This dissertation is comprised of two manuscripts that resulted from a single study using verbal protocols to examine the reading processes prompted by the graphics as second graders read informational text. Verbal protocols have provided researchers with an understanding of the processes readers use as they read. Little is known, however, about…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to investigate if students who read decodable books during independent reading time improved word reading and decoding skills more than students who read authentic literature during independent reading time but received the same instruction. The study was conducted for 10 weeks with 62 second-grade…

This study involved the investigation of the effects of the Total Cluster Grouping Model on the achievement and identification of urban, elementary students and to learn about the classroom practices of and perceptions classroom teachers had of their students' ability levels over the course of the study. Proportionality of representation in…

The purpose of this action research project was to investigate the effects of family involvement training on the success of ELL students, as demonstrated by their reading scores, attendance, and behavior. Additionally, the effects of family involvement training on parents' feelings of self-efficacy were measured. Volunteering families of…

The purpose of this mixed methods phenomenological study was to explore the data-driven instructional decisions that elementary teachers make in literacy. Educators have moved towards a culture of being data-driven, and have declared data use in schools to be significant to school improvement and accountability (Marsh, Pane, & Hamilton, 2006).…

This study combined both qualitative and quantitative research to determine the impact of instructional practices on comprehension improvement in second grade Guided Reading groups. Four second grade teachers and their 73 students ages seven through eight years old participated in this study. Additionally, the study examined the effects of Guided…

The three-fold purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the impact of the computer-based reading program Fast ForWord (FFW) on the reading achievement of second-grade students in an Ohio school district. The sample included 360 students (treatment group, n = 85; control group, n = 275) from four elementary buildings. FFW is an…

The problem investigated in this research study relates to the referral rate for special education evaluations between students of teachers who were exposed to the professional development and resources associated with the federally funded Reading First program and students of teachers who were not exposed to the program. The purpose of this study…

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of questioning "during" a read-aloud and questioning "after" a read-aloud, using science-related informational tradebooks with first-and second-graders. Three thematically-related tradebooks were used, each portraying a scientist involved in authentic investigation. Students in two first/second…

This research investigated how teacher dispositions along with content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge work together in the action of second grade classrooms through two descriptive case studies. Focus of the observations was on the interactions between two expert second grade teachers and their students during times of reading and writing. A…