Examining One Class of Third-Grade Spellers: The Diagnostic Potential of Students’ Spelling

The purpose of this article is to examine the developmental spelling levels of one class of 17 third-grade students. In analyzing over 600 student spelling samples, results indicate that these students spanned four spelling stages: (1) letter name, (2) within word pattern, (3) syllables and affixes, and (4) derivational relations (Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, & Johnston, 2008; Henderson, 1981). The article provides convincing evidence of the diagnostic potential of spelling analysis as a means to comprehending students’ orthographic understandings. Implications for small-group word study instruction are provided

Characteristics of Leaders of Effective Rehabilitation Teams in Skilled Nursing Facilities

The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics of leaders who manage effective rehabilitation teams in skilled nursing facilities. The subjects were 51 rehabilitation professionals employed by a rehabilitation company in the Midwest. Subjects rated their self selected leaders on the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Bass & Avolio, 1995), and made qualitative comments about their leader on an attached page. Data were analyzed to determine the organizational relationship between the leader and rater. Leadership characteristics were identified by the choices of the raters on the MLQ. The data show that the rehabilitation professionals in this sample population selected a leader with whom they have daily contact. A certain set of leadership characteristics was identified for the leaders rated by rehabilitation professionals who responded to the survey. This study has implications for training, job performance criteria and selection of an appropriate leader to manage a rehabilitation team in a skilled nursing facility

Reading Comprehension Strategies in Secondary Content Area Classrooms: Teacher Use of and Attitudes Towards Reading Comprehension Instruction

The purpose of this mixed methodology study was to identify the frequency of reading comprehension instruction in middle and high school social studies and science classrooms. An additional purpose was to explore teachers’ perceptions of and beliefs about the need for reading comprehension instruction. In 2,400 minutes of direct classroom observation, a total of 82 minutes (3%) of reading comprehension instruction was observed. The qualitative findings reveal that teachers did not feel qualified or responsible for providing explicit instruction on reading comprehension. Teachers pointed to the pressure to cover content in preparation for state standardized tests as barriers to providing reading instruction