Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Abraham S. Fischler College of Education
Advisor
Sherry Burke
Committee Member
Marcia O’Brien
Committee Member
Ronald P. Kern
Keywords
adolescent literacy, archival data, at-risk students, classroom observations, Context-Input-Process-Product evaluation model, focus-group interviews, implementation fidelity, instructional specialists, learning disabilities, mixed methods research, ongoing training, peer collaboration, personnel training, Plugged-in to Reading, program evaluation, program implementation, reading achievement, reading intervention, reading levels, reading motivation, secondary education, southeastern United States, special education, special education students, staff attitudes, standardized test scores, stakeholder feedback, survey research, training methods, urban school districts, utilization of programs, classroom teachers, educational outcomes, literacy instruction, program effectiveness, reading comprehension, reading improvement, resource allocation, stakeholder perceptions, student support, teacher training, training effectiveness, program outcomes, instructional practices, educational evaluation, reading styles, collaborative learning, implementation challenges, professional development, school-based interventions, outcome assessment, literacy programs, educational stakeholders, reading development, intervention programs, student achievement, instructional resources, program utilization, CIPP evaluation model, high schools, special education programs, reading instruction, qualitative interviews, quantitative data, educational improvement, adolescent readers, learning support services, literacy achievement, classroom implementation, standardized assessments, educational research, program training, instructional support, reading performance
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to provide information regarding the training of personnel, implementation of the programs within the classroom, and outcome results of the “Plugged-in to Reading” program for special education students and staff at two high schools. The reading programs were intended to serve adolescents who are at-risk. The programs had been in use for an average of four years and no evaluation had been done to determine if using the program had improved reading levels for these students.
The researcher designed this study to evaluate the training, utilization, and outcome data of a reading program utilizing a mixed research design in a small urban school district located in the southeastern United States. To assess these reading programs, the Context-Input-Process-Product (CIPP) evaluation model was used in order to assess staff attitudes toward training procedures, proper implementation and utilization of the programs, and outcome results from standardized tests. This study analyzed data gathered from stakeholders using surveys, focus-group interviews, classroom observations, and archival data collection.
An analysis of the data revealed that the scores of special education students identified with a learning disability increased for standardized tests after implementation of the reading program. Staff attitudes toward training were mixed with administration and instructional specialists having a more favorable opinion of the training and implementation than classroom teachers. Respondents identified several challenges, including the need for ongoing training, time demands, more modeling, peer collaboration, and more resources. Respondents also identified positive outcomes such as support for students, exposure to materials, greater understanding of reading styles, and higher interest in reading. Recommendations for improvement of the program are provided based on the feedback provided by stakeholders.