Date of Conferral

2-18-2026

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Heather Caldwell

Abstract

The problem that was addressed in this study is that third through fifth grade students continue to score below district expectations on the Georgia Milestones Assessment System in narrative writing. Guided by the Ofsted inspection framework, the purpose of this basic qualitative study was to understand the experiences of upper elementary teachers teaching writing in Title I classrooms. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 10 participants who taught upper elementary grades. Through thematic coding, four themes emerged outlining (a) the instructional success teachers experienced teaching narrative writing, (b) the instructional challenges of teaching narrative writing, (c) teachers’ beliefs about the connection between a school’s Title I status and students’ proficiency as narrative writers, and (d) teachers’ perceived self-efficacy regarding the ability to overcome instructional challenges. Based on the findings, a 3-day professional training was developed to address the challenges participants noted, such as teaching students to connect oral to written responses and strengthening grammar skills to improve writing. In a collaborative setting, third through fifth grade teachers will share and model strategies that can be used to favorably impact students’ narrative writing abilities. Positive social change may occur if school leaders address the concerns of upper elementary teachers teaching narrative writing, which could result in ongoing instructional support and training. This training may then improve the writing skills and success of students as they move through the educational system.

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