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Language and Literacy Education

University of Northern Iowa

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Articles 31 - 38 of 38

Full-Text Articles in Education

Teacher-Initiated Whole Language Reading Instruction In A Skills-Based School District: A Self-Report Case Study, Vicky Mashek-Smith Jan 1989

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 Jan 1988

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 Jan 1987

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 Jan 1982

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 Jan 1979

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 Jan 1972

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 …


A Comparative Study Of Three Different Approaches To Beginning Reading Comprehension: Ita, Programmed Reader, And Basal Reader, Helen Ferrier Ristau Jan 1969

A Comparative Study Of Three Different Approaches To Beginning Reading Comprehension: Ita, Programmed Reader, And Basal Reader, Helen Ferrier Ristau

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The purposes of this study were to compare the effectiveness of three specific approaches to beginning reading for teaching reading comprehension in the schools of a midwestern community: ITA, Programmed Reader, and Basal Reader. The Reading: Stories or reading comprehension scores on the Metropolitan Achievement Tests were used to compare: (1) the overall effectiveness of teaching reading comprehension under the three approaches, and (2) the effectiveness of the three approaches for particular types of learners. The data was analyzed according to the following factors: sex, M.A., socioeconomic status, and maturity level to determine which approach is best for any of …


A Comparison Of Results Of Two Methods Of Teaching Reading In The First Grade, Melvin Wayne Thurston Jan 1969

A Comparison Of Results Of Two Methods Of Teaching Reading In The First Grade, Melvin Wayne Thurston

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

An examination of the grade-equivalent scores attained in vocabulary and reading comprehension by third-grade pupils at Hudson Community School on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills over the preceding four-year period revealed that many of the pupils were seriously retarded in reading. During this period a total of 210 third-grade pupils were tested. Thirty-one per cent of these pupils scored one or more years below the norm for Iowa third-grade pupils in vocabulary, and the same level of retardation was true in reading comprehension for twenty-seven per cent of these pupils.

Most of these pupils had been taught beginning reading …