Education Commons^™

Diverse Characterization: The Importance Of Inclusive Protagonists And Authors For Adolescents In Diverse Communities, Trista Straube

Masters Theses

Despite continuous efforts to increase comprehension and success for students of diverse backgrounds there is a major underrepresentation of these communities in literary applications. Literary devices within public institutions should celebrate diversity in race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, culture, and physical and mental ability. It is important, in young adult development, that students have literature that reflects similarities in their personal lives. This thesis will serve to prove that literature pursued in public education should be selected based on the relatability of the students enrolled in the institution and inclusivity to the student population. When selecting relatable texts, …

Home Literacy Practices: A Focus On Dominican Families, Susan E. Pendleton

Masters Theses

The majority of the current research regarding the home literacies that families employ to help their children become literate are explored through North American family structures. For this reason, there is a lack of knowledge about what Dominican families, a subgroup within the Latino culture, do at home to assist their children in their literacy acquisition in the Dominican Republic. This qualitative research study provides insight as to what literacy practices take place within the Dominican household. I gathered pertinent information from 10 Dominican participants using a semi-structured interview so literacy practices could be revealed. Findings from this research indicate …

Measuring Spelling Growth Over Time In Elementary Writing Samples, Pamela M. Ansell

Masters Theses

Developmental spelling stage theories have been proposed and disputed for 30 years. The current study used Gentry's (1982) model to assign category ratings to narrative writing samples produced by 32 students over two years to observe developmental growth over time. In addition, quantitative measures were obtained from the samples, including an index of control (Laminack & Wood, 1996) and a percentage correct. Analyses were also used to test the effectiveness of using a writing lab approach (Nelson, Bahr & Van Meter, 2004) on spelling development. During the last half of second grade, all 32 students received intervention guided by the …

Effects Of Adult Modeling On Literacy Behaviors Of Head Start Preschoolers, Stephanie L. Kerbel

Masters Theses

This project explored the uses of literacy artifacts in the dramatic play of preschool children from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds who live in poverty in Kalamazoo County. The purpose of this 9-week study was to determine the impact of adult modeling on the frequency and quality of use of literacy artifacts during the dramatic play of at-risk preschoolers. Two Head Start classrooms received different types of intervention: (a) a literacy-enriched dramatic play area with adult modeling for 5 minutes at the start of each play period ( once per week); and (b) a literacy-enriched dramatic play area without adult …

The Effects Of Tutor Age On Academic Performance In Reading Accuracy And Fluency, David D. Manson

Masters Theses

Many studies have demonstrated that the use of peer tutoring or peer assistance in the classroom is effective 0 (Ezell, Kohler, & Jarzynska, 1992; Fantuzzo, Riggio, Connelly, & Dimeff, 1989; Greenwood et al., 1984; Knapczyk, Johnson, & McDermott, 1983; Stern, Fowler, & Kohler, 1988; Trapani & Gettinger, 1989). Although this research appears to be fundamentally sound, several questions have been left unanswered. First, what has peer tutoring been compared to when it has been shown to be effective? Second, which variable or variables of peer tutoring made it effective? This study provided a partial answer to these questions, through the …

The Attitudes Of Children With Specialized Language-Learning Needs Toward Process Writing, Kara M. Mcalister

Masters Theses

Students with specialized language-learning needs, who had participated in a computer-based writing lab at Western Michigan University, were interviewed regarding their knowledge about and attitudes toward a process approach to writing instruction. The students orally answered questions posed by the researcher in individual thirty-minute interviews. A Likert-type scale was used to measure the students' attitude toward process writing along with open-ended questions to investigate the students' knowledge about process writing. Qualitative techniques were used to analyze the data.

Responses to the knowledge questions indicated that the students have a better understanding of the meaning and purpose of author groups than …

The Effects Of Cross-Level Peer Facilitated Learning On The Mastery Of A Structured Reading Program, Elaine R. Bartos

Masters Theses

This study examined the effects of cross-level peer facilitated learning on the total amount of time needed for special education students who attended a southwestern Michigan inner-city elementary school, to complete to 100% mastery the teacher-directed portion of the reading lesson. Cross-level peer tutoring was defined as a process in which a more proficient student worked with a less proficient student on a one-to-one basis in the academic area of reading. The tutoring took place prior to the teacher instruction with 20 students from three special education reading groups. The tutoring sessions took place for a duration of 5-9 weeks. …

Michigan's New Definition Of Reading: The Promise Of Literacy And The Paradox Of Practice, Julie H. Kaufman

Masters Theses

This study analyzes Michigan's New Definition of Reading, its theoretical foundations and instructional implications as these enter classroom practice. Designed as a qualitative case study of reading instruction in a fifth grade classroom, this study documents the way that a teacher and her students approach and come to understand literacy under the bureaucratic and organizational imperatives of practice. The disempowering effects of such patterns of practice are described in relation to the purported aims of reading instruction.

The Effects Of Peer Tutoring On A Direct Instruction Reading Program, Robert Schuyler Brooks

Masters Theses

This study evaluated the effectiveness of peer tutoring with a direct instruction reading program prior to teacher-directed instruction. Six upper level elementary students participated in the peer tutoring program and two students participated in a control group.

The findings from this study indicate that: (a) pre-exposure to direct instruction in reading lessons with peer tutoring improves student reading rate without increasing error rate, and (b) the instructional time for a teacher-directed lesson decreases when peer tutoring is a part of the reading routine. It was concluded that peer tutoring prior to teacher-directed instruction increases student reading rates without sacrificing accuracy …

Techniques For Increasing Writing And Reading Proficiency Of International Students, Abatah D. Daher

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine and develop a program to increase the language proficiency of international students.

The subjects for this study consisted of 44 international students enrolled in the course entitled, "Effective College Reading for International Students." The subjects were divided into two groups, the experimental group and the control group.

Gates and MacGinitie Reading Survey E (1978) was used in assessing language proficiency. Speed and accuracy, vocabulary, and comprehension scores were obtained for the experimental and control groups. An analysis using the Fry formula (1977) to identify the grade level score for their stories was …

A Study Of The Development Of A Second Language Program Proposal For Decatur Public Schools, Linda L. Iciek

Masters Theses

The development of a second language proposal for Decatur, Michigan, Public Schools, was undertaken as a result of an established board goal for the 1985-86 school year. Chairing the committee which investigated the possibility of implementing such a program was undertaken to fulfill the requirements of a Specialist in Education degree through the Department of Educational Leadership, Western Michigan University.

The committee met on a weekly basis to study and develop the proposal by completing the following tasks: (a) identify and visit schools within the state implementing such programs; (b) research the effects of immersion language programs; (c) survey the …

Effects Of Student Attitudes And Student Time On Achievement Gains In College Developmental Reading, Kathryn K. Welsch

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to provide a new focus on college-level developmental reading programs by examining course content (i.e., instructional activities) in a developmental reading class.

Attitudes and time spent on instructional activities were monitored for 47 students in three sections of college level developmental reading. Multiple regression analyses were used to relate these data to vocabulary and comprehension gains on the Nelson Denny Reading Test (J. Brown, Nelson, & Denny, 1976).

Students made significant gains in vocabulary and in comprehension. Student attitudes predicted gains in both vocabulary and comprehension. Because of reliability problems, the time data do …

Cross-Age Study To Locate The Common Characteristics Of Students Identified As Struggling Readers, Jean C. Hackney

Masters Theses

The problem presented in this study is to locate common characteristics of elementary students who are struggling in their reading at school. The motivation for finding common characteristics is to identify and diagnose the struggling readers as soon as they enter school and to provide remedial assistance before poor self-concepts are developed.

The methodology used for the investigation involved interviews with students who have displayed a low reading ability in their classrooms and questionnaires to their teachers and parents about reading.

The main focus of the study is centered around the physical, social, mental, and emotional aspects of the human …

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of The Beginning Reading Tutorial Program Administered By Elementary Aides, Reginald T. Hosner

Masters Theses

This study illustrates that early elementary students who were lagging in basic reading skills learned at a faster-than-mainstream rate when taught by paraprofessional aides trained in administering the Beginning Reading tutorial program. After intensive training aides were shown to implement the tutorial program at a level considered to be above adequate. Mean gains made by tutored students in socially important (norm-referenced) reading skills were both statistically and educationally significant. A multiple-baseline analysis of program skill acquisition demonstrated that each program section implemented was effective in reaching its stated objectives. Control group pre-post-test comparisons of program skill acquisition further substantiate the …

The Effects Of Structured Versus Unstructured Instruction On The Generalization Of Language Concepts In The Preschool Child, Cheryl A. Milford

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Bringing About And Maintaining A Mature Sentence Style In Undergraduate Students, Mary Beth Tillema

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Two Systems Of Instruction In Three Sixth-Grade Language Classes, David G. Fossum

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Report Of An Internship In The Reading Center And Clinic Western Michigan University, Lucetta A. Johnson

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Effects Of A Reading Program For Reluctant Readers, Florence Evelyn Banks

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to obtain some statistical evidence concerning the effects of a reading program for high school students rated as reluctant readers on their reading habits and attitudes. The initial problem which motivated the study was that assignments to read novels were resisted by this group. The students can read, but do not.

The hypothesis is that if students are given a program with books of 200 pages or less that have in the content some universalities that will satisfy the adult interests of students, attitudes about reading will change and there will be an improvement …

A Process Study: Developing An Elementary Language Arts Guide, Norma Korn

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Suggested Methods Of Evaluating And Modifying Visual Perceptual Deficiencies As Related To Reading Disorders In Early Elementary Grades, Kenneth Elmer Sturm

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Teacher’S Guide For A One-Semester Speech Course Suitable For All College Students, Deldee Myriok Herman

Masters Theses

Chapter I

Introduction to the Thesis

This thesis is concerned with developing a teacher's guide for a one-semester basic course in speech suitable for all college students. This first chapter deals with the statement of the problem, the method of procedure, the scope of speech, the need for speech facility in life, and an overview of the thesis.