There is an alarming rate of secondary students who struggle to read proficiently because they lack the literacy skills to acquire, process, and utilize information. State and federal learning standards require students to apply reading strategies in all content areas. These expectations require all teachers to know about reading strategies and…

The reading abilities of students across the nation continue to be a concern. In fact, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported that 67% of fourth graders read at or below grade level (National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). This study was predicated on the idea that the reading attitudes and literacy knowledge of…

This qualitative case study explored reading comprehension and vocabulary skills and strategies used by middle school teachers in grades 6-8. Theoretical foundations for the research revolved around constructivism, social constructivism, and adolescent literacy theory. Prior research showed that students in grades 3-8 were performing at…

Knowledge supports all aspects of reading including decoding, fluency, and comprehension (Cervetti & Hiebert, 2015; Cervetti & Wright, 2020; Duke & Cartwright, 2021; Kintsch, 1988, 1988; McNamara & Kintsch, 1996; Priebe et al., 2012). Early knowledge predicts reading growth, and science knowledge and reading have a mutually…

Through a descriptive multiple-case study, the researcher explored the phenomenon of how beginning teachers in one rural, northeast Texas school district implement content-area reading strategies at the secondary level. What I Know-What I Want to Know-What I Learned (KWL), Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA),…

Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education programs focus on growing the STEM workforce. The problem is many middle and high school students in Texas require support from the STEM teacher to comprehend complex science texts. Research shows interest in science begins to decline in adolescence leading to a shortage of employees to…

As the standards in different content areas become more in depth, many students especially ESOL students, tend to have difficulty understanding the vocabulary and are unable to read and understand the content, especially in science and social studies. If students are given a literacy push in all areas of school, not just in reading and language…

The purpose of this collective case study was to fill the gap in current research regarding the disciplinary literacies engineers enact within their fields of production. More specifically, this study looked at patterns of fundamental literacies (Norris & Phillips, 2003) employed by engineers as they approached and read disciplinary texts…

This study investigates one school's approach to increasing high school graduation rates through the use of a school-wide support model. The leadership team at the study site sought to identify and address the primary barriers to graduation at that school. An assistant principal at the study site conducted an independent analysis of student-level…

The study addresses teachers and instructional leaders of English Language Learners (ELLs), one of the fastest growing student populations in the United States. English Language Learners comprise a diverse group of students including native-born Americans who happen to speak a language other than English as their primary language. One of the most…

More than 50% of fourth graders in the United States are reading below a proficient level, with more than 75% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch scoring lower than the U.S. average reading score. A framework of background knowledge is essential for vocabulary acquisition so the reader can comprehend the meaning of a text.…

Many students enter college with inadequate reading, writing, and critical thinking skills to successfully navigate discipline-specific college-level coursework (Duff, 2010; Hyland, 2006; Lea & Street, 1998; Tsui, 2002). As such, college faculty, and specifically community college faculty, are challenged to meet the multiple literacy needs of…

Several national and international studies have indicated that there is an achievement gap between student literary reading and student informational reading, with the gap favoring literary reading. One plausible explanation for this gap is that reading informational text has been neglected in early grades in the U.S. (Dreher, 2003; Kletzien &…

According to the Nation's Report Card (2015), American schools are suffering a double-digit academic gap between minority and non-minority students in reading proficiency scores and graduation rates. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of mediated reading (MR) across the curriculum on the achievement of at-risk low-SES minority…

The purpose of this multiple case study was to understand the beliefs held by content area social studies teachers who teach reading. The rationale for this study is that students in the 21st century must be able to meet the demands of disciplinary literacy to compete in the workforce. The data from the semi-structured interviews and classroom…