Examining the Scholastic READ 180 Program Teachers' Perceptions Regarding Local Setting Factors and Role of the Teacher Impacting the Program's...

Description

The purpose of this study was to examine three seventh grade R180 teachers' perceptions regarding the local setting factors and role of the teacher impacting the program's implementation across the three middle schools. The conceptual framework guiding this study was derived from the Scholastic R180 Logic-of-Change Model, which depicts an instructional sequence leading to a long-term goal of improved student reading performance and the connections between the activities and the expected outcomes throughout the steps of the program. The model is grounded in the Theory-of-Change concept, which provides the theoretical understanding of changes that must occur when schools are implementing new programs to support student achievement (Weiss, 1995). This descriptive, multiple-site case study examined three R180 teachers' perceptions in regard to how the local setting factors and role of the teacher that impacted the R180 program in the seventh grade. The four data sources were teacher surveys, teacher interviews, classroom observations, and artifacts obtained during the interview process. A case study protocol guided the collection, analysis, and writing of data, findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The study identified two major conclusions. First, the two dominant roles, facilitator and motivator, influenced the successful implementation of the R180 program to help increase students' reading comprehension. Secondly, the study concluded that a positive school or classroom environment, the supportive nature of administration and other staff members, and meaningful professional development appear to sustain the R180 program implementation, while time constraints and technical difficulties can be major obstacles in implementing the program. The study allowed the researcher to gain a clearer perspective of the critical roles that teachers play if they are to successfully facilitate the R180 program and effectively motivate their students in understanding and appreciating reading as a necessary lifelong skill. The study also demonstrated that local setting factors in school communities need to support the efforts of the R180 teacher. However, it is incumbent upon the teachers to affect positive change regardless of the obstacles in their way. A major part of this commitment is the teachers' obligation to improve their instructional practices and student learning and promote an productive classroom environment that cares about how students learn and how well they learn. Future recommendations for practice should include university preparation for aspiring teachers to take at least one reading course designed to address the needs, abilities, and disposition of the older struggling reader; on-going professional development opportunities for R180 teachers to expand their R180 practices through Scholastic sponsored coaching sessions; and appropriate funding to maintain the R180 technology component. Future recommendations for research would include a replication of the present study using a larger sample of R180 teachers; a study examining strategies for motivating low-achieving students; a study examining the R180 students' perceptions of the role of the teacher and local setting factors that impact their learning; and a study replicated at the middle school level with special education R180 classes to examine how the R180 teachers perceive the role of the teacher and local setting factors that support or hinder the R180 program.

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