Secondary Education Commons^™

(Mis)Reading The Classroom: A Two-Act “Play” On The Conflicting Roles In Student Teaching, Christi U. Edge

Journal Articles

This case study examined concentric and reciprocal notions of reading—that of high school students, a pre-service teacher, and a teacher educator. An intern charged with teaching students to read, interact with, and compose texts in an English/language arts classroom constructed her role in the classroom based on her reading the “text” of her internship experiences, relationships, and responsibilities. Using interviews and observations, a teacher educator read and interpreted the classroom “text” the pre-service teacher “composed” during her internship and then constructed a two-act “play” which details the conflict in the intern’s enacting the dual role of student-teacher and her subsequent …

Storying Our Journey: Conversations About The Literary Canon And Course Development In Secondary English Education., Elsie L. Olan, Kia Jane Richmond

Journal Articles

Olan and Richmond present preservice English teachers’ stories about having little experience with canonical texts they are asked to teach in their field experiences.

Instructional Design: How Secondary Teachers Promote Student Comprehension Of Informational Text, Patti Strukel

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This study examined how secondary teachers supported their students’ comprehension of informational text. Four content-area teachers – English, science, social studies, and vocational – were observed and interviewed in this study based on hermeneutic phenomenology methods. In addition, the teachers provided a sample of lessons delivered outside the observed processes. The findings exposed processes and actions that teachers intentionally engaged in to make informational text accessible to their students, create conditions that celebrated and supported the learning process, and that led students to valuable understandings when their students read informational text. The research also unveiled varied points of emphasis in …

Dungeons And Dragons And Literacy: The Role Tabletop Role-Playing Games Can Play In Developing Teenagers' Literacy Skills And Reading Interests, Stefanie L. B. Kaylor

Graduate Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to explore the role that tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs) play in developing the literacy skills and leisure reading interests of teenagers who play them. Additionally, this study sought to determine what role or roles educators should play in developing the gaming culture of teenage students. In order to answer these questions, seven people who played TRPGs as teenagers were interviewed about their past and current TRPG interests, past and current leisure reading habits, and the effects that playing TRPGs had on their literacy skills. This study revealed that all participants felt that playing TRPGs …

Efl Education In Mainland China: Word Memorization And Essay Writing Among High School Sophomores, Rehema Clarken

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This dissertation explores English as a Foreign Language instruction within the context of the contemporary Chinese education system. Basic outlines chart the historical development of EFL studies in the United States and China framing the question of what each community values as important measures of success when assessing language learning. While traditional Chinese methods value strict memorization of vast word lists (背单词, BeiDanCi, BDC) the US educational community stresses essay writing—particularly on standardized tests such as the ACT, SAT, and TOEFL, which are required for university admissions. Therefore, this study investigates the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and writing ability among …

A Mixed-Methods Study Of The Influence Of Accelerated Reader On High School Students' Motivation To Read For Pleasure, Cindy D. Hogston

Education Dissertations and Projects

The Accelerated Reader (AR) program is a computerized reading management system developed in the early 1990s by Judi and Terry Paul. The AR program was developed as an extrinsic motivational tool to encourage children to read. Judi developed comprehension quizzes to accompany popular children’s books, while her husband created a computer program that would assign point values to each comprehension quiz. Students read a book, took the computerized comprehension quiz, and were awarded a certain number of points depending on the number of correct answers. During a national teacher conference, Judi Paul introduced her program to teachers. The demand for …

Effects Of Traditional High School Versus Career Academy High School On Literacy And Mathematics Achievement, Dana Brown

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the effects by gender and by socioeconomic status between students in career academy high schools versus students in traditional high schools on literacy and mathematics achievement for 8th-11th grade students in 6A and 7A high schools in the state of Arkansas. In the context of this study, relevance has to do with the connection or link established between something learned and an opportunity to apply that learning. Critics of the traditional learning structure argue that because information is learned in isolation, a difficulty arises in how that learning is readily applicable to …

A Comparative Analysis Of Read 180 And Cultural Literacy On The Reading Achievement And Motivation Of African American Males In An Alternative High School, Clifton F. Nicholson

Theses and Dissertations

Nationwide, increased accountability measures require educational leaders to develop and implement instructional practices that expedite the narrowing of the achievement gap. Legislation in several states allows states to annex low-performing schools. With such pressure, school districts are looking to educational consultants to facilitate the transformation of reading instruction, thereby raising levels of academic achievement. A thorough vetting of these interventions, however, is necessary to determine if the potential benefits can be generalized to other populations.

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to compare the reading achievement and reading motivation of two groups of African American males in an …

Understanding Students' Chosen Literacy Practices During Non-Academic Times: An Ethnographic Teacher-Research Inquiry, Justin Robert Moyer

Educational Studies Dissertations

This dissertation aims to illuminate the literacy practices that a group of “struggling” students undertake during unstructured times of the school day. The study aims to extend prior theoretical work on literacy (Street, 1984; Weil, 1993; Luttrell & Parker, 2001; Kinloch, 2010; among others) to identify the ways these students engage in literacy practices for deeply personal reasons. Further, this dissertation intends to dispel some of the many myths that surround students in special education settings and, in the case of the focal students in this study, alternative schools. Students reveal: (1) the literacy practices in which they participate, (2) …

Conversations, Connections, And Culturally Responsive Teaching: Young Adult Literature In The English Methods Class, Elsie L. Olan, Kia Jane Richmond

Journal Articles

The authors' research shows that preservice teachers can develop more confidence and make more meaningful culturally responsive connections with texts and with their secondary students if they use young adult literature in methods courses

School Size And Socioeconomic Status On Mathematics And Literacy Achievement For Students In Arkansas, Robert Childers

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to add to the limited available research concerning the effects of size of school and socioeconomic status (SES) on literacy and mathematics achievement for students in Grades 9 through 12 in Western and Northwestern Arkansas. Of the four high schools, two were larger 6A/7A schools, and two were smaller 3A/4A schools. In all four hypotheses, the independent variables were size of school and SES measured by lunch status. In the first hypothesis, the dependent variable was literacy achievement as measured by student performance on the 2012 End of Course (EOC) literacy examination. In the …

The Gendered Image : An Art And Literature Based Curriculum For High School Audiences, Emily Erwin-Mcguire

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This curriculum uses images, artwork, literature and media to facilitate conversations to build knowledge and understanding about feminism and self-identity. It is designed to be used by educators of high school students in school, museum or after school settings.

Prospective Secondary Teachers' Conceptualizations Of Literacy And Literacy In Their Content Areas, Jane Costello Bonacci

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract

An Evaluation Of Physical Activity On The Reading Achievement Of Middle School Students, Christina N. Phillips

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This study analyzed the relationship between reading achievement and the use of Exergames an intervention, to investigate the areas in which physical activity can improve reading achievement among struggling readers, and to understand the amount of minutes and levels of intensity of physically active adolescents that supports reading achievement. The need for an innovative reading intervention has become more urgent because of the lack of improved reading achievement in the United States. In addition, students should not lose access to physical activity in an attempt to increase reading achievement. Using a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest, nonequivalent group design, this study attempted to …

Reading For Deep Understanding : Knowledge Building And Conceptual Artifacts In Secondary English, Marc Nachowitz

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The purpose of this design-based experiment is two-fold: to see if classroom pedagogies can be developed to improve student achievement in English literature as well as prepare them for 21st Century literacies. Applying Bereiter and Scardamalia's theory of Knowledge Building to English curricula, this experiment tracked the progress of a sixth grade Language Arts class as they engaged in creating theories of literary interpretation supported by Knowledge Forum, a computer-supported, on-line learning environment. The study revealed several key findings concerning how knowledge-building can support student's attainment of "high literacy" in the reading of literature, including maintaining idea diversity, the importance …

The Construction Of Reading Identity In Struggling Middle School Readers, Anna Marie Anatriello Bonafide

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Middle school students bring various identities into the classroom including their reading identities, their self concepts concerning their views of themselves as readers. Using identity and psycho-social and socio-cultural theoretical constructs as a foundation, I conducted phenomenological case studies that focused on middle school remedial readers and the means by which their reading identities are constructed within and outside the institution of school. The study investigated in- school factors which impact student reading identities, including interactions with remedial and classroom teachers, as well as out- of- school factors such as family literacy.

Collaboration And Feedback In The Revision Of Compositions Of Secondary Esl Students., Sandra Sim Phek Lin

Student Works (2010-2019)

This research investigates how teacher-student and student-student interactions during peer response sessions assist the group members in the revision of the first drafts of their compositions. It also aims to identify the types of scaffolds provided by the class teacher and peers during the teacher-student and student-student interaction sessions. Additionally, this research examines how students revise the first drafts of their compositions based on the verbal and written comments of the class teacher and peers. This case study involves one ESL teacher and a group of six Form Four students, comprising three high-proficiency level (HP) students and three intermediate-proficiency level …

Using An Apprenticeship Framework In Developing Adolescents' Reading Literacy / Noosha Mehdian, Noosha Mehdian

Student Works (2010-2019)

Due to the increase in complexity and format of texts in this information age, rising numbers of adolescents face reading literacy problems. This exploratory study was conducted to see how these adolescents can be nurtured as apprentices to become strategic and independent readers. They were engaged in different dimensions of an apprenticeship framework and metacognitive conversation that draw on the learning theories implicit in Social Constructivism. The subjects were six selected cases among a group of pre-university language learners at a language center. They were at intermediate level of proficiency, from a variety of native language backgrounds. Using a mixed …

A Handbook For Developing And Implementing A High School At-Risk Reading Program, Tamara A. Deford

All Graduate Projects

This project is intended to serve as a guide and resource for the development of a reading intervention program for at-risk secondary students. The project consisted of the following three foci: 1) an initial review of the literature in the areas of adolescent literacy, the Washington State Three-Tier Reading Model, the reading intervention program Literacy First, and school environmental and cultural traits that foster success among adolescent students-specifically struggling adolescent readers, 2) a discussion of Othello High School's process of the selection of a secondary reading intervention program, and 3) a resource handbook, which included methods and processes that supported …

Methods For Encouraging Economic Diversity In Academically Rigorous Courses, Karen Patricia Kraabel

All Graduate Projects

In International Baccalaureate (IB) classes at Thomas Jefferson High School, the economic status of students in honors classes does not reflect that of the school as a whole. The author sought ways to bring more students from impoverished backgrounds into rigorous courses. In this school, there is a strong coincidence between etlmic minority status and socioeconomic status. The author believed that in addressing the economic issue the ethnicity issue would also be addressed. This is a practical issue as well as a pedagogical one, because the school's scores on state-wide standardized tests are lower for economically disadvantaged students than for …

What Is Really Happening When I Teach? : A Self-Study In A Secondary English Classroom, Margaret Christensen Mnayer

Graduate Research Papers

As an educator in an urban school, determined to provide my students with the most effective teaching, I engaged in a self-study to examine my practices and evaluate effectiveness based on current research. I used Schulte's (2002) framework to build my self-study. Her indicators of a quality self-study are: 1) thorough descriptions of the context, data collection, and analysis, 2) thoughtful problemization of researcher and her practice, 3) indications for how study changed researcher's practice, and, 4) a description of how the new insights gained might contribute to knowledge base for other teachers.

Secondary English Teachers' Attitudes Toward Disciplinary And Literacy Learning Implications For Pedagogical Praxis And Reform, Stephanie Kay Sugioka

Teaching & Learning Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to examine the epistemological stances of the two teacher participants, that is, to determine their attitudes toward student literacy and their beliefs about the purposes of English as a discipline; (2) to describe the interplay between their epistemological stances and their pedagogical practices, in particular with respect to their use of research-based literacy strategies; and (3) to arrive at a means of supporting them in their use of more effective pedagogical strategies, in this case including more in-depth discussion in their classes for the purpose of furthering their students' critical literacy. The …

Flarr Pages: Volume 2, Pages 44-68, Foreign Language Association Of The Red River

FLARR Pages

FLARR Pages is the journal of The Foreign Language Association of the Red River of the North, an organization consisting of regional public school and private school faculty as well as faculty from Minnesota State University Bemidji, Concordia College, Minnesota State University Moorhead, North Dakota State University, the University of Minnesota Morris, the University of North Dakota, and the University of Winnipeg.

Virtual Coaching For Novice Teachers, Marcia L. Rock, Madeleine Gregg, Robert A. Gable, Naomi P. Zigmond

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Virtual bug-in-the-ear technology presents one tool that allows practitioners and university educators can use to attract, prepare, and retain high-quality teachers. The experience of Project TEEACH based at the University of Alabama suggests that simple technology tools could be used effectively to support teachers through their most challenging instructional situations. Such coaching provides the kind of at-the-elbow support that can be most beneficial to young teachers.

Reading Intervention Support For The Older Struggling Reader : A Desk-Reference For Reading Interventions, April L. Kleinschmidt

Graduate Research Papers

Reading interventions for the older student are a topic of discussion in school districts, especially when an increasing number of middle schools and high schools are in need of improvement in the area of reading. Because of this increase in literacy concern in the middle and high schools, there is a need to better understand areas of reading that would assist struggling adolescent readers. Research affirms the importance of including intervention assistance in the upper grades. Research indicates key areas to target: structures and features of text, decoding, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, writing and technology, as well as the incorporation of …

Reading Instruction At The Secondary Level, Justified Or Unjustified? : Real Strategies For Content Area Reading Instruction With Applications For Social Studies, Bridgette Pohlman Andersen

Graduate Research Papers

Reading research conclusively asserts that reading is developmental in nature and requires explicit instruction beyond the elementary years. However, secondary education is dominated by content area curricula, leaving little instructional time for literacy. Standardized assessments reveal that middle and high school students' reading comprehension scores remain stagnant, yet society's literacy demands have increased. In order for students to become independent learners and productive citizens, reading comprehension strategies need to be embedded in existing classroom practices. Research-based practices for comprehension that can be used before, during and after reading are presented. A professional development session, covering two years, is included that …

Reading Is For Girls: Examining Gender Differences In Reading Attitudes, Molly Jo Mcallister

Honors Program Theses

Recent research across the nation suggests that boys across the country view reading more negatively than girls. To investigate these trends on a more local level, a reading attitudes survey was conducted at two Eastern Iowa high schools to determine whether boys in this area do in fact view reading more pessimistically than girls. This survey was performed in ninth grade English classrooms at the two schools asking students to respond to various belief statements about reading. Students then rated their own feelings on a scale from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree," and designated whether they were male or female …

Motivation In Language Learning: A Comparative Study Of Motivation In The Learning Of Irish And German Among Leaving Certificate Students, Seosamh Ó Cuinneagáin

Theses

This study investigates Leaving Certificate students’ attitudes to and motivation in the learning of Irish and German in 25-selected second level schools, of which five are Irish-medium schools, in Munster and Leinster. A historical overview of the two languages is presented to contextualise the study, as well as to provide a broad framework for the subsequent literature review, in which government policies towards the teaching and learning of Irish and German are examined. A twelve-scale questionnaire, consisting of 228 items, is employed as a data collection instrument to measure language attitudes and motivation. A modified version of the international quantitative …

Using Pop Culture And Media Together With Effective Literacy Instruction: A Teacher's Tool Kit For Selah H.S. Read Write Class, Stephanie Marie Sevigny

All Graduate Projects

A toolkit has been created to assist secondary teachers in using popular culture and the media in conjunction with explicit comprehension strategy instruction in the classroom in an effort to improve struggling students' comprehension. The toolkit consists of an introduction, examples and suggestions for using popular culture and media in the classroom, examples and guidelines for strategic comprehension instruction. CutTent literature and research regarding the use of popular culture and media in the classroom and effective comprehension strategy instruction were reviewed.

Instructional Writing Strategies For The Secondary Teacher: A Handbook To Guide Content Area Teachers Implementing Writing Into Curriculum, Cathy S. Thompson

All Graduate Projects

Secondary teachers are concerned that their students are having difficulties learning and retaining difficult concepts present in secondary curricula. Additionally, students may not be learning the content at a deep enough knowledge level to pass stringent high-stakes standardized tests required for graduation in the state of Washington. For students to succeed in the competitive global economy they must become self-monitoring critical thinkers. Research supports the use of writing-to-learn and content area writing strategies to facilitate metacognition and boost student learning. This project reviews the research in writing and metacognition, synthesizes the findings, and applies the results in a series of …