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Middle Grades (6-8) Reading Teachers’ Beliefs Regarding the State’s Academic Reading Standards, Curriculum Materials, and Instructional Practices

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Date Issued:
2018
Abstract/Description:
Teachers’ beliefs about the reading standards as well as curriculum materials used to address the standards affect how teachers implement the standards, which further impacts student learning. In this case study, 26 middle grades (6-8) reading teachers each participated in a 90 minute one-on-one audio-taped interview consisting of 33 openended questions. Analysis was conducted on the teachers’ beliefs regarding the state’s academic reading standards, content materials the teachers used to teach reading, the teachers’ self-reported instructional practices, and how the selected teachers understand the relationship between their beliefs and instructional practices. Likewise, content analyses were performed using documents such as lesson plans, classroom assignments, and assessments that were collected from the participants. There were six major findings in this study. The first finding indicated that participants had mix feelings regarding the standards; they were viewed by some teachers as guides and building blocks while others viewed the standards as not being beneficial to have in the classroom. The second finding depicted that participants had mixed experiences of collegial planning; some shared that collegial planning assisted their efforts with understanding the standards while others indicated that collegial planning could be improved. The third finding portrayed that the curriculum materials used to teach reading were both district-given and supplemental. Due to a lack of rigor with the district-given resource, some participants opted to use supplemental resources that better aligned to the expectation of the standards. The fourth finding addressed both teacher and student challenges faced by the participants. Teacher challenges included the fast pace and implementation of the standards while student challenges included lack of motivation and student misbehavior. The fifth finding highlighted how participants viewed the relationship between their beliefs and instructional practices. Participants discussed the impact, or lack thereof, of the implementation of the shifts in the standards. The sixth and final major finding of this study emphasized that professional development was needed to teach the reading standards. As a result of these findings, implications include providing teachers with professional development opportunities that target practical ways on how to implement the shifts of the standards in day-to-day instruction and instructional strategies to enhance student motivation.
Title: Middle Grades (6-8) Reading Teachers’ Beliefs Regarding the State’s Academic Reading Standards, Curriculum Materials, and Instructional Practices.
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Name(s): Dacres, Lascelia Cadienne, author
Baxley, Traci P., Thesis advisor
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
College of Education
Department of Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Created: 2018
Date Issued: 2018
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 155 p.
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: Teachers’ beliefs about the reading standards as well as curriculum materials used to address the standards affect how teachers implement the standards, which further impacts student learning. In this case study, 26 middle grades (6-8) reading teachers each participated in a 90 minute one-on-one audio-taped interview consisting of 33 openended questions. Analysis was conducted on the teachers’ beliefs regarding the state’s academic reading standards, content materials the teachers used to teach reading, the teachers’ self-reported instructional practices, and how the selected teachers understand the relationship between their beliefs and instructional practices. Likewise, content analyses were performed using documents such as lesson plans, classroom assignments, and assessments that were collected from the participants. There were six major findings in this study. The first finding indicated that participants had mix feelings regarding the standards; they were viewed by some teachers as guides and building blocks while others viewed the standards as not being beneficial to have in the classroom. The second finding depicted that participants had mixed experiences of collegial planning; some shared that collegial planning assisted their efforts with understanding the standards while others indicated that collegial planning could be improved. The third finding portrayed that the curriculum materials used to teach reading were both district-given and supplemental. Due to a lack of rigor with the district-given resource, some participants opted to use supplemental resources that better aligned to the expectation of the standards. The fourth finding addressed both teacher and student challenges faced by the participants. Teacher challenges included the fast pace and implementation of the standards while student challenges included lack of motivation and student misbehavior. The fifth finding highlighted how participants viewed the relationship between their beliefs and instructional practices. Participants discussed the impact, or lack thereof, of the implementation of the shifts in the standards. The sixth and final major finding of this study emphasized that professional development was needed to teach the reading standards. As a result of these findings, implications include providing teachers with professional development opportunities that target practical ways on how to implement the shifts of the standards in day-to-day instruction and instructional strategies to enhance student motivation.
Identifier: FA00005964 (IID)
Degree granted: Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2018.
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Includes bibliography.
Subject(s): Reading teachers
Education and state--Florida
Reading--Standards
Middle school education--United States--Standards
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Sublocation: Digital Library
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fau/fd/FA00005964
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.