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Best Practices for Elementary At-Risk

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Best Practices for Elementary At-Risk BEST PRACTICES FOR ELEMENTARY AT-RISK READING INSTRUCTION IN GRADES 4 AND 5 A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Education Department Carson-Newman University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education By Sarah F. Cates May 2016 © Copyright 2016 Sarah Flanigan Cates ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii iii PERMISSION STATEMENT Title of dissertation: Best Practices for Elementary At-Risk Reading Instruction in grades 4and5 Name of Author: Sarah F. Cates Degree: Ed.D. College: Carson-Newman University I hereby grant Carson-Newman University and its agents the non-exclusive liconse to archive and make accessible my dissertation in whole or part in all forms of media in perpetuity. I retain all other ownership rights to the copynght of the thesis or dissertation' I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. Print Reproduction Permission Granted I, Sarah F. Cates, hereby grant permission to Carson-Newlnan University to reproduce my print thesis or dissertation in whole or in part. Any reproduction will not be for commercial use or profit. A. t signarure orAuthor: dfr*gn Q.OJtrJQ. Drt, 5. 60 . I b Print Reproduction Permission Denied T, hereby deny permission to CarsonNewman University to reproduce my print thesis or dissertation in whole or in part. Signature of Author: Date: lnclusion inthe CNU fuchives I, Sarah F. Cates, additionally Sant to the Carson-Newman University Archives the non- exclusive license to archive and provide electronic access to my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in all forms of media in perpetuity. I understand that my work, in addition to its bibliogra.phic record and abstract, will be available to the worldwide community of scholars and researchers throughout the CNU Archives. I retain all other ownership rights to the copynght of the thesis or dissertation, I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I hereby certifu that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached written permission statements from the owrrers of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my dissertation. I certifu that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my committee. Signaflre of Author: Date: iv ABSTRACT The purpose of this grounded qualitative study was to examine teacher perspectives with regard to best practices for elementary at-risk reading instruction in grades 4 and 5. The data were gathered from 15 fourth and fifth grade teachers in a small rural school district in east Tennessee. The data in this grounded qualitative study were collected through semi-structured interviews. The findings of this study included developing a list of implemented best practices for at-risk reading students including writing embedded instruction, small group/center instruction, mini lessons focused on skill development as opposed to standard focused, an emphasis on vocabulary development, building on foundational reading skills, cooperative learning, and teacher modeling. In addition to the best practices discussed in this study, detrimental instructional practices were also examined by the researcher. The two detrimental instructional practices examined were utilization of grade level text without appropriate scaffolding and teaching to the whole group, also known as a one size fits all instructional approach. v Acknowledgments First, I would like to thank God. I have been blessed beyond measure and I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the One who gave it all to me. I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my committee chair, Dr. Dean, who has the attitude and the substance of a genius: she continually and convincingly encouraged me to continue on this journey. Without her continued support, this dissertation would not have been possible. She will never know the profound impact she had the day she called me her Jedi. That one statement gave me the determination to make it through this entire process. I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Teets and Dr. Walker for their support and understanding through this entire adventure. Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I would like to thank my editor, Stephanie Dallmann, for dotting my i’s and crossing my t’s. I would like to thank my dad, James Flanigan, for his support in my goal of pursuing all of my higher education degrees. Quitting was never an option. I would also like to thank my sweet baby, Oliver. Thank you for your relaxed and “go with the flow” personality. You have been an awesome lap buddy during my nights of research and writing. Finally, I would like to thank my amazing husband, Chris, for being the voice of reason when things got tough. He has taken on the role of Mr. Mom, housekeeper, chef, and psychologist the last three years and has done it all without complaint. vi Dedication This study is dedicated to my mom, Phyllis Flanigan, who loved me unconditionally. You always believed in me even when I did not believe in myself. My dream of a doctorate began because of you and your love of literature. Mom, I wish you were here to see the end product. However, I know you have been here every step of the way and are watching and smiling from Heaven. I would also like to dedicate this study to my biggest cheerleader, my six-year-old daughter, Grace. Your excitement, encouragement, and understanding through this process kept me going and gave me the determination to reach this goal. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE .................................................................................................................................. i COPYRIGHT ...................................................................................................................... ii RESEARCH COMMITTEE .............................................................................................. iii PERMISSION STATEMENT ........................................................................................... iv ABSTRACT .........................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. vi DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. vii LIST OF TABLES AND IMAGES .................................................................................. xii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................1 Conceptual Underpinnings for the Study .........................................................................4 Theoretical framework .................................................................................................4 Conceptual framework .................................................................................................5 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................................6 Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................................7 Research Questions ..........................................................................................................8 Limitations, Assumptions, and Design Controls .............................................................8 Definition of Key Terms ..................................................................................................8 Summary ..........................................................................................................................9 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ......................................................................11 Introduction ....................................................................................................................11 History of Reading .........................................................................................................12 19th Century ................................................................................................................12 Early 20th Century .....................................................................................................14 Mid-20th Century .......................................................................................................15 Late 20th Century ......................................................................................................16 21st Century ...............................................................................................................17 Best Practices .................................................................................................................17 Love of Reading .........................................................................................................18 Vocabulary Development ..........................................................................................19 Background Knowledge .............................................................................................20 Fluency .......................................................................................................................22 At-Risk Readers .............................................................................................................23 Response to Intervention ............................................................................................23
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