Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
David Shellman
Committee Member
Carolyn S. Buckenmaier
Committee Member
Maryellen Maher
Keywords
academic achievement, Alabama, assessments, diagnostic information, elementary school, elementary students, guided reading, mobility, parent involvement, professional development, QRI-3, reading, reading assessment, reading difficulties, reading problems, reading strategies, S.T.A.R., SAT-9, silent reading, small group instruction, struggling readers, student learning, teacher behavior, teacher-led intervention, teachers, teaching methods
Abstract
This study was to design and examine a systematic effort by teachers to diagnose students’ reading difficulties. The purpose of this study was to systematically diagnose students’ reading problems and design and implement instruction to address these problems. Three grades were chosen: 3rd, 4th, and 5th, from one elementary school in northern Alabama, where the researcher was employed. Data from the QRI-3, S.T.A.R., and SAT-9 assessments were used.
The focus of this intervention was to change teacher behavior. Teachers were expected to routinely and systematically diagnose gaps in students’ reading ability and design and implement instruction to fill those gaps. Highly qualified teachers delivering good instruction throughout the day and providing 20 to 30 minutes of small group instruction to struggling readers gave children significant opportunity to obtain proficiency on challenging state academic achievement standards and state academic assessments. The results of this study suggest that 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade reading assessment provided teachers with diagnostic information to help students. Many factors, including professional development, assessment, understanding the effects of mobility on student learning, encouraging and challenging children to read, guided reading and small group instruction, silent reading and parent involvement, contributed to the success of the intervention plan. The study suggests that it is possible to craft a uniform and rigorous plan that provides sound learning opportunities and creates optimal situations for students to learn academic knowledge and skills.