A Model for Improving Reading and Literacy Skills Among Middle School Students

A Model for Improving Reading and Literacy Skills Among Middle School Students
By:
Published on 2007 by ProQuest

Students without basic reading and literacy skills have problems in college, in the job market, and in understanding societal issues. However, there is a lack of consensus among reading specialists on how best to assist middle school students struggling with reading. This qualitative research study applied a modified Delphi exploration technique to develop a best practices model, as identified by 25 experts in the field of reading and literacy, for middle school educators to improve the reading and literacy skills of students and reduce the summer learning loss of children who are economically disadvantaged. This study sought to understand what pedagogical facilitation practices could be applied to increase reading and literacy among middle school students, how schools can adjust their school years, what challenges are involved in improving literacy and reading levels, and how schools can provide summer school programs to improve literacy. Qualitative data gathered from the seed questions were organized using NVivo software. During the analysis, a line-by-line examination of the data was conducted, leading to the revelation of themes according to the participants' responses, which were then used to develop a survey to gain consensus from the experts. The results of the study indicated that teachers and administrators can likely achieve positive social change by developing positive communication between the school and home environment; by extending, and in some cases requiring, summer school programs; and by initiating more tutorial programs, such as Literacy 180, to assist middle school children who are lagging behind their peers.

This Book was ranked 26 by Google Books for keyword middle graders.