Text

theses

Underperformance in literacy is a pressing concern for educators, especially school leaders and teachers in chronically underperforming elementary schools. For primary grade students in high-needs schools, which tend to be composed of youth from underserved groups, the impact of such underperformance can have lasting effects, including lack of preparation for college-level work. To prevent this underperformance requires that teachers know how to teach reading most effectively, which includes the practice of guided reading. However, helping K-2 teachers improve their guided reading instruction first requires an understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. This qualitative case study of three primary grade teachers in a chronically underperforming elementary school in northern New Jersey examined participants’ knowledge and practices around guided reading through surveys, observations, and semi-structured interviews to learn 1) what K-2 teachers know about guided reading, 2) how they use guided discussion during guided reading in general, and 3) how they use guided discussion as a formative assessment tool during guided reading. The researcher found that the focal teachers (a) used discussion in different ways, for different purposes, and to varying degrees; and (b) improvised their discussions instead of planning strategic formative assessment. These findings identify gaps in the focal teachers’ knowledge of how to use guided discussion as formative assessment during guided reading. A key implication of these findings is the need for continuous, high-quality, job-embedded professional development on guided reading instruction. The author presents a matrix to help classify these gaps and develop more differentiated professional development.

ETD_7070

Ed.D.

Includes bibliographical references

by Michelle Lee Macchia

doi:10.7282/T3JW8H1Q

ETD doctoral

The author owns the copyright to this work.