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Full-Text Articles in Education

Using Targeted, Small-Group Instruction And Culturally Responsive Teaching To Improve Reading Engagement And Confidence, Tina Marie Tuminaro Jun 2022

Using Targeted, Small-Group Instruction And Culturally Responsive Teaching To Improve Reading Engagement And Confidence, Tina Marie Tuminaro

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate what happens to reading engagement and student confidence when targeted instruction and culturally responsive teaching is used in a middle school literacy classroom. Individual instruction in the areas of reading comprehension and fluency, as well as book clubs and literature circles, were used over a three-month period in an effort to motivate striving and reluctant readers and build confidence in their reading skills. Eleven sixth grade students participated in the study, and both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. Data was collected using a teacher's research journal, audio recordings, surveys, interviews, …


Fluency Development And Young Readers, Elizabeth Jenkins Diamant May 2017

Fluency Development And Young Readers, Elizabeth Jenkins Diamant

Theses and Dissertations

The study investigated the effects of integrating explicit fluency instruction in the dimensions of: accuracy, rate, expression, and punctuation. Eight elementary students in second, third and fifth grades who received Response to Intervention services for reading and each group met four times a week for forty-five minutes participated. The district used the STAR evaluation system to establish the groups. After the lessons, participants recorded a reading of their instructional level text and completed a rubric to score their performance in each of the four dimensions: punctuation, expression, rate and accuracy. Later, I listened to the same recording and scored each …


How Do Student Responses Develop In Second Grade Reading Conferences, Lindsey Ervin Mar 2017

How Do Student Responses Develop In Second Grade Reading Conferences, Lindsey Ervin

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this investigation was to investigate and track the development of student responses during individual reading conferences in second grade. Data was kept over a two-week period and tracked through individual student reading conferences, student jots during reading, reading logs and anecdotal notes. Throughout the study, the student responses developed through the use of question stems and prompts. Through the use of self-selected text and holding student accountable for the reading, the students remained engaged. The structure of the conference helped to build on students' strengths and provide a teaching point in order for the students to practice …


Background Knowledge: A Study Of The Effects Background Knowledge Has On Comprehension, Jacqueline Murtha Feb 2017

Background Knowledge: A Study Of The Effects Background Knowledge Has On Comprehension, Jacqueline Murtha

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers can never assume student come to their classrooms with background knowledge needed to contextually understand a book read in class. Students in low socioeconomic areas often do not have the experiences to build schema about certain topics. Field trips are one way to build students background and schema, however, they can be expensive. Teachers need to find multiple ways to build background knowledge prior to reading a book. This thesis explores the impact background knowledge has on students' reading comprehension.


How Does Reciprocal Teaching Scaffold Reading Comprehension Of Non-Fiction Text?, Mary Delaney-Beane Feb 2017

How Does Reciprocal Teaching Scaffold Reading Comprehension Of Non-Fiction Text?, Mary Delaney-Beane

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted in a suburban fourth grade class in New Jersey. Its purpose was to examine how Reciprocal Teaching scaffolds comprehension when reading non-fiction text. Students were evaluated prior to the study. Teacher modeling preceded students' application of the strategies. Throughout the study, students were evaluated on whether they were using the four strategies, predicting, questioning, clarifying, summarizing, in a manner that made sense and was related to the text. Rubrics were used to evaluate each of the four strategies. Additional data came from the discussions among students while reading text together. Data analysis showed the use of …


Reading With Choice Of Texts In The First Grade Classroom, Erine Lloyd Jan 2017

Reading With Choice Of Texts In The First Grade Classroom, Erine Lloyd

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine how first grade students would respond to reading when provided with the opportunity to select their own texts to read. More specifically, I was curious to see if offering students choice of reading materials would engage them in reading, motivate them to want to read, and have an impact on reading growth. The first grade students' reading logs, reading response journals, reading attitude surveys, and interviews were analyzed. Offering students the opportunity to self-select their own texts to read transformed the literacy classroom. When choice was afforded to the learners, most students …


Will It Change Their Reflection? A Culturally Responsive Reaction To Literacy Failures, Idalis J. Williams Jan 2016

Will It Change Their Reflection? A Culturally Responsive Reaction To Literacy Failures, Idalis J. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This teacher research study was conducted in a second grade classroom. The teacher set out to find out: What happens when students who are faced with repeated literacy failures receive culturally responsive instruction in place of basic skills instruction? Children that struggle with reading often receive basic skills support as a form of intervention; yet still struggle in reading and other areas of literacy. Students often develop a negative identify of themselves as a reader and this leads to diminish and sometimes a lack of self-efficacy. The students in this study are at risk for falling below grade level in …