Deborah R. Dillon

Showing Them That I Want Them to Learn and That I Care About Who They Are: A Microethnography of the Social Organization of a Secondary Low-Track English-Reading Classroom

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to construct a description and interpretation of the social organization of one rural secondary, low-track English-reading classroom, using an inductive analysis of the actions of, and interactions between, the low socioeconomic, predominantly black students and their white male teacher. Field notes and interview data were triangulated with secondary data to generate a description of the social organization and a partial theory of the teacher’s actions when working with low-track, at-risk students. Results from the interpretation of the data revealed that the teacher’s effectiveness was defined by his ability to do the following: (a) create a culturally congruent social organization in his classroom that accounted for the cultural backgrounds of his students, and (b) vary his teaching style to allow him to effectively communicate with his students during lesson interactions resulting in increased opportunities for student learning and improved student attitudes toward learning and school in general

Reexamining Roles of Learner, Text, and Context in Secondary Literacy

(2000). Reexamining Roles of Learner, Text, and Context in Secondary Literacy. The Journal of Educational Research: Vol. 93, New Discoveries in Literacy for The 21st Century, pp. 165-180.

On writing qualitative research

The authors explore the challenges of conducting and writing up qualitative research studies, and discuss four key issues: problems in distinguishing between levels of theory; holistic and microlevel issues in methodology; crises in representation and legitimation; and differences in the writing and write-up process.

Long-Term Effects of an Enrichment Program Based on the Purdue Three-Stage Model.

The long-term effects of an elementary enrichment program for gifted youth were examined in this retrospective study. The enrichment program investigated was a pull-out program based on the Purdue Three-Stage Model (Feldhusen & Kolloff, 1978, 1986; Feldhusen, Kolloff, Cole, & Moon, 1988; Kolloff & Feldhusen, . 1981). Perceptions of students and their families when the students were seniors in high school indicated that ’ the program was successful in achieving its stated goals. The program was also perceived to have had a long-term positive impact on the cognitive, affective, and social development of most participating students and to have been a developmentally appropriate talent development experience. The findings suggest that the Purdue ThreeStage Model is an effective framework for elementary enrichment programs. Implications of the findings for the education of gifted students are discussed. Over the past two decades numerous models have been developed for educating gifted students, and many school districts have implemented programs for these students. How effective have these programs been in achieving their goals and developing talent io participating students’) Research is needed to answer this question (Cor nell. Delcourt, Bland, & Goldberg, 1990: Fox Washington, 1985; Horowitz & O’Brien, 198:--): Hunsakcr & Callahan. 1993: Passow, 1989: Spavin. 1990a). In fact, the National Center for Research on the Gifted and Talented has identified longitudinal research on student outcomes of gifted programming as the highest research priority for the field of gifted education in the next decade (Gubbins & Reid. 1991)_

Preservice Teachers' Shifting Beliefs about Struggling Literacy Learners.

Abstract This study examined preservice elementary education teachers’ knowledge and beliefs about children who are struggling with learning to read and what these future teachers believed they should do to help these children. Three semesters of teacher candidates were enrolled in a redesigned corrective reading methods course with a tutoring practicum where features of the Reading Recovery professional development model were infused. Using the theoretical lens of constructivism, preservice teachers’ knowledge and beliefs were documented to determine if there were changes and shifts over time. Interpretations of multiple data from the 67 preservice teachers using within‐ and cross‐case analyses revealed a major finding. After teacher candidates participated in the course, they shifted in their beliefs toward assuming responsibility for helping children with reading problems rather than assigning responsibility to someone else as they had when the course began. One of the primary factors involved in their shifts in beliefs appeared to be the use of features of the Reading Recovery professional development model in the tutoring component which influenced students’ abilities to select appropriate instructional practices and focus on the needs of individual children.

Multiple Exceptionalities: A Case Study

This study investigated an eleven-year-old boy with multiple exceptionalities. The participant was verbally gifted, learning-disabled in math, and health-impaired. Because of his health impairment, he had received home-bound instruction throughout his elementary school years and had had little contact with formal schooling. Using qualitative research methods, the investigators explored the participants learning characteristics and educational experiences. Implications of Alecs story for the identification and education of gifted children with disabilities are discussed.

The elusive nature of institutional productivity ratings

Abstract This paper examines past research on institutional productivity ratings based on publications in reading journals. It also discusses issues such as why productivity ratings are calculated, how rankings are calculated, and to what use rankings are put. Other factors are presented for consideration when constructing a total picture of institutional productivity, including the possibility of combining quantitative and qualitative research methodologies.