High School Teacher Selection of Reading Comprehension Strategies to Support English Language Learners
Date of Conferral
11-2-2023
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
School
Education
Advisor
Anissa Harris
Abstract
Scholars have been studying the reading challenges of English language learners (ELLs) for decades. ELLs from an urban high school in the Northeastern United States were failing to meet the annual adequate yearly progress target for English language arts (ELA) reading assessments. Although studies have demonstrated that ELLs continue to face reading challenges and that reading strategies are beneficial, little was known about the precise methods that teachers used for implementing these strategies to improve ELLs’ reading comprehension. The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ processes for selecting ELA reading strategies to support ELLs’ reading comprehension. Krashen’s second-language acquisition theory was the conceptual framework for this basic qualitative study, particularly the concept of comprehensible input. Through semistructured interviews, data were collected from four ESL state-certified high school teachers who teach ELLs; data were then thematically analyzed in a reflexive process after open and axial coding. The findings revealed that ESL teachers used cognitive reading strategies within ELA instruction and selected them based on student proficiency levels and text type. However, each teacher followed unique methods to support student reading, indicating an opportunity to collaborate to enhance students’ ELA reading achievement. These results informed a professional development training for selecting and implementing cognitive and metacognitive reading strategies to support ELLs. The implications for positive social change include ELA/ESL teachers and ELLs benefiting from improved classroom practice that includes insightful reading-strategies selection that are cognitive, metacognitive, and collaborative—a combination that may lead to improved ELA reading proficiency and improved classroom practice.
Recommended Citation
Bolivar, Bianca, "High School Teacher Selection of Reading Comprehension Strategies to Support English Language Learners" (2023). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 15069.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/15069
