Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Mary V. Kealy
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
communication with family members, early reading skills, expressive language, family cooperation, formal evaluation, general reading ability, high risk students, phonological awareness, primary grades, reading disabilities, reading readiness, reading research, speech-language disorders, speech-language pathologists, Student Support Team, training program, regular education classroom, reading instruction, reading curriculum, screening, student support, teachers, testing, instructional activities, intervention strategies, review of literature, reading modifications, reading disabilities risk factors, general student population, positive outcomes, resource development, speech-language services
Abstract
This applied dissertation was designed to improve expressive language and phonological awareness for students in primary grades who were receiving speech-language services, and who were exhibiting significant risk factors for reading disabilities. An increasing number of students at this site were being referred for modifications to reading instruction in the regular education classroom. The solution strategies utilized for this applied dissertation included formal evaluation to measure expressive language, phonological awareness, and general reading ability for students who were already identified as having speech-language disorders, and who were receiving modifications to reading instruction through the Student Support Team. A training program was implemented. Instructional activities were collected from numerous resources that were readily accessible to speech-language pathologists and teachers. Communication with family members to gain their cooperation was an important factor in the training program. After subject’s skills increased, the activities collected for the applied dissertation were given to classroom teachers to improve phonological awareness skills within the general student population.
The writer’s purpose with this applied dissertation was to reduce the number of students who needed modifications to reading curriculum, and to provide information and resources to speech-language pathologists, teachers, and family members regarding phonological awareness. Before this project, the site of the applied dissertation did not provide screening, formal testing, or explicit instruction to increase student’s phonological awareness. The writer shared research from the review of literature concerning the importance of phonological awareness and expressive language as they relate to early reading skills and solution strategies proven to increase student skills.
Results of the applied dissertation were positive. The number of students with poor phonological awareness was reduced. The number of students receiving modifications to curriculum was also reduced.