Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Barbara Christina
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
analysis, classroom curriculum, collaboration, developmental maturity, early intervention, early literacy skills, Elementary Education, first grade, intervention program, kindergarten, kindergarten retention, kindergartners, literacy success, primary level reading teacher, reading difficulties, Reading, remedial reading services, small group instruction, students, teacher collaboration
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to increase the likelihood of literacy success in kindergartners through early intervention services provided by the primary level reading teacher. There had been no early literacy intervention services offered in the writer’s school district prior to the time that the dissertation project was implemented. The goals of the dissertation were to decrease the likelihood that a kindergartner would repeat kindergarten or require remedial reading services in first grade due to the intervention services they received in kindergarten.
The writer designed an intervention program through which 15 kindergarten children were targeted for daily small group instruction in early literacy skills. Students were seen for 30 minutes each day. During this time the writer worked with them on lessons which focused on the development of early literacy skills while also adhering to the kindergarten classroom curriculum. The writer worked closely with two kindergarten teachers to coordinate and collaborate the proposed intervention so that it could be effective for both students and teachers.
An analysis of the data revealed that no kindergarten children were retained, fewer required remedial reading services in first grade and the same number of children was placed into a pre-first setting as the previous year. Teachers revealed that the children being referred for pre-first placement tended to be the younger students in the class and the placement relied heavily on the developmental maturity of the students.