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ABSTRACT This mixed methods study examines 126 community college students enrolled in developmental reading courses at a mid-sized Southwestern community college. These students participated in a survey-based study regarding their reading experiences and practices, social influence upon those practices, reading sponsorship, and reading self-efficacy. The survey featured 33 structured response

ABSTRACT This mixed methods study examines 126 community college students enrolled in developmental reading courses at a mid-sized Southwestern community college. These students participated in a survey-based study regarding their reading experiences and practices, social influence upon those practices, reading sponsorship, and reading self-efficacy. The survey featured 33 structured response prompts and six free response prompts, allowing for both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The study¡&brkbar;s results reflected the diverse reading interests and practices of developmental college students, revealing four main themes: -the diversity and complexity of their reading practices; -the diversity in reading genre preferences; -the strong influence of family members and teachers as reading sponsors in the past with that influence shifting to friends and college professors in the present; and, -the possible connection between self-efficacy and social engagement with reading. Findings from this study suggest these college students, often depicted as underprepared or developmental readers, are engaging in diverse and sophisticated reading practices and perceive reading as a means to achieve their success-oriented goals and to learn about the real world.This study adds to the limited field of community college literacy research, provides a more nuanced view of what it means to be an underprepared college reader, and points to ways community college educators can better support their students by acknowledging and building upon their socio-culturally influenced literacy practices. At the same time, educators can advantage students academically in terms of building their cultural capital with overt inculcation into disciplinary literacies and related repertoires of practice. Keywords: college students, reading, sponsorship, multimodal reading practices, developmental education, social networking, and literacy
ContributorsKiefer, Cynthia (Author) / Early, Jessica (Thesis advisor) / Blasingame, James (Committee member) / Marsh, Josephine (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
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Description
Gendered language has been a topic of study for centuries. The most recent efforts to promote inclusive language have been championed by parents, teachers, and social reformers over the last thirty years. Replicating in part a research study that was done over thirty years ago, this study examines

Gendered language has been a topic of study for centuries. The most recent efforts to promote inclusive language have been championed by parents, teachers, and social reformers over the last thirty years. Replicating in part a research study that was done over thirty years ago, this study examines what effects have taken place in children's perceptions of male and female roles in regards to specific activities and occupations and how their perceptions compare to the current work force, what role children's literature has played in these changes, and what children's natural speech in describing personified animals can tell us about their subconscious gender labeling. The results were remarkable in two ways: native language evidently exudes little emphasis on pronoun choice, and children are more readily acceptable of gender equality than that portrayed in either Caldecott winning children's books or real life as seen through current labor statistics.
ContributorsArter, Lisa Maxwell (Author) / Nilsen, Alleen (Thesis advisor) / Blasingame, James (Committee member) / Grace, Judy (Committee member) / Mathur, Sarup (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
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Description
ABSTRACT

Due to variation that exists in providing Tier 2 reading intervention instruction, the purpose of the study was to identify processes and instructional strategies currently being utilized by K-2 teachers of the Gallup, New Mexico elementary schools. 17 teachers from 9 of the 10 elementary schools participated in the study.

ABSTRACT

Due to variation that exists in providing Tier 2 reading intervention instruction, the purpose of the study was to identify processes and instructional strategies currently being utilized by K-2 teachers of the Gallup, New Mexico elementary schools. 17 teachers from 9 of the 10 elementary schools participated in the study. A survey instrument was designed and administered using Survey Monkey as the tool to collect the data on how teachers are implementing Tier 2 reading intervention instruction. Research Question 1 asked how teachers are currently implementing Tier 2 reading interventions as far as structure/processes, lesson planning, and collaboration. The highest percentages of teachers reported the following: one additional staff assisting grade level teachers, group sizes of 4-6 students, progress monitoring 6 or more times a year, using DIBELS scores for student placement, utilizing ability groups within the grade level with each having its own instructors, and instruction being provided 5 days a week for 30-35 minutes. Research Question 2 asked for teachers' opinions as to using available staff, instructions for benchmark students, and the amount and usefulness of meetings. A majority of teachers agreed to using all available staff, that accelerated learning opportunities are being provided to students performing at the benchmark level, and that meetings are occurring frequently and are useful. Research Question 3 inquired as to practices and processes teachers feel are effective as well as their recommendations for improving instruction and for professional development. Effective practices reported include: using phonics, decoding, and fluency; small group instruction; multi-sensory instruction or hands-on activities; Linda-Mood Bell programs; data analysis to group students; the Project Read program; word family/patterns; sight words; comprehension; materials and curriculum provided; and consistency with holding interventions daily. Though all reported feeling moderately to very confident in their ability to teach reading, they recommended that they learn more current, non-traditional strategies as well as receive more training in familiar approaches like ELL strategies, differentiated instruction, learning centers, and identifying reading difficulties. After a review of the data, the researcher recommends training teachers to conduct their own research to seek out strategies, programs, and resources; investing in and implementing an effective commercially produced Tier 2 program; and for teams to devote more time in developing, sharing, and revising lesson plans.
ContributorsAllison, Tamara Alice (Author) / Appleton, Nicholas (Thesis advisor) / Spencer, Dee (Committee member) / Hotchkiss, Margaret (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
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Description
Do adolescents read? What do they read? This purpose of this study was to examine the voluntary fiction reading experiences of secondary students. Literature was reviewed concerning the adolescent reader and voluntary fiction reading. The readers were found to be capable of making profound meanings out of text. The readers

Do adolescents read? What do they read? This purpose of this study was to examine the voluntary fiction reading experiences of secondary students. Literature was reviewed concerning the adolescent reader and voluntary fiction reading. The readers were found to be capable of making profound meanings out of text. The readers found characters, plot, learning from their books, and the desire to read more beneficial to their engagement and reading pleasure.
ContributorsJones, Charles Aron (Author) / Blasingame, James (Thesis advisor) / Quintero, Henry (Committee member) / Zertuche, Lorena (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2020