Education Commons^™

A Suryey Of Music Therapists' Use Of Music To Facilitate Reading Development In Children, Cynthia Cross

Masters Theses

This study utilized Naturalistic Inquiry methods to investigate how music therapists use music elements to impact reading development in school-aged children. Eleven Board-Certified Music Therapists were interviewed providing information regarding music therapy interventions, reading skills targeted, theoretical influences, and professional influences. Transcripts of interviews were analyzedto determine themes, coÍtmon use of language related to the subject, common perceptions, and techniques and uses for music to impact reading development. In general subjects did not report specifically using music elements to target reading behavior. Rather, most subjects identified reading objectives determined by classroom teachers and developed music interventions to accommodate those objectives. …

The Game Of Chess: A Conduit To Increase Student Academic Achievement In Pinellas County: A Policy Advocacy Document, Douglas Williams

Dissertations

The research about chess and education is very compelling. The usefulness of chess as an educational activity is particularly valid among children whose minds are entering the cognitive phase of abstract thinking. However, chess is useful among all age groups. Chess has been shown to improve cognitive abilities among educationally low-functioning students, and it has been shown to help students academically when traditional methods have failed to produce the desired outcome. Most people think of chess as a game, and I think the time has come for educators to think about chess in a different light. It is a game, …

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 …

Effectiveness Of Reading And Writing Across The Curriculum On Middle School Reading Comprehension And Preparation For Common Core State Standards, Paula J. Wuebbels

Dissertations

This research study was conducted to determine the impact of determine the perception of classroom teachers and building principals as to the effectiveness of required Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum in both core and non-core subject areas. Both core and non-core classes are presently required within the study school district to incorporate reading and writing strategies in their content areas. The researcher wanted to study the process to prepare administrators and teachers to work successfully with the advent of required common core standards for curriculum development. Strategies used in the study will help gather information to inform the preparation …

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 …

An Exploratory Study Of Purposeful And Strategic Communicative Techniques To Teach Vocabulary From Core Reading Programs To English Learners, Danell Bench Mieure

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study investigated the effect of instructional practices when teaching vocabulary from a core reading program to English learners. Participants were 73 fifth-grade English learners nested in classrooms of 11 teachers who were randomly assigned to the instructional treatment group or to the comparison group. Both the treatment and comparison groups were taught vocabulary words from the district-adopted core reading program. The treatment group implemented an intervention specifically designed to teach vocabulary using techniques with the potential to increase vocabulary acquisition of English learners situated in principles of the communicative approach. Data were collected on a mastery test that measured …

Parental Perceptions Of The Influence Of Digital Media And Technology On Children's Reading Habits At Home, Kurt W. Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study explored how parents from six participating families in Northern Utah felt about the influence of technology and media on their children’s reading at home. Each family was interviewed about their feelings, filled out a survey about the amount of technology devices in the home, and took photographs of the areas in the home where their children read or used technology. Additionally, each family kept a journal recording the technology and reading activities their children participated in over a 1-week period

Parents talked about how their childhood experiences influenced them to create rules for technology and as well as …

Cognitive Differences Between High And Low Responders Of A Tier Ii Reading Intervention, Jillian Cohen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study evaluated a population of young students with potential reading disabilities who participated in a large western school district's Reading Skills Development project from October 2012 to May 2013. The following questions were addressed: Are there cognitive differences between students who respond well to an intense Tier II reading intervention and those who make little progress? If so, which cognitive skills best discriminate between high and low responders? De-identified data was collected from 171 struggling readers in 1st through 3rd grade who participated in the Reading Skills project. After controlling for English proficiency level, high and low responders were …

The Importance Of Thinking Aloud And Reading Strategies For Awareness In Reading Comprehension, Nancy Heacock

Culminating Projects in TESL

Reading strategy awareness plays a significant role in reading comprehension and the educational process. Think Aloud importance, has long been the ignored skill in English language teaching, research, learning, and assessment. The lack of effective reading strategies exacerbates the problem of poor readers and poor education success. One solution to the problem of poor reading comprehension is the learning of metacognitive reading strategy skills. Metacognitive reading strategy ability needs to be focused in language learning and teaching. The present study is an attempt to find out whether think alouds or verbal protocols enhances EFL students' reading comprehension. Furthermore, it attempts …

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

Honor Scholar Theses

None

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Use Of Read 180 With Secondary Remedial Reading Students, Melanie Mclaughlin Cleveland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Read 180 is a research-based reading intervention program. One local district implemented the program to improve student performance on the state assessment, and after a year of implementation, nearly half of the students in the district studied still did not make adequate progress in reading. The purpose of this study was to explore teachers' perceptions of and experiences with the use of Read 180 in secondary reading classrooms. Guided by Carroll's framework on the critical aspects of implementation, the study examined teachers' perceptions of (a) availability of resources necessary to adhere to the program's design, (b) ample class time to …

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 …

Meeting The Needs Of Students Through A Targeted Professional Development, Anthony Copelin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study presents a complex problem of practice occurring at Primrose Elementary school [pseudonym]. A large portion of Primrose Elementary School's population has been unable to meet Florida's state reading proficiency standards over the last twelve years. Students of Primrose Elementary have a poor foundation in language on which to build vital reading skills. Consequently, students cannot overcome this deficiency because teachers lack the content knowledge to meet the students' language and subsequent reading deficiencies, in spite of 12 years of reading professional development. This dissertation in practice will propose the use of targeted professional development to address below grade …

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 …

Exploring The Implementation Of Reading Common Core State Standards In An Elementary School Setting, Lacy Alane Davis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study explored the implementation process of five teachers and two administrators of the Common Core State Standards in Reading. This ethnographic case study investigates one groups’ attitudes and instructional practices. The researcher focused on three questions in order to provide an in-depth analysis of the data collected. These questions include: How do educators implement and develop reading curriculum from the Common Core State Standards? How does the mandated requirements of the CCSS impact the attitudes of reading teachers? How do primary grade teachers approach the CCSS in comparison to upper elementary teachers? The study followed an ethnographic analysis method …

What Are The Similiarities And Differences Of Reading Instruction Of Fourth Grade Students With Learning Disabilities Taught In A Co-Taught Classroom, A Resource Classroom And A Single-Taught Teacher Classroom?, Doreen Cheryl Avenall

Wayne State University Dissertations

WHAT ARE THE SIMILIARITIES AND DIFFERENCES OF READING INSTRUCTION OF FOURTH GRADE STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES TAUGHT IN A CO-TAUGHT CLASSROOM, A RESOURCE CLASSROOM AND A SINGLE-TEACHER TAUGHT CLASSROOM?

By

DOREEN AVENALL

September 2014

Advisor: Dr. Gerald Oglan

Major: Special Education

Degree: Doctor of Education

With the reauthorization of Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) in 2004, more demands are being placed on schools to provide special education services within the general education classroom. The law states that students with disabilities should only be removed from their general education classroom when the nature and severity of the disability is such that …

True Blue: A Narrative Inquiry Exploring Instructional Practices Used During Reading Instruction In A Title I, 2010 National Blue Ribbon School In New Mexico, Debra Yvonne Kerney

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over the past 32 years, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, a trademark of excellence and success in academics, has recognized nearly 7,000 American schools in which students have demonstrated high academic performance and achievement (U.S. Department of Education, 2012). Previous studies of National Blue Ribbon Schools have largely centered upon leadership characteristics (Carney-Dalton, 2001; Copeland, 2003; Kushner, 2000; Lyles, 2009; Maslyk, 2012;Sapone, 2001), but studies have not focused on the particular instructional practices that are used within these schools. Since 1982, 36 out of 862 New Mexico schools (NCES, 2013) have achieved National Blue Ribbon status (United States Department …

The Attitudes Toward Reading And Reading Achievement Of Seventh Grade Students In A Sustained Silent Reading Program, Tarra Renee Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Davis and Neitzel (2010) and Patrick, Ryan, and Kaplan (2007) indicate that many students develop negative attitudes toward reading as they advance through school. Because students report that they enjoy independent reading time, providing this time to students in middle school is thought to be beneficial. Additional research is needed to determine whether providing independent reading time to middle school students using a range of texts will influence attitudes toward reading. The purpose of this study was to determine seventh grade students' attitudes toward reading who participate in sustained silent reading (SSR). A secondary purpose was to determine if their …

The Effectiveness Of An Academic Literacy Intervention To Help University Freshmen Recognize And Resolve Inconsistencies Across Multiple Texts, Patty Baldwin

Doctoral Dissertations

Students must independently complete academic literacy tasks--including reading analytically to identify problems, resolving problems that arise, and using writing to demonstrate advanced knowledge acquisition--if they are to be successful in courses across their university careers. However, a significant portion of students arrives at the university underprepared to meet these expectations for academic literacy.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an instructional intervention to help developmental-level freshmen acquire the academic literacy skills that experienced academic readers demonstrate in order to promote independent learning. The four-week instructional intervention focused on two aspects of advanced academic literacy: 1) …

Effects Of A Cross-Age Peer Tutoring Intervention On English Language Oral Reading Fluency In A Belizean Grade School, Marcia Ruth Sytsma

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

A cross-age peer tutoring program was implemented in a small rural school in west central Belize, Central America. All students at the school were native Spanish speakers, and all general instruction was conducted in English. The program was devised to supplement existing reading and language arts instruction at all grade levels. Progress of both tutors and tutees was monitored on a weekly basis using DIBELS Next measures. Twenty-nine students started the program, with complete data available for twenty-one students: seven tutee-tutor pairs, and seven matched students who participated as controls. Three main hypotheses were tested with the present study. These …

An Examination Of The Correlation Between The Seven Critical Leadership Functions And Middle School African-American And Hispanic Student Achievement, Shannon A. Flounnory

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examined possible correlations between each of the seven critical leadership functions and achievement in the areas of mathematics for eighth grade African-American and Hispanic students. The 117 participants included school leaders and students from 12 of the 19 middle schools in a metropolitan school district in the southeastern region of the United States. Principals from the middle schools in the district distributed the Critical Leadership Functions Questionnaire to members of their leadership team (e.g., assistant principals, school counselors, department chairs, etc.). CRCT scores measured student achievement. The researcher conducted a correlation study, using Pearson’s multivariable correlation data …

Exploring The Impact Of The Common Core State Standards Implementation Through The Eyes Of Teachers', Parents', And Administrators' Beliefs And Attitudes Related To Reading Instruction, Sheryl Coglaiti

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Belief(s) and attitude(s) about education, moreover reading, can shape the way in which we respond to pressures to initiate instructional changes in schools and society. Recently, an enormous reform effort, known as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is underway in the nation. The implementation plays a critical role in how the CCSS will be received. In light of being received, how will they impact teachers’, parents’, and administrators’ belief(s) and/or attitude(s) related to reading? According to research, there is a need to consider teachers’, parents’, and administrators’ belief(s) and/or attitude(s) about reading, which may play a role in the …

An Analysis Of Parent, Student, And Staff Satisfaction With Supplemental Educational Services (Ses) To Improve Student Achievement Among At-Risk High School Students In Failing Schools, Cynthia A. Williams-Lanier

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine parent, student, administrator, and staff satisfaction with supplemental education services (SES) provided at a small, nonprofit, community-based, African-centered program (Alkebu-lan Village) that focused on improving English language arts and mathematics achievement among at-risk high school students. Alkebu-lan Village, an SES provider, offered an integrated comprehensive program that combined academic tutoring with breakfast and lunch, as well as social and physical activities. A mixed methods study was conducted to determine if participation in a SES (Alkebu-lan Village) improved high school students’ reading and mathematics achievement. Student records were used to obtain the pre …