrong. Furthermore, agreement has not yet been reached on how to best incorporate the face-to-face and online teaching resources. This study examines one approach of implementing web-based instruction to improve undergraduate Introduction to Literature courses at a midsized Midwestern university.

This study was …

A Survey Of Literacy Instruction In Public Preschool Programs In Iowa, Anne Marie Berthelsen

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This paper focuses on the importance of emergent literacy instruction with preschool populations. Emergent literacy refers to the early developmental stages of reading in preschool children and focuses on strengthening pre-reading skills. This paper describes best practice for survey development as well as recommended changes to the methodology of a previous study. The paper also describes changes made to improve the previous emergent literacy survey and concludes with a discussion of how the results of the survey could be used to improve emergent literacy instruction for preschool children.

Comparing Sixth Grade Students' Creativity In Word Play To Spatial Construction With Integrated Academic Content Eliciting A Distal Or Proximal Perspective, Ksenia S. Zhbanova

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Pressing global problems require solutions from innovative ideas that depend upon educating a new generation to think creatively. The current study aimed at assisting 24 sixth grade students in a summer program develop their creativity skills in two different areas while integrating academic content. Student performance was examined for transfer of skills across domains and for support of Construal Level Theory, which holds that addressing topics distant in space, time, probability or experience leads to abstract thought supporting greater creativity.

The study was a counterbalanced, repeated measures, two-experimental condition study with students divided into two groups of 12 each. In …

Student-Centered Literacy Instruction: An Examination Of An Elementary Teacher's Experience, Carolyn Marie Wiezorek

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this qualitative study, I examined and interpreted the literacy instruction of a fourth grade instructor who identified herself as a student-centered teacher. I sought to understand and interpret the beliefs and attitudes of my participant, Julie. Through seven unstructured interviews and five observations, I collected, and simultaneously interpreted, data. Julie freely shared her beliefs, successes, challenges, and frustrations regarding her literacy instruction.

Because of the contextual nature of the study I sought emerging themes through analysis and reflection. Four themes surfaced: attitude and philosophy, environment, instructional practices, and impact on students. Julie possessed an attitude that all students could …

Special Issues In Engaging And Collaborating With Families Of English Language Learners, Stephanie Allison Strouse

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Research demonstrates positive outcomes associated with family involvement (Fl), but little exists specific to English Language Learners' (ELLs) FI. Factors impacting FI are identified, but it is unclear which educators view as most significant and what practices are implemented to address them. This study utilized survey data to examine educators' attitudes within an Iowa Area Education Agency regarding FI of ELLs, current practices, perceptions of practices' effectiveness, and professional development (PD) related to ELLs. Participants reported positive relationships with families of ELLs and that ELL families value education, yet only moderate satisfaction with ELL FI. Results indicate incongruity between common …

Leadership Distinctions : The Impact Of Leadership On Teachers Of Second Chance Reading, Rebecca Sue Williams

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Second Chance Reading (SCR), an instructional framework that targets and supports struggling adolescent readers and determined to be a sound and viably researched framework, can assist teachers in building and supporting proficient and lifelong learners when implemented as intended. This study examined educators from five unique communities who recently implemented the program. Four key questions guided the research and became the focus during semi-structured purposive interviews. (1) What was the relationship between Second Chance Reading teachers and principal leadership? (2) What leadership qualities were necessary to support Second Chance Reading teachers? (3) What barriers were preventing teachers from accomplishing their …

Is The Coach Ready For The Game? A Self-Study Of Literacy Coaching In A Secondary School, Barbara J. Perry

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Content area teachers at the secondary level often complain that the students are unwilling or unable to read and comprehend the textbooks. Yet these teachers have seldom had instruction in the teaching of reading. They state that teaching of reading is someone else's job. They state that they need to progress through the entire textbook, and that teaching reading strategies in addition to the content would impede that progress. Many elementary schools have hired reading coaches to help teachers learn and practice effective reading strategies. Only a few secondary schools have hired coaches.

The purpose of this qualitative self-study was …

Taiwan's Language Curriculum And Policy: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Dpp's Claims-Making, Yi-Hsuan Lee

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This case study of Taiwan's language curriculum and policy is a rhetorical analysis of the claims-making regarding changes with Taiwan's native languages and Chinese education.

To answer the research question of whether or not the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government claims support its language curriculum and policy changes, this study applied (a) Social problems research, and (b) Burke's dramatisim to analyze the claims. Two statements by the Taiwanese government about its educational policy, during the 2000-2008 presidencies, were analyzed along with the actual curriculum guidelines. Also, the opponents' opinions regarding the government's actions, which were represented in the newspapers, were …

The Effectiveness Of Colored Overlays On Reading Achievement And Attitudes Toward Reading For Students With Scotopic Sensitive Syndrome, Hanan Ali Bagabas

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study investigated the effects on students identified with Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome (SSS) or Irlen Syndrome (IS) when using colored overlays as an intervention (immediately and over time) to assess reading performance (rate, accuracy, and comprehension); to measure visual-motor integration; and to assess attitude toward reading. SSS/IS is a visual perceptual problem related to a collection of symptoms that affects an individual's performance when reading. Three participants, all males (one 3rd -grade student, one 4th -grade student, and one 5th -grade student), were identified as having SSS/IS and other learning disabilities.

The study involved five test instruments (Irlen Reading Perceptual …

The Effects Of Parental Involvement On Early Reading Acquisition Among Kindergarten Students, Erin Vander Velde

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Children begin to develop literacy skills long before they enter formal education. It has been found that parental involvement in the early literacy process through both formal and informal activities at home can help to improve a child's reading abilities, even when risk factors are present. Providing skills to parents may help them to bolster their child's reading acquisition. This study sought to determine the impact of parental on the reading skills of kindergarten students, as measured by the Dynamic Indicators of Parents of three students receiving Title I services in reading attended a reading seminar. Children of parents attending …

Family, Child, Teacher Perceptions Of What African American Adult Family Members Think And Do To Assist Their Elementary School-Aged Children To Become Better Readers, Shadrack Gabriel Msengi

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

In this study, the perceptions were investigated of how African American adult family members, children, and teachers viewed the family members' roles in assisting their elementary school-aged children to become better readers. These perceptions were explored to provide a detailed account of ideas that can impact the home-school relationship. To conduct this study, the researcher examined how similar or different the perceptions were among the three subgroups regarding: (a) the child's reading level; (b) what families do to assist children in reading; and (c) the perceived barriers and opportunities in adult family members' decisions to assist their children to become …

Educational Change Process: A Case Study Of A Rural School District's Reading Reform, Barbara M. Havel Bohach

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Beginning reading instruction is the subject of much debate in educational fields as well as in the political arena. The product of such debates is often a push to reform reading programs and teachers are targeted as the ones to carry out these reforms. If reading educators have been actively involved in a reading change process, what are their concerns about change and the influence of mandated legislation?

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to examine how teachers and administrators initiated and implemented a balanced reading innovation. It also investigated how the Concerns-Based Adoption Model identified teachers' concerns …

An Investigation Of Cooperative Consciousness-Raising As An Innovative Teaching Practice, And Of Reactions To Its Introduction Into A High School, Sahoby Solo Raharinirina

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The language pedagogy literature stresses the importance of the quality of second/foreign language teaching/learning in learners' acquisition, development of communicative competence, or both. The change literature equally emphasizes the importance of the quality of innovation in change audience’s resolution to reconceptualize current practices and espouse the new practice being advocated. Both literatures underline the need to use multiple research strategies in order to depict the product and process of learning and/or shifting experiences. To contribute to the educational literature in these areas, the present research incorporated two different but interrelated studies.

Study One utilized both between- and within-method approaches (Denzin, …

Perceptions Of Writing In A Community College Composition Course, Rebecca Ann Kamm

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to investigate community college students' and their teacher's perceptions about writing in a beginning composition course. This study explored student and teacher views about composition, possible tensions about ways writing is defined, and ways to resolve tension. Specifically, this study addressed the following questions:

1. How do my perceptions as a writing instructor in a beginning community college composition course compare with my students' perceptions?
2. How do my students and I understand real and perceived consequences that arise from various views about writing?
3. How could my students and I mediate or resolve various views about …

Classroom Environment And Teachers' Beliefs: The Effects Of Retention And Transition Room Instruction On Student Reading Achievement, Carla Rae Coleman

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to evaluate gains in reading achievement made by students retained in first grade or placed in a pre-first transition room. In addition, the study examined the instructional environment of the retained and transition room students. There were four major questions which guided the study: (a) Do students in rural schools retained in first grade or placed in a pre-first grade transition room demonstrate improved reading performance during their final year in first grade when compared to their reading performance during the transition or retained year as measured by the Iowa Test of Basic Skills? …

Reader-Text Match: The Interactive Effect Of Reader Ability And Text Difficulty On Comprehension Monitoring, Kathryn Maelou Baxter

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of text difficulty on the comprehension monitoring of above- and below-average readers. The most of the good reader/poor reader comprehension monitoring research, students have been given identical passages. Consequently, the poor readers must read text that is relatively more difficult for them than it is for the better readers.

In this study, 36 fourth graders, 18 above-average readers and 18 below-average readers, were given text on three levels of difficulty, as determined by the Fry readability formula: (a) a second-grade passage for all students, used to reflect the standard practice …

The Effects Of The Use Of A Color Code In Graphic Presentation And Assessment On The Reader's Immediate Recall And Delayed Retention, Peggy Ann Posekany Pruisner

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The study investigated the effects of the use of a color code in graphic presentation and assessment of verbal material on the reader's immediate recall and delayed retention. Nine seventh-grade classes, containing a total of 132 students, were randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups: (a) color-coded graphic presentation with a color-coded graphic assessment, (b) color-coded graphic presentation with a black/white graphic assessment, (c) black-white graphic presentation with a color-coded graphic assessment, and (d) black/white graphic presentation with a black/white graphic assessment. The research design was a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial; the independent variables were the graphic …

Assessment Of The Process Of Reading Through The Use Of Think-Aloud Protocols With Elementary Students, Jacqueline F. Holdorf

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study was undertaken to investigate the ability of elementary students to generate verbal reports during a reading task, and to determine whether differences in protocols produced exist between readers of differing ability and verbal activity.

The 20 experimental subjects were 5th and 6th grade students from one classroom in an Iowa school district. The subjects were classified as good and poor readers, and verbal and less verbal. Reading ability classifications were based on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. Verbal activity classifications were based on teacher judgment.

The subjects were asked to read a passage and then to verbalize …

Teacher-Initiated Whole Language Reading Instruction In A Skills-Based School District: A Self-Report Case Study, Vicky Mashek-Smith

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This study presents an insider's view of change as one teacher, the author of this report, attempted to implement reading instruction based on a whole language philosophy in a skills-based school district. Reform critics have made a substantial call for the improvement of students' literacy skills and for teachers to take charge of change efforts. This study is an attempt to describe what happened when one teacher attempted to implement these recommended reforms.

This investigation followed qualitative research guidelines for a self-report case study, similar to those used by McPherson (1972) in Small Town Teacher. The setting was a fourth-grade …

An Analysis Of Historical Studies Of Literacy Standards From Three Epochs In American Elementary Education, Karen Elizabeth Stinson Hanus

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The task of determining the standards of literacy in an historical epoch, the accurate assessment of children's ability to read, and the achievement of universal literacy are like the impossible endeavor of Tantalus in Greek mythology. As one comes closer to achieving one's goal, it changes and moves further away, forever just out of reach. So it is in trying to ascertain absolutes in the field of literacy. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to demonstrate that one definition of literacy is not possible because literacy standards depend upon historical context.

Prominent selected historians' studies of literacy were examined …

The Role Of The Iowa Elementary School Principal In The School's Reading Program, Roberta L. Bodensteiner

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

This research investigated the level of involvement, both actual and desired, of Iowa elementary principals in their schools' reading programs. The purpose was to determine if there existed a difference between what Iowa elementary principals actually did and what they desired to do in their involvement with specific reading-related tasks. This study sought to answer the following questions:

(1) Do Iowa elementary principals view their actual knowledge of reading as different from a desired level of knowledge about reading?

(2) Do Iowa elementary principals view their actual level of interaction with teachers as different from a desired level of principal-teacher …

An Investigation Into The Behaviors Of Classroom Teachers During Scheduled Reading Instructional Periods, Judy Weseman Moser

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The specific purposes of this study were to identify and describe the frequency of teacher behaviors that occur during classroom reading instruction. The following problematic questions were addressed: (1) How much time is scheduled for formal reading instruction; (2) What proportion of teacher behavior during scheduled reading instructional periods is concerned with actual instruction in reading; (3) What proportion of teacher behavior during scheduled reading instructional periods is concerned with non-instructional activities; (4) What proportions of teacher behaviors during scheduled reading instructional periods are concerned with each of the major reading skill areas; (5) What proportions of teacher behaviors during …

The Effects Of Language Variables On The Reading Comprehension Of Hearing-Impaired Children, Nancy L. Robbins

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

Hearing-impaired children rarely learn to read well. They suffer no apparent deficit in perceptual skill or basic intelligence. Their difficulty appears to be linguistic in origin. But research on the reading ability of the deaf is inadequate to specify the precise nature of their linguistic disability.

The deaf lack knowledge of English phonology. Current reading instruction programs for them a.re based on the assumption that this is the cause of their reading problems. Recent research indicates, however, that phoneme-grapheme correspondences contribute little to the reading process and that phonics instruction may actually impede learning to read. It is unlikely that …

A Survey Of Reading Programs In Selected Junior High Schools In Six Iowa Counties, Daniel Charles Manning

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purpose of this survey was to assess the current status of junior high reading programs. Fifteen schools were randomly selected from the schools within the counties surrounding Blackhawk County. Criteria which indicated aspects of successful reading programs were selected and were subsequently used in the assessments. Particular emphasis was placed upon individualization, diagnosis, language arts integration, reading in the content areas, and on organizational structure. Visitation requests were sent, and acceptances were received from thirteen schools. During the spring term of the 1971- 1972 academic year, visitations were made. Data was obtained through teacher interview and classroom observation.

The …