Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Effective Reading Strategies For Increasing The Reading Comprehension Level Of Third-Grade Students With Learning Disabilities, Nouf Rashdan Almutairi

Dissertations

This qualitative study identified the common reading problems that negatively impact reading comprehension of third graders with learning disabilities. It also investigated the effective reading strategies that special education teachers have utilized to improve reading comprehension levels of the students in resource room settings. For the purpose of this study, “effective reading comprehension strategies” are defined as any strategies that have been found by the special education teachers as beneficial for improving reading comprehension levels of third graders with learning disabilities in the resource room setting. Importantly, a particular reading comprehension strategy could be beneficial based on these teachers’ experiences …

Markers Of An “Inclusive” Reading Classroom: Peers Facilitating Inclusion At The Margins Of A Fourth Grade Reading Workshop, Mary R. Coakley-Fields

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

What are indicators, or markers, of ‘inclusive’ reading classrooms? As elementary school teachers across the United States are increasingly required to teach reading to diverse, heterogenous groups of students within the same classroom space, practitioners and researchers seek to identify what constitutes 'inclusion' in reading instruction. This study explores how two fourth grade friends – one labeled ‘struggling’ and one labeled ‘average’ by normative reading assessments – transgress classroom expectations around quiet, leveled reading behaviors while also facilitating each other’s inclusion in the classroom reading community. Combining ethnographic methods and D/discourse analysis, this study explores the dominant cultural Discourses that …

A Collaborative Children's Literature Book Club For Teacher Candidates, Tara-Lynn Scheffel, Claire Cameron, Lindsay Dolmage, Madisen Johnston, Jemanica Lapensee, Kirsten Solymar, Emily Speedie, Meagan Wills

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This paper highlights the two-year journey of an extra-curricular book club for teacher candidates as they explored children’s literature in order to further their teaching practice. Initial themes were confirmed and refined as the journey of the book club concluded after two years. A sociocultural theoretical framework guided this work and considered Cambourne’s (1988) conditions of learning, specifically immersion in texts, as well as the important role of social contexts in developing shared text meanings. A qualitative methodology, drawing on participatory action research (Kemmis & McTaggart, 2005) and taking a case study approach to sharing the "case" of this collaborative …

Preservice Teacher Sense-Making As They Learn To Teach Reading As Seen Through Computer-Mediated Discourse, Angela J. Stefanski, Amy Leitze, Veronica M. Fife-Demski

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Abstract

This collective case study used methods of discourse analysis to consider what computer-mediated collaboration might reveal about preservice teachers’ sense-making in a field-based practicum as they learn to teach reading to children identified as struggling readers. Researchers agree that field-based experiences coupled with time for reflection benefit preservice teachers as they learn to teach reading. However, research is not as clear about which features of practicum experiences lead to preservice teacher learning, which may contribute to preservice teacher misconceptions, and how learning about reading instruction might be rendered more visible to researchers. Grounded in sociocultural perspectives, analysis focused on …

Searching For Mirrors: Preservice Teachers’ Journey Toward More Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Tanya Christ, Sue Ann Sharma

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Culturally relevant text selection and pedagogy support students’ motivation, engagement, literacy outcomes, and positive identity formation. Nevertheless, there is limited research on teacher preparation that fosters these outcomes. We explore 17 preservice teachers’ challenges and successes with culturally relevant text selection and pedagogy for their students’ literacy instruction. Data sources include reader responses, lesson plans, and reflections. Emergent coding and constant comparative analysis yielded four categories of challenges (resistance, limited view of culture, lack of knowledge about students’ cultures and identities, and lack of opportunities for students to develop critical consciousness) and three criteria for successes (knowledge about the students’ …

Editorial Review Board Rh V.57 N.1

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.

Editorial Review Board Rh V.56 N.4

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.

Understanding Parents’ Attitudes Towards Complexity In Children's Books, Dorit Aram, Deborah Bergman Deitcher, Gali Adar

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Experts in children's literature and child development value complexity in the language, socio-emotional content, and structure of books, yet little is known regarding parents’ attitudes towards these aspects. The study thus examined how parents’ gender, education, and profession, children's age and gender, and frequency of parent-child reading interactions predict parents’ support for complexity in children’s books. Participants were 104 parents to children aged 4-7. Parents completed questionnaires measuring frequency of shared book reading and levels of support for complexity of children’s narrative books in three areas: language, socio-emotional content, and structure. Results showed that parents supported complexity of socio-emotional content, …

Fostering Effective And Engaging Literature Discussions, Kayla Lewis

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Literature discussion groups are a widely used practice in many classrooms. Creating literature discussions that are both effective and engaging can be a rewarding experience for both the students and the teacher. As a part of a larger study examining the scaffolding that took place during literature discussions, this article focuses on the strengths of three teachers implementing literature discussion groups within their fifth grade classrooms. Through an analysis of these teachers’ strengths, a scale was developed to help other teachers as they reflect on their own literature discussions.

Teachers’ Experiences Providing One-On-One Instruction To Struggling Readers, Meghan D. Liebfreund, Steven J. Amendum

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study examined the experiences of 12 kindergarten, first-, and second-grade classroom teachers who provided one-on-one intervention instruction for struggling readers within the general classroom context. Teachers were interviewed at the end of the project. Interview statements clustered into four themes: Managing One-on-One Intervention, Observing Student Growth, Acquiring Knowledge about Teaching Reading, and Discovering Specific Characteristics of Good Teaching. Results indicated that positioning the classroom teacher at the center of a reading intervention with support may be a beneficial form of professional development. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Editorial Review Board Rh V.56 N.3

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.

Rebranding Mediocrity: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Common Core Textbooks For College-Bound Writers, E. Suzanne Ehst

Dissertations

This project analyzes the quality of high school writing textbooks from major publishers, textbooks purported to align with The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for writing. I measure the textbooks against the promise of CCSS’s tagline, “college and career readiness,” focusing specifically on the former goal to discern how “college-ready writing” is constructed and to analyze the degree to which the textbooks align with relevant research and theory in the fields of English Education and Rhetoric and Writing Studies. I begin the project by situating this study in current U.S. educational policy and rhetoric. Specifically, I describe the politicized rhetoric …

Preparing Teachers In English Language Arts: Mentor Teachers Speak, Lindsay J. Jeffers

Dissertations

This narrative inquiry case study brings the voices of mentor teachers into the discourse of English language arts teacher preparation. In a series of interviews, mentor teachers discuss the challenges faced by student teachers, the pedagogical content knowledge needed to teach secondary ELA, and the relationship between secondary schools and universities.

The first theme explores the challenges that are faced by student teachers. Mentor teachers spoke about the difficulty of making the transition from student to secondary teacher and learning how to put theory into practice in their classrooms. They also considered the challenge of student teachers engaging diverse groups …

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 …

Learning To Facilitate Highly Interactive Literary Discussions To Engage Students As Thinkers, Cheryl L. Rosaen, Amber Meyer, Stephanie Strachan, Jessica Meier

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Helping novices learn to facilitate interactive whole-class discussions is an important “high-leverage practice” for becoming an effective teacher due to its strong potential to increase students’ learning opportunities. A semester-long classroom-based assignment in a senior-level elementary literacy methods course supported preservice teachers in developing the practice of leading one text-based interactive literary discussion, along with learning to establish norms and routines for discussions, and to analyze instruction for the purpose of improving it. Analysis of 83 preservice teachers’ written work investigated their learning during the beginning stages of developing the complex practice of leading discussions. We propose a learning trajectory …

Implementation Of Common Core–Based Curriculum In A Fourth-Grade Literacy Classroom: An Exploratory Study, Elizabeth Jaeger

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were adopted by most states by 2010. Yet, many teachers still lack confidence in their ability to integrate these standards into their classroom instruction and this uncertainty undermines their effectiveness. This article presents findings from a study of a fourth grade literacy curriculum informed by the CCSS. The study mobilized the Vygotskian notion of mediation as it applies in a literacy learning context and addresses the following research questions: (a) What were fourth grade student English language arts achievement levels and beliefs about literacy prior to and following the implementation of a CCSS-based curriculum? …

Popular Culture And Academic Literacies Situated In A Pedagogical Third Space, Stephanie Buelow

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This critical participatory action research study sought to understand what happens when students’ interest and experiences with popular culture are integrated into a standards-based sixth grade English language arts curriculum. Multiple data sources were analyzed using the theoretical concept of third space. Findings showed that (a) a democratic, collaborative learning zone was established for all members of the classroom community, (b) students were successful in a curriculum that was situated in academic literacies and their popular culture interests and literacies, and (c) this experience resulted in a transformation of teacher practice. Given the current educational climate, these findings suggest the …

A Socio-Psycholinguistic Perspective On Biliteracy: The Use Of Miscue Analysis As A Culturally Relevant Assessment Tool, Bobbie Kabuto

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Through the presentation of two bilingual reader profiles, this article will illustrate how miscue analysis can act as a culturally relevant assessment tool as it allows for the study of reading across different spoken and written languages. The research presented in this article integrates a socio-psycholinguistic perspective to reading and a translanguaging perspective to language use to highlight how differences in language and writing systems did not lead to difficulties or barriers in orally reading or comprehending texts. Contrarily, the use of miscue analysis was a culturally relevant assessment that provided a multidimensional perspective into the ways in which the …

Editorial Review Board V.56 N.1

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.

Editorial Review Board V.56 N. 2

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.

Conferring In The Café: One-To-One Reading Conferences In Two First Grade Classrooms, Bethanie Pletcher, Rosalynn Christensen

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore the teacher/student reading conferences in two first grade teachers’ classrooms in one primary school. Sixteen one-to-one reading conferences were recorded and transcribed over a two-month period and coded for content as related to the CAFÉ (Boushey & Moser, 2009) model of reading instruction, which the teachers used daily. We found that the two teachers placed heavy emphasis on students’ reading accuracy (the “A” in CAFÉ) and did not spend as much time working on comprehension, fluency, or expanding vocabulary (the C, F, and E in CAFÉ). We suggest teachers …

Written Language Performance Following Embedded Grammar Instruction, Ginger Collins, Jan Norris

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study explored whether presenting grammar instruction within the context of reading and writing would improve writing skills. The participating schools were using a traditional grammar instruction in which grammar lessons were predominately taught using worksheets and were presented separately from other reading and writing activities. This was termed Discrete Grammar Instruction (DGI). The researchers introduced a contextualized grammar instruction approach, termed Embedded Grammar Instruction (EGI), which taught grammar within authentic contexts of reading and writing. Students in grades three through eight were assigned to either the EGI group (N = 164) or the DGI group (N = 156). Two …

“This I Believe” About The Teaching Of Writing: Secondary Teachers’ Digital Essays About Their Pedagogical Understandings, Denise N. Morgan, Natasha H. Chenowith

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This case study (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016) examines the final projects of two secondary teachers in a graduate course about writing pedagogy. Teachers created digital essays along the lines of the National Public Radio’s “This I Believe” essays, which articulated their beliefs about the teaching of writing. We posed two research questions: a) What pedagogical understandings do teachers identify as their beliefs about writing and how do they represent those ideas in a digital composition? b) What did teachers learn from participating in the process of composing a digital essay? We found that teachers “reimagined” the teaching of writing, were …

Exploring Effective Professional Development Strategies For In-Service Teachers On Guiding Beginning Readers To Become More Metacognitive In Their Oral Reading, Sharon M. Pratt, Anita M. Martin

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This case study explored professional development centered on explicit teaching strategies with in-service first-grade teachers as they engaged beginning readers to consider stronger self-awareness of their thinking processes as they read. In this paper, we report on how teacher beliefs shifted regarding the impact of explicit versus implicit instructional practices that increased their students’ metacognitive awareness and regulation. Teachers adopted specific instructional strategies over the course of the professional development that positively impacted their students’ achievement, including one teacher’s use of peer coaching. As teachers observed their students doing more than they thought they were capable of, their beliefs about …

Reading Horizons Vol. 53 No. 3

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.

Efficacy Of The Celcis Intensive English Program, Robert J. Dlouhy, Jason T. Burkhardt

Assessment Grants

The Center for English Language and Culture for International Students (CELCIS) program at Western Michigan University provides English language instruction to international students wishing to conduct academic study in the United States.

This study intends to answer three questions:

1. Do CELCIS graduates perform as well in their university studies as students who have been granted restricted admission, but have not completed CELCIS?

2. How does the university performance of students who have completed CELCIS compare with students who have attended CELCIS but not completed its curriculum?

3. What recommendations could encourage further capitalization of the strengths and needs of …

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 …