Date of Award
2024
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
Educational Studies
First Advisor
Todd Lilly
Abstract
In spite of decades of research and an abundance of well-intentioned intervention efforts, supporting adolescent readers, particularly at the middle level, remains a significant area of concern for educators in the United States. The struggles are present for educators working to help underperforming readers reach grade-level and keep advanced readers motivated and engaged. At home, parents and guardians experience similar challenges. Data on adolescent comprehension performance continues to be frustrating in terms of producing consistent positive results. This qualitative action research study investigated the ongoing challenge of supporting adolescent readers, specifically within the context of 7th grade, through a systems lens using Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (EST). Literacy development is a complex and ongoing process influenced by interconnected factors in a reader's environment. This research is rooted in the lived experiences of parent-educators and English teachers at one middle school. Data was collected in the form of qualitative surveys, observations, document analysis, and interviews. The findings emphasize the need to view literacy challenges and the design of supportive measures through a systemic lens and contribute to the ongoing conversation surrounding how best to support middle-school readers by highlighting the necessity for considering the broader ecological contexts that surround them.
Rights
© 2024, Kristi Nicole Grooms
Recommended Citation
Grooms, K. N.(2024). Systems Check: A Qualitative Case Study of Educators and Parent-Educators Supporting Adolescent Readers from an Ecological Systems Perspective. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/8051