Date of Conferral

5-17-2024

Date of Award

May 2024

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Cathryn Walker

Abstract

The problem addressed by the study was African American and Hispanic students’ literacy scores remain the lowest of all ethnicities at high schools in a district, despite the implementation of numerous initiatives and curricular platforms. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to investigate how high school teachers perceive their implementation of instructional strategies in reading to support African American and Hispanic students’ academic achievement. Using Freire’s theory of critical pedagogy, high school teachers’ perceptions of their implementation of instructional strategies in reading were explored. Data were collected using semistructured interviews of 10 participants who met the inclusion criteria and volunteered to participate in interviews. Data analysis included a priori coding and open descriptive coding identifying codes, categories, and themes. The emergent themes included findings about (a) culturally relevant and differentiated practices, (b) engagement opportunities that promote social/emotional development and social justice, (c) support from stakeholders providing professional learning and culturally relevant resources, and (d) school and community partnerships. The resulting project, a white paper project with recommendations, was created to inform stakeholders of the study findings and propose actions for consideration. Understanding high school teachers’ perceptions of how they implement instructional strategies in reading to support African American and Hispanic students could inform leaders’ decision making regarding how to strengthen instructional practices along with parent and community engagement for this population of students, thereby resulting in improved student achievement and positive social change.

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