Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Roslyn Doctorow

Committee Member

Bruce Foster

Committee Member

Kimberly Durham

Keywords

differentiated instruction, early literacy skills, phonics, reading comprehension, reading performance, small group instruction, struggling readers, vocabulary

Abstract

This applied dissertation explored how implementing small-group direct instruction in an elementary school setting affected the reading performance of second-grade students. The study examined how organized small-group direct instruction can elevate students’ reading achievement in phonics, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Over a six week instructional period, a mixed-methods research design was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data.

Pretest and posttest students’ reading assessments were collected using quantitative data, while teachers' weekly reflections and surveys were collected using qualitative data. A total of 30 students identified as struggling readers, and three second-grade teachers who implemented small-group direct instruction participated in the study. Reading outcomes were examined to determine whether structured, data-driven small-group direct instruction improved, while effective instructional practices were examined through teachers' perceptions.

Data analysis revealed that significant improvement in students' phonics scores was observed only by Teacher C. Teachers consistently highlighted four core elements, indicating that the most effective small-group strategies included explicit instruction, differentiated grouping, targeted feedback, and continuous progress monitoring. Overall, findings from small-group direct instruction suggested that support for students’ learning varied across classrooms, as did academic gains.

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