The Effective Use of and Support for Instructional Strategies to Improve Literacy in the Middle Grades

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study was twofold. First, the researcher identified researched-based strategies which improve reading comprehension and literacy in adolescent students. Second, the researcher determined if particular factors influenced teacher use of identified strategies. One hundred seventy-seven teachers who taught sixth through eighth grades were invited to be surveyed using an electronic instrument called the Teacher Inventory for Reading in the Middle Grades. The instrument was tested for validity and reliability and was found to be both valid and reliable. The four research questions were answered based on an analysis of survey responses. In most instances, the chi-square testing methodology was chosen to test each research hypothesis. In addition, Phi and Cramer’s V were analyzed to measures the strength of association between the two variables. The findings revealed that the grade level a teacher teaches does not influence if the teacher will employ the research-based reading strategies. Moreover, with one exception, the number of years of teaching experience a teacher has does not influence the teacher’s use of the research-based reading strategies. A favorable finding was administrative support for the strategies does influence whether or not teachers use the research-based strategies. Implications for practice and recommendations for further research were addressed in chapter five.