Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Committee Chair

Sydney Brown

Abstract

This dissertation utilized a mixed-methods, quasi-experimental design to investigate the impact of parent development on rising third graders' summer reading losses as measured by the difference in May and August oral reading fluency scores. Title I parents and students from three schools in a rural North Carolina school district participated in a parent development session that focused on reading strategies to use at home. Parents and Title I teachers were in contact during the summer via telephone or face-to-face and students kept a reading log in order to collect data regarding reading routines. Quantitative data were collected using a pretest/posttest method using the end-of-year second-grade oral reading fluency assessment using Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS Next). Quantitative data from reading logs and questionnaires were also used to analyze the impact of parent development and a home-based summer reading program on summer reading loss as measured by oral reading fluency (rate). Qualitative data were collected from questionnaires, parent contact logs, and reading logs. Quantitative and qualitative methods (QUAN-qual) were used to collect and analyze data in order to answer four research questions: (1) What is the impact of the parent development seminar on parents' abilities to demonstrate mastery of reading strategies? (2) What is the impact of summer reading volume (number of books initially and repeatedly read) on summer reading loss as measured by the difference in May and August oral reading fluency scores? (3): What is the impact of reading strategies (echo, NIM, shared, and repeated readings) on summer reading loss as measured by the difference in May and August oral reading fluency scores? (4) What is the impact of parent development and home-based summer reading on summer reading loss as measured by the difference in May and August oral reading fluency scores? The researcher found that parent development and home-based summer reading had a positive impact on struggling readers' (red zone) and home literacy routines. This study also found that repeated readings (within the same day) and face-to-face communication were effective strategies to target summer reading loss. Recommendations for future research include a larger sample size and a focus on the type of parent communication students receive (face-to-face or telephone). Additional recommendations include revisions to the reading log to emphasize repeated readings and to improve self-reporting methods.

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Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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