Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Patricia A. Anderson

Abstract

The problem that was the focus of this study was that only 30% of fourth grade students in the United States read at or above grade-level proficiency. Lack of reading proficiency affects fourth-grade students’ ability to master content presented in subjects across the curriculum and may limit their educational attainment. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore fourth-grade teachers’ perspectives of instructional practices to support students with reading deficits, the challenges teachers encounter, and the resources teachers need to meet those challenges. The conceptual framework comprised Tomlinson’s model of differentiated instruction. Three research questions explored the instructional practices, challenges, and resources that teachers described as affecting their work with fourth grade students who have reading deficits. Open-ended interviews were conducted with 8 fourth grade, general education teachers from one southwestern state in the United States. Data were analyzed using open and axial coding. Results indicated that some fourth grade students lacked mastery of basic literacy skills, such as the ability to decode unfamiliar words; curriculum was poorly aligned with the instructional needs of students with reading deficits; and teachers lacked training in reading remediation techniques. Recommendations based on these results include increasing teacher autonomy in implementing effective strategies to improve reading skills in struggling students and offering more resources to motivate struggling readers, such as low-level reading materials that match the interests of fourth grade students. The findings of this study may contribute to positive social change by being used to inform reading instruction, improve appropriateness of reading materials, and support teacher professionalism in ways that contribute to students’ reading success.

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