Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Billie Andersson

Abstract

At the study site, middle school students with disabilities continue to demonstrate reading deficits. Because the lack of growth in the reading skills of students with disabilities has negative consequences for the students and for the school, it was paramount to investigate if the instructional design decisions made by teachers influence the reading growth of these students. The central purpose of this qualitative case study was to use the interactive-constructive-active-passive (ICAP) framework to analyze if teachers are assigning learning activities that compel students with disabilities to engage in active learning during reading instruction. Three research questions guided the investigation of active learning during reading instruction in language classrooms at the study site. In individual interviews, the eight research participants described the frequency and levels of active learning students with disabilities engage in during reading instruction, as well as how participants view the influence of active learning on the reading growth of these students. I used three rounds of coding to analyze data collected from the interviews and lesson plan assessments to find themes linked to the research questions. Findings of the study revealed that teachers are not regularly assigning learning activities that engage students with disabilities in active learning. I created a professional development project to increase teachers’ capacity to engage students with disabilities in active learning during reading instruction. This project study may influence positive social change by revealing ways to develop the reading skills of students with disabilities as well as improve the long-term outcomes for these students.

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