the incidental leader: the role of reading recovery® training in the professional lives of teachers in a

250 Pages·2013·1 MB·English

by  Matt Fifolt

THE INCIDENTAL LEADER: THE ROLE OF READING RECOVERY® TRAINING
IN THE PROFESSIONAL LIVES OF TEACHERS IN A RURAL ALABAMA
SCHOOL SYSTEM. A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY

By
SHARON L. BOUNDS

LYNN KIRKLAND, COMMITTEE CHAIR
JOSEPH BURNS
KAY EMFINGER
MARYANN MANNING
KATHLEEN MARTIN

A DISSERTATION

Submitted to the graduate faculty of the University of Alabama at Birmingham,
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA
2013
Copyright by
Sharon L. Bounds
2013
THE INCIDENTAL LEADER: THE ROLE OF READING RECOVERY TRAINING
IN THE PROFESSIONAL LIVES OF TEACHERS IN A RURAL ALABAMA
SCHOOL SYSTEM: A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY

SHARON L. BOUNDS
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
ABSTRACT

This qualitative multiple case study was undertaken to answer the following
question: How did Reading Recovery® (RR) teachers and former Reading Recovery
teachers in a mid-sized rural school system in the southeastern United States describe the
influences of their Reading Recovery training as it related to their current professional
lives? Additional questions included: (1) How did training in Reading Recovery position
the teacher as a reading expert within her school? (2) How did Reading Recovery change
her approach to working with struggling readers? (3) How did the “behind the glass”
experience impact the teacher’s own teaching? (4) How did training affect the teacher’s
ability to discuss complex reading problems with co-workers? (5) How has Reading
Recovery training influenced the teacher’s professional goals and ambitions? (6) How
has the passage of time since the teacher’s training year altered her perception of the
usefulness of her training?
Two case studies were undertaken to answer these questions. Both studies
involved face to face interviews, teacher observations, and electronic journal entries
submitted by the participants. Case Study One looked at the professional lives of three
currently active Reading Recovery teachers and revealed five themes: (1) Instructional
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empowerment, (2) Increased professional status, (3) Reliance on a community of
learners, (4) Concern for the whole child, and (5) Lack of teaching/working time.
Two years later, Case Study Two was initiated. At this time Reading Recovery
had been discontinued in the county school system. A total of 12 former RR teachers
were interviewed, observed on the job, and contributed to electronic journals. Five
themes emerged from this study: (1) Instructional knowledge from theory, (2) Student
benefits, (3) School and community benefits, (4) Professional benefits, and (5) Personal
benefits. The overarching theme for both cases was – Power through Knowledge.
Unanticipated findings included: self-imposed teacher accountability, professional
courage, “knowledge envy” by non-RR individuals, and the transferability of Reading
Recovery knowledge outward into the school and local community.

Keywords: Reading Recovery®, training, self-extending-knowledge-system,
transferability, empowerment to instruct, cross-case analysis

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DEDICATION

To my family.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... iii

DEDICATION .....................................................................................................................v

LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix

CHAPTER
1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1
Teachers Deliver Instruction .......................................................................................3
Some Students Need Extra Help Learning to Read ....................................................6
Discussion of the Central Problem ................................................................................9
Purpose of the Study .................................................................................................10
Significance of the Study ..........................................................................................10
Research Question ....................................................................................................11
Definition of Terms...................................................................................................12
Reading Recovery ............................................................................................12
Qualitative research .........................................................................................16
Methods........................................................................................................................19
Assumptions .................................................................................................................21
Limitations ...................................................................................................................22
Summary ......................................................................................................................23

2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE ......................................................................................25
Introduction ..................................................................................................................25
Review of the Literature ..............................................................................................26
Background and Significance ...................................................................................26
Early Intervention .....................................................................................................27
Teacher Training .......................................................................................................32
Reading Recovery: An Overview .............................................................................43
Academic Benefits of Reading Recovery .................................................................57
Other Positive Outcomes of Reading Recovery .......................................................67
Reading Recovery and Special Education Placement ..............................................72
Reading Recovery and English Language Learners .................................................76
Cost Effectiveness .....................................................................................................77
Reading Recovery Teacher Training ........................................................................78
Transferability of Reading Recovery ........................................................................83
Reading Recovery Critics .........................................................................................84
Summary ...................................................................................................................92
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Page

3 METHODS ..................................................................................................................96
Research Methods .....................................................................................................97
Population and Sample Selection............................................................................101
Qualitative Research and the Tradition of Inquiry .................................................105
Philosophical Assumptions .....................................................................................109
Theoretical Framework ...........................................................................................113
Sites and Participants ..............................................................................................113
Data Collection .......................................................................................................114
Data Analysis ..........................................................................................................117
Verification Procedures ..........................................................................................118
Ethical Considerations ............................................................................................120
Role of the Researcher ............................................................................................122

4 FINDINGS .................................................................................................................126
First Case Findings: A Case Study of the Changes Experienced in the
Professional Lives of Reading Recovery Teachers in Alabama ................................127
Site and Participants ...................................................................................................128
Instructional Empowerment ....................................................................................132
Increased Status with the Professional Community................................................133
Reliance on a Community of Learners ...................................................................136
Concern for the Whole Child ..................................................................................137
Time Concerns ........................................................................................................140
Summary .................................................................................................................141
Second Case: A Case Study of the Role of Reading Recovery Training in the
Professional Lives of Former RR Teachers in a Rural Alabama School System ......142
Site and Participants ...................................................................................................142
Instructional Knowledge from Theory ....................................................................146
Student Benefits ......................................................................................................148
School Community and Home Community Benefits .............................................151
Professional Benefits ..............................................................................................155
Personal Benefits ....................................................................................................159
Summary .................................................................................................................162
Cross Case Analysis ...................................................................................................163
Summary ....................................................................................................................176

5 OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY .................................................................................179

Summary of Findings... ..............................................................................................182
Cross-Case Findings... ............................................................................................184
Implications.............................................................................................................186
Recommendations for Future Research............ ......................................................189
Conclusion............ .....................................................................................................190

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Page

LIST OF REFERENCES .................................................................................................194

APPENDICES .................................................................................................................213
A LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM SUPERINTENDENT......................................213
B PRINCIPAL LETTER .........................................................................................215
C RECRUITMENT LETTER .................................................................................218
D INFORMED CONSENT .....................................................................................221
E INFORMATION SHEET FOR PARTICIPANT CONSENT .............................223
F IRB APPROVAL FORM ....................................................................................226
G INTERVIEW PROTOCOL .................................................................................228
H DATA COLLECTION FORM ............................................................................231
I OBSERVATION FORM .....................................................................................234
J ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT LETTER ....................................................236
K REFLECTIVE JOURNAL PROTOCOL ............................................................238
L READING RECOVERY TRAINING & EXPANSION OF TEACHER ZPD ...240

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LIST OF TABLES

Tables Page

1 Participant Demographics ...........................................................................................143
2 Knowledge ..................................................................................................................146
3 Student Benefits ..........................................................................................................148
4 School and Community Benefits ................................................................................154
5 Professional Benefits ..................................................................................................156
6 Personal Benefits ........................................................................................................160

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CHAPTER 1
Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming of it.
- Helen Keller
INTRODUCTION
Reading failure is a contributing factor among many social ills in our society
(Kamps et al., 2003; Rumbaugh & Brown, 2000; Shanahan & Barr, 1995; Shaw & Berg,
2009; Slavin, 1998). Research has shown prisons are populated by men and women with
poor literacy skills (Oliver, 2008; Shaw & Berg, 2009; Vacca, 2004). Many incarcerated
individuals have failed at least one grade in their school career and commonly acquire
less formal education than the general public (Shaw & Berg, 2009). Kamps et al. (2003)
stated, “From a societal perspective, approximately 75% of individuals in prison are poor
readers” (p. 211). As early as 1937, Anderson and Davidson published a report stating
that lack of education and adverse social circumstances place individuals at risk for
criminal activity. Shethar (1993) wrote, “The lack of education plays an integral role in
the cradle-to-prison pipeline” (p. 21).
Families in poverty and generational illiteracy send children to school poorly
prepared for the experience and are often at a loss as to how to support their child’s
school efforts outside the classroom (Arnold & Doctoroff, 2003; Marvin & Mirenda,
1993). Children who begin school with early learning deficits tend to lag behind their
more advantaged classmates in the early years (Massetti, 2009). Without intervention,
children “at risk” tend to remain on a trajectory for future failure (Juel, 1988; Snow,
Burns, & Griffin, 1998; Stanovich, 1986).
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