Boley, Joyce K.. How students who have difficulty with reading understand themselves as learners following theories of intelligence instruction. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T3KW5J53
DescriptionThe purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how students who have difficulty with reading understand themselves as learners following theories of intelligence instruction through the online Brainology® Program. Typically, students' learning experiences are organized and directed by adults, with little input from the students themselves. Providing children with an opportunity to express how they feel about learning and about themselves as learners can inform the kinds of learning experiences that should be made available to them. The data for this study were collected from five elementary-aged students who have difficulty with reading from one school, all of whom participated in an after-school tutoring program that included theories of intelligence instruction. Data sources included documents (e.g., teacher comments on report cards, reading journals/notebooks, running records, and standardized test scores), field observations, and pre-intervention and post-intervention interviews with each participant. The findings from this study demonstrate three main ways that the study participants understood themselves as learners after theories of intelligence instruction via the Brainology® program: 1) Intellectually, 2) Emotionally, and 3) Physically. Taken together, these findings indicate that students understand themselves as learners from the whole-child frame of reference. The results suggest that educators should consider ways to incorporate theories of intelligence instruction into the school day for all learners.