Education Commons^™

The Role Of The Learning Community In The Professional Development Of Literacy Teachers, Abbey Spoonmore Duggins

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explored a learning community in action. The purpose of this study was to investigate the professional conversations that teachers in a learning community had and the impact of those conversations on the practices and beliefs of the individual teachers in the community. Specifically, the study sought to discover how and why facets of professional learning transferred (or did not transfer) into classroom practice. The researcher spent five months with a learning community comprised of six middle school literacy teachers and attended their learning community meetings, visited their classrooms, and videotaped them teaching. Each classroom visit was …

The Effects Of Book Format On Parent-Child Interaction During Joint Book Reading, Jennifer Lynn Bowman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Technology is a part of our society and is ever changing. Therefore, it is important to examine the effects that such innovations have on parent-child interactions, especially those that have been shown to promote children's early literacy learning and future school success. This study was conducted in the context of a larger project, The Family Reading Project, which investigated parent-child engagement in joint reading activities using mobile devices. This research compared parent and child behaviors when reading traditional books versus reading e-books to determine if book format had any effect on parent-child interaction. The results of this study were that …

Elementary Teachers' Sense Of Self Efficacy And Professional Development Experiences Of Teaching Informational Text, Mary Desiree Lee

Dissertations

According to the International Reading Association, becoming a successful citizen in one’s career and personal life requires the use of literacy skills (International Reading Association, 1999). However, students in the United States have scored low on the literacy portions of the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the ACT prompting the National Governor’s Association to author a set of standards with a goal of providing students a balance between narrative and informational text (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010). Scores were below the national average in the southeastern region of the United …

Genres Of Children's Websites: A Comprehensive Methodology For Analyzing Digital Texts, James L. Welsh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study establishes a comprehensive methodology for analyzing children's website content, based on both linguistic and rhetorical data, by employing defensible criteria to evaluate both qualitative and quantitative data. By employing genre theory as a prism for examining form, substance, and rhetorical action within children's websites, this study applies that methodology to a purposeful sample of five children's websites. Results of the analysis document the complex multimodal and multilinear nature of the websites studied and identify a possible new genre, the pop culture carousel website.

Connecting Schools And Community With Real World Science Through Technology To Promote Environmental Literacy, Erin Mcmahon

Culminating Projects in Teacher Development

No abstract provided.

Response To Intervention At The Secondary Level: The Effectiveness Of A Tier One Model, Kimberly A. Berliner

Master of Education Program Theses

Research on the effectiveness of Response to Intervention (RtI) models used at the secondary level is limited. Most studies focus primarily on elementary settings. In addition to this, states vary in their progression through RtI implementation process. This study seeks to look at one model implemented at a high school with the purpose of increasing literacy for freshman and sophomore students. The study seeks to determine what are the most effective methods for implementing RtI and who should be tasked with the various roles within implementation.

Navigating Chinese And English Multiliteracies Across Domains In Canada: An Ethnographic Case Study Of Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Children’S Literacy Practices, Xiaoxiao Du

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Increasing diversity in the globalized world challenges the field of education such as policy development and curriculum design (Suarez-Orozco & Suarez-Orozco, 2009). With more and more students speaking a home language other than English entering schools, numerous studies have examined their English language development with a focus on how they learn to read and write at home and school. However, less is known about culturally and linguistically diverse children’s literacy practices across domains. This study investigated Chinese children’s literacy practices and asked What are Chinese children’s literacy practices at school, home, and in the community? What(linguistic and sociocultural) resources …

Families Of Struggling Readers In The Accountability Era: A Collective Ethnographic Case Study Of Literacy Engagement And Interaction In The Home And School, Sarah Lynn Swauger

Doctoral Dissertations

This collective case study uses ethnographic methods to explore the literacy engagement and school interactions of two families of struggling adolescent readers within the accountability era following the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, a time period where there have been as yet few studies (e.g. Compton-Lilly, 2009) focused on family literacy. Formal and informal interviews with students and their guardians as well as observations and document analysis were the main data sources. Results illuminated the influence of school policies and curricula on students’ families’ interactions and identities (Tajfel & Turner, 1986). The researcher found that families lacking cultural …

A Multiple Case Study Of Whiteness And Critical Literacy Practices Among White Elementary Teachers In Urban Public Schools, Amanda Rose Vandehei

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether white elementary teachers' perception of Whiteness influences critical literacy practices in elementary classrooms in an urban school district in the Southwest United States. This study consists of six white elementary school teachers.

Using Hardiman's model of White Identity Development, (WID) this study specifically explores the phenomenon of Whiteness and how teachers view themselves as having white privilege and advantage in American society. Hardiman's WID model includes five stages of white racial identity development in which a white person begins with no awareness of him or herself as a racial being and …

Integrating Art Education And Literacy Education: A Curriculum For The Secondary Level, Erin Moody-Zoet

Masters Theses

The purpose of this paper is to examine, through the design of a new curriculum, how the integration of reading and writing literacy into a visual arts curriculum can strengthen literacy skills as well as foster creative thinking at the middle school level. There is a growing demand for the integration of literacy in all core, and non-core curricula. By developing a curriculum that integrates literacy strategies in a visual arts program, as well as touches on the disconnect that I see between individuals and their own creative outlets, a curriculum is established that fosters and engages students in creative …

Critical Influences That Encourage Adolescent Boys To Engage In Leisure Reading, Adam Wyse

Master of Education Research Theses

This mixed-method study identifies influences on the literacy habits of adolescent boys. The study sought to answer the question: what factors influence adolescent boys to pursue or not pursue leisure reading? Leisure reading has been found to have a positive impact on academic success (Hughes-Hassell & Rodge, 2007) and boys tend to lag behind in engaging it (Smith & Wilhelm, 2004). A Likert scale survey was given to 137 students, boys and girls, from an upper-middle class, private Christian school in the Midwest. Questions focused on why students do or do not read and what could encourage them to increase …

An Exploratory Critical Study Of Questioning Strategies Posed By Early Childhood Teachers During Literacy Blocks, Angela H. Baker Ms.

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the cognitive types and functions of questions orally posed by early childhood teachers in kindergarten through 3rd grade during a 90-minute literacy block. The cognitive types of questions were determined by the criteria established using Hess’ Cognitive Rigor Matrix (Hess, Jones, Carlock, & Walkup, 2009). The functions of the posed questions were determined by criteria based on the work of Costa (2001), Hughes (as cited in Fusco, 2012), and Lowery (as cited in Fusco, 2012). This study examined questioning strategies used by 12 early childhood teachers from a Northeast Tennessee School District. …

There Is An App For That: Uses Of Print And Digital Materials In The Lives Of Three Preschoolers, Rebecca Hickman Mccraw

Theses and Dissertations

This ethnographic study examined the uses of print and digital materials in the lives of three preschoolers over a five-month period of time in the children’s home and community contexts in the southeast region of the United States. The research question asked: What can I learn about the literacy practices of three preschoolers as they use print and digital materials in their worlds? The children were the primary focus of the research, but adults (specifically, the children’s mothers) also served as informants. Grounded in sociocultural theory and informed by constructivist and media theories, the study is important because, while we …

Effects Of Poverty Funding On Literacy Achievement Over Time In Arkansas Schools, Rick Gales

Dissertations

This dissertation provides additional background to the limited research regarding the effectiveness of the use of state categorical money on literacy achievement measured by the Arkansas Literacy Benchmark Exam for a cohort of third through sixth grade students and a cohort of fifth through eighth grade students in Arkansas school districts. Using a non-experimental design, the researcher tested two hypotheses using a mixed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA). The independent variables for the two hypotheses were change over time with two levels measured in school years (2008 versus 2009 versus 2010 versus 2011) and the two NSLA funding levels. The …

Investigating Teachers' Understandings Of Gender Equity And Achievement In Postfeminist Times, Katee Joy Van Campen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Drawing from feminist post-structuralism and critical social theories, this thesis examines the significance of postfeminist and neo-liberal influences on teachers’ perspectives about gender equity and girls’ success within the context of Ontario’s high-stakes standardized testing policies and their pedagogical experiences in the classroom. The significance of this inquiry is in its capacity to contribute to further theorizing about how teachers are negotiating the changing meaning of gender equity through a neo-liberal and postfeminist lens. It also adds to the growing body of research that investigates the significance of socio-economic background with regards to girls’ achievement and participation in school and …

The People Who Do ‘This’ In Common: Book Clubs As ‘Everyday Activists’, Julie E. Tyler

Doctoral Dissertations

This study of the Books-N-Wine club in Knoxville, Tennessee participates in a growing body of research on reading communities. Since the 1980s, researchers have investigated book clubs as social-intellectual phenomena whose history dates back to eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Intersecting with the development of the public sphere and even fueling concrete social movements, book clubs comprise a “shadow tradition of literature.” Current research suggests that contemporary clubs continue to advance this “shadow tradition” and have the potential to teach and transform their constituencies. Several areas remain unexplored in research on book clubs, including the ways in which particular categories of …

Picture Books And Literacy Development For Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Lichelle Slater

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In the past decade, research has focused on children’s literature and how it can facilitate literacy development (LaCour, McDonald, Tissington, Thomason, 2013; Lee, 2010). Although current research has identified the importance of age-appropriate literacy development for children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH), few studies have explored the character representations depicted in current picture books, and their cultural and individual impact on children who are DHH. To gain a better understanding of the availability of books in which deafness or hearing loss is addressed, or books in which children who are DHH are featured characters, a search of …

Processes Utilized By High School Students Reading Scientific Text, Alicia Clinger

All Dissertations

In response to an increased emphasis on disciplinary literacy in the secondary science classroom, an investigation of the literacy processes utilized by high school students while reading scientific text was undertaken. A think-aloud protocol was implemented to collect data on the processes students used when not prompted while reading a magazine article and a selection from a textbook. Following the think-aloud, participants provided an oral summary that was analyzed for content and quality to assess the effectiveness of the strategies. The data showed that familiarity with text structure and prior knowledge of the content affected the processes utilized. Differences between …

The Impact Of Computer-Adaptive Benchmark Data And Assessment Literacy On Student Achievement And Motivation In Mathematics, Sheryl J. Rushton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Over the past several decades there has been an emphasis in educational research on student assessment and achievement in mathematics. Formative assessments are designed to inform the instructional decision making process and require assessment literacy to interpret and use data provided by these assessments. Many teachers and students were lacking assessment literacy; therefore, they were unable to adjust their instruction and study habits to increase student performance on summative assessments.

This study investigated the impact Scholastic Math Inventory (SMI) benchmarks and assessment literacy training had on summative assessments and student motivation in mathematics. The researcher analyzed unit posttest scores and …

Enhancing Teaching And Learning Through Ipad Integration In A Clinic-~Based Literacy Course, Kyle F. Kaalberg

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A re-conceptualized clinic-based literacy methods course offered the opportunity to engage participants with digital media, i.e., iPads, as a part of reading and writing instruction. This multiple case study highlights the experiences of those involved with the course: two instructors, 18 teacher candidates, and the 18 elementary tutees who received literacy tutoring. Framed through a new literacies perspective and TPACK framework, the study focused on teacher candidates' use of iPads with their literacy instruction of elementary tutees, tutees' learning experiences, and the ways in which course instructors' TPACK was influenced.

Data collection involved multiple case study methodology (Merriam, 1998; Yin, …

Learning To Read, Learning To Love It: A Shared Literacy Vision, Abigail E. Emmert

Honor Scholar Theses

None

Digital Biliteracy: Digital Technologies As Homes For Arab Immigrant Children's Biliteracy Development, Laila Al-Salmi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The revolution of digital technologies and children's increasing access to them is

impacting the literacy development of children around the world. However, few studies have investigated the relationship between digital technologies and immigrant children's biliteracy development. The purpose of this study was to understand the digital literacy practices of Arab pre-kindergarten children and how these shape biliteracy development in Arabic and English. Tomake sense of the emergent biliteracy of these young participants, the study proposed Digital Biliteracy, a theoretical framework that draws on elements of New Literacy Studies, MultimodalLiteracies, Digital Literacies and Situated Learning Theory.

The study employed a qualitative …

An Evaluation Of A Summer Reading Program At A Public Middle School In A Southeastern State, Michael Waiksnis

Education Dissertations and Projects

Academic achievement loss during the summer is an established fact that is backed by a dearth of research. Most students generally lose academic ground in math during the summer. However, summer learning loss in reading is not shared by all subgroups of students. Students living in poverty lose, on average, 3 months of academic learning while other students gain or stay the same over the summer months. This is of major concern to schools and districts as they struggle to close the achievement gap.

A middle school in a southeastern state created a reading program that guaranteed access to books …

Effects Of Coteaching Instruction Between A Speech Pathologist And First Grade Teachers, Chrisonia Busch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The effects of coteaching instruction used by speech language pathologists (SLP) and 1st grade teachers on students' early literacy skills have not been widely examined in current literature. This lack of research may hinder the efforts of SLPs to provide support services for students with and without disabilities who struggle with early literacy skills. Guided by the ecological systems theory, this quasi-experimental study examined the impact of coteaching instruction on students' literacy skills by comparing scores of 2 groups, experimental group who received coteaching and control group who did not receive coteaching instruction. The scores were measured by the final …

An Investigation Of The Use Of Disciplinary Texts And Achievement On End-Of-Course Examinations In High School U.S. History Courses, Jocelyn Baldridge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to examine whether a disparity exists between teacher expectations of honors and non-honors U. S. History students and if students who read more for U. S. History perform better on the U. S. History End-of-Course (EOC) examination. To generate answers to the research questions, both teachers and students in U. S. History courses were surveyed as to how much time was spent reading for U. S. History content both during class and for homework. The student surveys were matched to the U. S. History EOC Developmental Scale Scores to determine if students who responded as reading …

Using Interactive Reading Techniques With Word World To Enhance Emergent Literacy, James B. Godfrey

Theses and Dissertations in Early Childhood Education

Facets of emergent literacy such as phonological awareness (PA) and alphabet knowledge (AK) are precursors to later conventional literacy (Dockrell, Stuart & King, 2010; Neuman & Dwyer, 2009; NELP, 2008). Interactive reading techniques such as dialogic reading (Whitehurst et al., 1988) and explicit print referencing (Piasta et al., 2012; Justice et al., 2010) have been used effectively with printed text to enhance emergent literacy. This quasi-experimental study was designed to determine the extent to which interactive reading techniques combined with the viewing of educational television may enhance facets of emergent literacy such as PA and AK. A convenience sample of …

Master's Students' Experiences In A Graduate Preparation Program: Multicultural Competency And Social Justice Curriculum, Kristin I. Mccann

Dissertations

This dissertation study focused on master's students experiences with multicultural competency curriculum in graduate preparation programs (GPPs) and contributes to gaps in the extant literature on multicultural issues in higher education. The two overarching research questions for the study considered how, if at all, students' understanding of core concepts of the required course (privilege, oppression, and social justice) changed over time as evidenced by a primary curricular component called the photo elicitation project. Educators' experiences were also addressed, per their impact on the context in which students learned. This study employed a qualitative approach and, in line with the study's …

Proprioception And Literacy In The Digital Realm, Paul Michael Rappoccio

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Drawing on research in the fields of neuroscience, reading cognition, and the history of writing, the author explores the condition of reading today. Rather than accepting the apocalyptic pronouncements that the Internet is "dumbing down" current readers, the author argues for a more nuanced understanding of the effects of digital media. He argues that the literacies needed for the new digital realm are not new, but are literacies developed over thousands of years. The author argues for the need of more education and instruction in the use of digital media, and that the digital realm requires new proprioceptive (spatial awareness) …