Reading comprehension instruction in the United States has historically been weak and provided limited support for diverse learners. Though the majority of teachers in the United States use core reading programs to design and teach reading comprehension lessons, virtually nothing is known about how teachers interact with core programs to develop instructional plans. Recognizing the potential of research on this topic for supporting instructional improvement efforts, this study used a qualitative, multiple case study design to examine how six elementary teachers planned reading comprehension lessons with core reading programs. In doing this, it addressed the following research questions: (1) How do teachers interact with core reading program materials when planning whole-group reading comprehension lessons? (2) What do their instructional plans involve, and how do those plans align with a research-derived framework for high-quality, responsive comprehension instruction? To inform the study’s design and analysis, I applied theories from research in science and mathematics that address the curriculum enactment process, including a view of teachers as instructional designers, a participatory view of the teacher-curriculum material relationship, and the construct of curricular noticing. Data sources included semi-structured interviews, staged lesson planning protocols, and the collection of core reading program lessons. To analyze the data, I engaged in inductive and deductive coding and created analytic tables.Findings speak to the participatory and contextual nature of teacher-curriculum material interactions, the influential role of teacher beliefs, and the complexity involved in teachers’ work with core programs. In terms of teachers’ planning processes, I found that teachers engaged in a common set of core planning activities that seemed to support them in making sense of and planning with the core programs. I also found that teachers’ planning processes were guided by planning routines and that their familiarity with the programs and their differing beliefs played a significant role in shaping planning processes and curricular noticing. Similarly, teachers’ instructional plans reflected the use of instructional activity routines and demonstrated the influence of teachers’ beliefs and experiences, core reading program characteristics, and contextual resources and constraints. In terms of quality and responsiveness, teachers’ instructional plans exhibited many strengths and even improved upon the core program lessons in some areas, especially in those requiring knowledge of students, although they also exhibited weaknesses in areas of comprehension instruction important for supporting diverse learners. These findings provide clear evidence that teachers can improve upon core programs in at least some areas and can use them to design instruction that is responsive to their particular students. At the same time, they suggest the importance of continued efforts to support instructional improvement in reading comprehension through teacher education, professional development, policy, and curriculum development. In terms of its contributions, this dissertation demonstrates the applicability of theories and constructs from research in mathematics and science to research in literacy. It also suggests the importance of teachers’ beliefs in shaping all aspects of teachers’ noticing and provides important foundational insights into the nature of teachers’ work with core reading programs that can inform continued research in this area.
Read
