Effectiveness of Reading Intervention Program Types in Increasing Comprehension for Intermediate School Students

A quasi-experimental design investigated the effectiveness of three reading intervention types in increasing reading comprehension, both explicit and implicit, using a sample of 78 students, approximately 17% of the population of third through fifth grades at a single-school, rural, K-12, Central Texas school district with an enrollment of approximately 450. Data was gathered using the Development Reading Assessment (DRA2) and the Qualitative Reading Inventory (QRI-5), conducted during the first semester of the 2017-2018 school year. Reading intervention types included pull-out in a small group using part-to-whole language strategies, a computer-based reading intervention type, and an integrated reading intervention type using whole-to-part language strategies. Most students had a two-year growth in reading levels and an average of a 60% increase in reading comprehension implicitly, explicitly, or both. The strongest factor influencing outcomes was differentiation of reading intervention with a human element. Another strong factor was reinforcement of strategies integrating content and focusing on reading level of the student. Results of this study reinforce the need to intervene on an individualized level of the student, with relevant and meaningful content, and deliverable in a manner befitting learning style and preference. A framework for effective reading intervention program types is presented and supported by the results of this study. This study was unique because it investigated two types of reading comprehension, implicit and explicit, separately to determine the most statistically significant reading intervention type for intermediate students, grades third through fifth

A critical ethnography of young adolescents' occupational choices in a community in post-apartheid South Africa

This thesis explored the occupational choices of young adolescents in a southern peninsula Cape Town community of Lavender Hill in South Africa. Informed by current research and prior professional and personal experiences with young adolescents in Lavender Hill, the research question asked: 'What informs occupational choice among young adolescents in Lavender Hill?' This complemented the research aim, which was to generate insight into the nature of the occupational choices of a group of young adolescents in Lavender Hill, and the factors that influenced their occupational choices

The art of destruction: An ethnographic study of the urban graffiti subculture in London and New York

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis examines the urban graffiti subculture within the cities of New York and London. It was undertaken in an attempt to move beyond some of the negative stereotypes that characterise this subculture, its members and their illegal activities as inherently problematic, pointless and inane. Based on two years of ethnographic fieldwork in London and New York, it argues that graffiti is not senseless and mindless vandalism, but a pursuit that grants its mainly male and adolescent practitioners important and substantial rewards. Most notably these include fame, respect, autonomy, self direction and some sense of masculine status. Illegality is identified as the subcultural element underpinning these identity enhancing affordances. It is presented, firstly, as a masculine resource; a tool which young men can use to confront risk and danger and gain, through this, the recognition and respect of their peers and the defining elements of their masculine identities. Secondly, it is argued that adolescent subcultural members use their illegal status to promote societal rejection, discourage adult intervention and secure their subculture as a 'world apart'. This free space grants them autonomy, self direction and a chance to escape 'real life' and the problems and restraints which they may, as adolescents, experience there. On the basis of this, it is argued that three analytic revisions must be made if we are to understand this and other 'illegal' subcultures. First, we must move away from a passive model of delinquency. In this study, deviance is depicted as deliberate, functional and, thus, more than the consequence of an externally applied label. Second, we must move towards a more active model of identity construction. graffiti writers build and mould their identities through their illegal activities. This defines them as active agents rather than textual subjects who have merely taken up an inscribed position in a provided text or discourse. Third, we must look at what is being done in conjunction with who is doing it. Subcultural studies of the past have presented the subculture as a working class vehicle of resistance. However, they have rarely problematised its characteristically adolescent and masculine membership. Failure to include and analytically weave together factors of age, gender and illegality will, it is contended, result in a theoretically incomplete subcultural account

A Critical Review Of Post-Secondary Education Writing During A 21st Century Education Revolution

Educational materials are effective instruments which provide information and report new discoveries uncovered by researchers in specific areas of academia. Higher education, like other education institutions, rely on instructional materials to inform its practice of educating adult learners. In post-secondary education, developmental English programs are tasked with meeting the needs of dynamic populations, thus there is a continuous need for research in this area to support its changing landscape. However, the majority of scholarly thought in this area centers on K-12 reading and writing. This paucity presents a phenomenon to the post-secondary community. This research study uses a qualitative content analysis to examine peer-reviewed journals from 2003-2017, developmental online websites, and a government issued document directed toward reforming post-secondary developmental education programs. These highly relevant sources aid educators in discovering informational support to apply best practices for student success. Developmental education serves the purpose of addressing literacy gaps for students transitioning to college-level work. The findings here illuminate the dearth of material offered to developmental educators. This study suggests the field of literacy research is fragmented and highlights an apparent blind spot in scholarly literature with regard to English writing instruction. This poses a quandary for post-secondary literacy researchers in the 21st century and establishes the necessity for the literacy research community to commit future scholarship toward equipping college educators teaching writing instruction to underprepared adult learners

Effective Music Teaching in New South Wales: How School Music Programs Promote Consistent High Achievement in the Higher School Certificate

The aim of this study is to determine the key characteristics of high achieving school music programs in New South Wales (NSW), and to highlight the fundamental pedagogical practices of their teachers. It builds on previous research examining successful teaching practices. This thesis explores how effective teaching, positive school cultures and co-curricular programs support the consistent high achievement of students in the Higher School Certificate (HSC) teaching and examination context. It also explores the role of parents, gifted education, authentic learning, and the effect of the Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR). It aims to fill a gap in the literature related to high achievement in music education in Australia, but more broadly in the areas of effective music teaching, gifted education, and how high achieving music programs benefit school cultures. This grounded theory study identified the top 10% of secondary school music programs in NSW through a quantitative analysis of HSC Music results from 2007–2016. Fifty teachers at 23 schools were interviewed about their pedagogy, processes, teaching philosophy, and the perceptions of music in the broader school community. The results of the qualitative data show that robust cocurricular music programs, expert teachers, and supportive leadership are key contributors to their students’ high achievement. Gifted pedagogy, authentic learning practices, and parental perspectives were reported as also influencing the provision of effective music programming. This research reinforces the need for equity in access to quality music education for all students and the importance of effective and informative advocacy