Date of Conferral
2016
Degree
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
School
Education
Advisor
Dr. Pamela Warrick
Abstract
Students at 3 elementary schools in the southern region of the United States struggled with or failed to meet grade-level expectations in reading comprehension. School district leaders had little understanding regarding the perceptions of educators, care givers, and community supporters on the strategies to increase reading comprehension. To address that gap, the purpose of this study was to explore participants' perceptions regarding reading strategies and comprehension instruction practices in the local setting. The conceptual framework was based on the elements of Fisher's and Frey's work: (a) effective teaching in reading strategies, (b) reading instructional comprehension practices, (c) effective caregiver involvement, and (d) strong community partnerships. The guiding questions examined reading instructional practices that the educator, caregivers, and other stakeholders perceived as the building blocks for supportive collaboration to improve reading comprehension. Using a narrative design, data were collected from 12 educators, 8 caregivers, and 2 community supporters via face-to-face surveys (26 questions) and personal interviews. The data were analyzed using open coding and iterative categorization to identify emerging patterns and themes. The findings suggested a need for improved training and openly communicative collaborative practices between all stakeholders. The implication for social change is that improved collaboration in reading comprehension instruction between educator, caregiver, and community supporter will help improve reading comprehension skills and will position the educator to better instruct struggling learners.
Recommended Citation
Flanigan, Antoine Kevin, "Promote Comprehension in the Reading Classroom" (2016). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 2256.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2256
