Date of Conferral

2-5-2025

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Anissa Harris

Abstract

Revised state learning standards—including a heightened focus on analyzing an author’s purpose and craft (APC) in high-stakes assessments—has propelled efforts to evaluate rhetorical knowledge (RK) in the U.S. state of Texas and highlighted the need for student practice with rhetorical analysis. The intentional development of RK is also emphasized by the framework for success in postsecondary writing to support academic and postsecondary success. The problem addressed in this study was a lack of student practice with a transferable rhetorical literacy analysis (TRLA) strategy at a North Central Texas school district. The lack of practice was concerning considering this shift in focus and a resulting decrease in student success scores on test items linked to APC. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the impact of a TRLA strategy on students’ reading language arts (RLA) assessment performance and whether there was a significant difference in pre- and posttest APC proficiency scores on state standardized assessments between students in classes who did and did not practice the TRLA strategy. An analysis of covariance test on pre- and posttest ex post facto data for 831 Grades 3–8 students showed no significant benefit from practice with a TRLA strategy on APC proficiency after 1 year. These findings may be limited by the brevity and lack of maturity of TRLA strategy implementation. Further, data did not reveal students’ internalization of the TRLA strategy for transfer. Rhetorical literacy has implications for positive change beyond increased achievement scores, including deepening agentive communication skills. With this import in mind, a white paper was created to inform local school leaders on the next steps for an explicit and systematic process to monitor the benefits of TRLA strategy practice on students’ APC proficiency over time.

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