Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Deborah Wortham
Committee Member
Mike Griffin
Committee Member
Maryellen Maher
Keywords
accelerated reader, archival records, classroom activities, classroom libraries, educational interventions, elementary schools, Fountas, fifth grade students, guided reading, instructional strategies, intermediate literacy specialist, interviews, lesson plans, literacy education, media centers, motivational strategies, observation, observational studies, Pinnell, qualitative analysis, reading instruction, reading motivation, recreational reading, self-selected reading, staff development, student attitudes, teacher education, teacher training, teaching methods, traditional scheduling, upper elementary education
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to provide knowledge and skills through staff development for teachers and strategies to help make reading relevant for 5th-grade students. A review of archival Accelerated Reader records revealed that students’ recreational reading was in decline. Lesson plans revealed traditional scheduling and teaching practices. Teachers had not participated in staff development to update their current teaching strategies. Students were regarding reading as a labor-intensive task and tended to avoid it. Students also did not view the classroom or media center as sources of good reading materials.
The researcher developed a staff development program that encompassed new instructional approaches for the teachers. An intervention and nonintervention group of teachers were identified for this investigation. The 3 intervention group 5th-grade teachers attended 10 hours of staff development that were held over a period of 2 days, 5 hours each day. T. Alexander, Intermediate Literacy Specialist, conducted the staff development. The intervention group teachers met with the staff developer to discuss and to analyze findings. Observations, interviews, and lesson plans were reviewed. Observation of student behavior in the intervention groups during classroom activities was conducted by the researcher.
Qualitative analysis at project’s end was conducted to determine if an increased use of the self-selected guided reading strategy model developed by I. Fountas and G. S. Pinnell improved and motivated students’ desire to increase their recreational reading.
The results revealed an impact on the recreational reading of the 5th-grade students. Students were motivated to read more, and teachers used the intervention as prescribed.