In the 21st century, the term "critical" has attached itself to numerous aspects of literacy research. However, what critical means remains commonly anchored to Freire and a primary critical reading practice--suspicious critique. Expanding critical literacy research (CLR), this article advances "reading orientations" as a…

Teacher self- and collective efficacy are important motivational factors in determining teachers' effort in their professional practice. Teachers' higher levels of self- and collective efficacy are positively associated with student achievement in specific domains, and teachers' enhanced wellbeing and commitment to their profession. This…

The purpose of this study was to investigate and implement an effective model for reading professional development (PD) for elementary teachers. Cycle 1 data were collected from kindergarten through fifth grade elementary teachers to understand teachers' perspectives of effective PD. The findings suggested that if PD utilizes teacher collaboration…

The study examined how, in the current context of reading reform, teachers' beliefs coalesced and aligned with prevailing paradigms of reading instruction (Science of Reading, Balanced Literacy, and Whole Language). The sample included 14 graduate students (in-service teachers) and 13 undergraduate students (pre-service teachers). Q Methodology…

Collaboration among teachers positively affects both teachers' professional development and students' reading achievement. However, teachers face challenges in collaboration with colleagues. Current research focusing on the collaboration experiences between general education classroom teachers and reading interventionists is absent. The purpose of…

This article presents an analytical model of binary dimensions of narrative practice perceived as two continua between the oppositions of subjectivity/objectivity and structure/agency. Such narrative practice is considered as a site for professional 'identification' and self-knowing. The analytical model provided a framework that was applied to a…

This is a mixed methods study that explored instructional reading strategies that were used by kindergarten, first-, and second-grade teachers who met and/or exceeded expected growth in EVAAS from 2017-2019. Research by John Hattie, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and Robert Marzano are included in the literature review of this study. Data were…

Online learning continues to grow at unprecedented rates. K-12 had more than 275,000 students enrolled in full-time virtual schools in 2011--2012 and over 2 million participating in at least one online course. Despite this growth, there is little research on model formation and model validation for online learning. Two research-based models were…

Black boys in grades third through fifth are not developing reading comprehension skills compared to their peers in an urban southeastern school district. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore perceptions of third through fifth grade reading teachers on reading comprehension of Black boys in this district. The conceptual…

Reading is one of the most important foundational skills for academic success, yet the teaching of reading is very complex. There is a need to support teachers with ongoing professional learning for quality literacy instruction. Peer coaching can be a meaningful, personalized, job-embedded form of professional learning for teachers (Robbins,…

The problem in an elementary school in Southern Texas was poor reading performance on grade level and progress monitoring tests for students with disabilities (SWDs). SWDs may learn to read proficiently when reading instruction is provided using the support facilitation model (SFM) that features a special educator who helps SWDs in literacy or…

This descriptive case study examined educators' perceptions of the effect of tiered instruction on the reading achievement of kindergarten students. The purpose was to explore and describe current cultural and structural conditions that support or inhibit effective school-level implementation of a Response to Intervention (RtI) model. This study…

The purpose of the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study (BTES) was to identify teaching activities and classroom conditions that foster student learning in elementary schools. The study focused on instruction in reading and mathematics at grades two and five. During the multi-year series of substudies comprising BTES, a variety of issues were…

The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether and, if so, how formal teacher competence relates to the relationship between pupil reading achievement and teachers judgements' of pupils' reading achievement. The data come from the Swedish participation in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2001 in Grade 3.…

In the field of elementary reading instruction, educators from varying theoretical perspectives have strived to promote instructional practices that "work" with diverse populations of students, with differing conclusions. In the present study, we examined elementary teachers' attempts at blending reading practices reflecting two philosophical…