This embedded single-case study explored how three students and their teacher negotiated students' reading identity enactments as they experienced sixth-grade literacy instruction. We considered the dynamics that occurred as a function of interactions with others in this evolving, ongoing, social context. Using content analysis, we collaboratively coded and compared multiple data sources to examine how the students enacted their reading identities during moments of learning. Findings suggest an interplay between how power was distributed and how reading identity enactments were aligned during instruction. By exploring these enactments, our findings extend an understanding of how teachers can navigate the complex process of attending to and leveraging students' dynamic reading identities during instruction.
This case study investigated how two upper-elementary teachers conceptualize and enact vocabulary instruction for multilingual learners (MLs) during small-group reading lessons. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and video-recorded lesson observations, the study examined how teachers made sense of vocabulary instruction and how their understandings were reflected in practice. Analysis showed broad correspondence between teachers' articulated knowledge and their instructional moves: both used research-informed routines, yet they differed in how they emphasized or adapted these routines in response to lesson content and instructional interactions that unfolded during lessons. A central finding is the identification of a consistent pattern of metacognitive scaffolding that neither teacher explicitly named in interviews. These findings suggest that vocabulary instruction for MLs involves interpretive and adaptive work rather than straightforward implementation of strategies. The study contributes to research on teacher knowledge and practice by illustrating how pedagogical reasoning unfolds in small-group contexts and by highlighting considerations for professional learning that aim to strengthen teachers' support for MLs' vocabulary development.
As high-quality literacy tutoring grows as a national priority, the need to identify effective tutoring practices is pressing. Literacy clinics provide rich opportunities to study tutoring practices, but empirical evidence is needed to demonstrate their effectiveness in supporting student reading gains. This study examined the reading gains of 338 K-8th grade students who received literacy tutoring through university-based literacy clinics. Gains were measured in reading accuracy, words correct per minute, and comprehension. Findings indicated significant effects for all three measures across all grade levels, and for primary and intermediate grade bands. The middle school grade band demonstrated significant growth in accuracy and comprehension. Findings have implications for effective tutoring practices that can inform other remedial contexts as well as classroom reading instruction.
Junior high students' use of metacognitive reading strategies are essential components of reading. Yet, students infrequently engage with these collective meaning-making strategies, given that opportunities to talk about text through dialogic discourse can be limited. In this case study, we observed how students in five 6th-grade class periods use metacognitive reading strategies during text-based discussions about contestable topics at two timepoints during the school year. We observed flexible, diverse, and context-dependent use of metacognitive strategies to process new information, reflect, seek clarity, and verify comprehension; notable differences in strategies used were found between the two timepoints. This study demonstrates that student-led dialogic discussions provide a rich environment for metacognitive engagement and meaning-making. Given the rarity of productive student-to-student discussions in many classrooms, this research reinforces the value of structured, yet open-ended, discourse as a means of supporting students' metacognitive development.
This qualitative case study explores the supports, resources, and barriers that shape educators' ability to purchase and use diverse young adult (DYA) literature in secondary schools. Drawing on the lens of teacher agency, we examined how ELA teachers, media specialists, and reading interventionists in one southern U.S. state navigated written and unwritten policies in increasingly politicized contexts. Findings reveal that while participants recognized the benefits of incorporating DYA, they encountered formal and informal censorship, limited access, and restrictive protocols that shaped their instructional decisions. Simultaneously, educators identified key supports, including administrative autonomy, collaboration, and funding, that enabled them to persist in this work. The study highlights the complex interplay between policy, school culture, and educator beliefs, underscoring the need for transparent processes, advocacy, and professional learning to ensure all students have access to literature that reflects and expands their lived experiences.
This research extends established visual literacy strategies by developing a think-aloud intervention targeting four key strategies to enhance multilingual learners' (MLs) comprehension of science multimodal texts. Employing a mixed-methods approach, we implemented an exploratory single-subject AB design to investigate the intervention's impact on the comprehension of three 6th grade MLs with intermediate language proficiency. Additionally, think-aloud transcripts from baseline and intervention sessions were analyzed to understand students' reading processes. Our findings indicate a low to moderate improvement in reading comprehension among two MLs. Moreover, we identified challenges faced by students, such as limited interpretations of multimodal texts, difficulties with discipline-specific vocabulary, and struggles with reading sequences. This study underscores the effectiveness of integrating think-aloud interventions with visual literacy strategies, providing practical implications for classroom instruction and suggesting areas for future research to support diverse literacy skills among MLs. Ultimately, it emphasizes the necessity of tailored instructional approaches to address the unique challenges faced by MLs in comprehending complex science multimodal texts.
This study aimed to develop and validate a multimodal composing scale (MCS) to assess the competence of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students in multimodal academic writing. Drawing on multiliteracies theory, rhetorical genre theory, and the socio-cognitive model of writing, the study adopted a cross-sectional survey design involving 313 Indonesian undergraduate students majoring in English education and literature. An initial pool of 42 items was constructed and refined through expert validation and pilot testing. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using SPSS 30 yielded a four-factor solution: rhetorical awareness and academic alignment, genre knowledge, design competence, and technical and reflective engagement, which explained 55.44% of the total variance. Factor loadings ranged from .402 to .902, and all subscales demonstrated high internal consistency (alpha = .757 to .883). The findings confirm that multimodal composing competence in academic writing is a multidimensional construct, encompassing rhetorical, genre-based, visual organization, and digital engagement. The validated instrument offers a reliable tool for assessing learners' strengths, informing pedagogy, and supporting research in multimodal academic writing in EFL contexts. While the study offers strong psychometric evidence, future research should employ confirmatory factor analysis and expand the scale's application across diverse educational levels and cultural settings.
This case study investigates how elementary students develop conceptual understanding of the abstract art vocabulary emphasis through transmodal meaning-making. Situated at the intersection of disciplinary literacy, multimodal and transmodal pedagogy, and language learning, this study addresses the underexplored area of disciplinary literacy in specialist subjects like art by demonstrating how transmodal pedagogy can be implemented in instructional design. In this study, transmodality functions both as the analytic lens for tracing students' meaning-making and as the pedagogical orientation that orchestrates meaning movement across modes to deepen conceptual understanding and cultivate student agency. Using transmodal analysis, the study illustrates how vocabulary knowledge and conceptual understanding evolve from the teacher's initial instruction to student-led multimodal meaning making. Findings show that (a) students' ability to access and manipulate modal resources affects their depth of understanding, and (b) transmodal pedagogy supports coherent instructional design by connecting multimodal tasks in a meaningful sequence. These findings advance research on disciplinary literacy and equitable learning by illustrating how transmodal pedagogy can support instruction in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, transcending named language and modal boundaries to enable cross-modal transformation of meaning and make disciplinary concepts accessible through multimodal resources.
Teacher educators encounter significant challenges in preparing preservice teachers (PSTs) to teach writing, largely due to the limited availability of specialized writing methods courses in university curricula. Research indicates that dedicated coursework can enhance PSTs' future teaching practices. This qualitative study investigates the development of noticing and naming as a social practice among early childhood (K-5) PSTs (n = 39) in response to a student's writing sample over time within a writing methods course. Grounded in sociocultural theory and the concept of communities of practice, the purpose of this study was to examine how and in what ways PSTs developed their abilities to assess and provide guidance based on a student's writing sample. We analyzed what PSTs noticed and named within a student's opinion writing sample to explore their observations and the influence of these insights on their instructional decisions. Findings reveal that PSTs improved their ability to identify effective writing techniques, shifting their focus from editing mechanics to content-related elements as the semester progressed. These findings contribute to writing teacher education by underscoring the role of methods courses in fostering PSTs' pedagogical skills in responding to student writing.
This study explores Indonesian children's language learning and literacy experiences navigating cross-cultural contexts, emphasizing the role of home and religious communities. It investigates how family support and culturally grounded religious practices contribute to linguistic and literacy development by drawing on Sociocultural Theory, Funds of Knowledge, and the Cross-Cultural Kids (CCK) framework. This study shows how Indonesian children's literacy develops through family support, religious institutions, and digital tools. Parents play a critical role by strategically balancing exposure to heritage and host languages, preserving cultural identity while supporting integration into new environments. Religious communities serve as vital spaces for culturally aligned literacy activities, offering faith-based learning opportunities that respect Islamic values. In addition, digital tools provide flexible and interactive resources, enriching literacy experiences through creative expression and language acquisition. This study calls for inclusive, culturally responsive education that connects home, community, and school to support diverse learners. It urges collaboration among educators, policymakers, and communities to strengthen literacy programs and recommends future research on broader populations and long-term impacts of cross-cultural literacy practices.
Over the last twenty years, teacher education programs have increased efforts to prepare critically conscious teachers for enacting transformative classroom instruction. Much of this work has centered on social justice-oriented coursework and taken up diverse children's literature as curricular tools. There continues to be a gap between teacher education program experiences and what actually happens in elementary classrooms. While abundant literature dissects preservice teachers' (PSTs) engagement with critical children's literature for reading instruction, less research explores how they transfer skills to make sense of critical texts for elementary content area instruction. In this mixed-methods study, two teacher educators utilize a curricular noticing lens to examine how PSTs selected, analyzed, and planned to use critical children's literature for content area text sets. Although findings show alignment between instructor and PST perceptions of texts as diverse, PSTs need support in deeper critical analysis to interrogate underlying messages and stereotypes across disciplines. This is particularly true for informational texts. We consider the implications for researchers and teacher educators as we weave social justice discussions across coursework to help PSTs notice and name opportunities for diverse perspectives in content area literacy instruction.
This research study explored children's responses to inclusive picture books, such as those banned and challenged in many states and districts, as well as the types of discussion questions that elicit critical thinking and empathy. Data collection took place at a public elementary school in grades one through five. Children responded to the books with empathy and by thinking critically; they built new knowledge connected to state learning standards, asked questions, made inferences, drew on relevant information, and considered implications. Open-ended discussion questions prompted the responses. The findings suggested specific discussion prompts to spark complex thinking about inclusive children's picture books and illustrated the power of such books to build foundational knowledge essential for future learning. In the words of one participating student, "a book can really make you change & mldr; "
This study examines the extent and type of vocabulary instruction employed in second-grade classrooms, with a particular focus on morphology-based strategies across English Language Arts (ELA), Math, Science, and Social Studies. Sixty-four teachers from 28 schools participated, contributing audio transcripts of their instructional practices for analysis. Findings reveal a predominance of vocabulary instruction focused on word definitions and examples, with some incorporation of morphology-focused strategies, such as teaching affixes, word segmentation, and derivations. The results underscore a gap between research-based recommendations and classroom practices, suggesting a need to explore ways to enhance the adoption and implementation of robust morphological instruction into educational practices.
This qualitative case study examined how 10th grade readers connected to, made meaning from, and experienced a multimodal novel; The novel, Chopsticks (Anthony & Corrall, 2012), is told primarily through images, and secondarily through a combination of images, words, and intertextual references (often hyperlinked) to texts that included audio and video (e.g. playlists, YouTube videos, albums). We situate this study using reader response theory and three specific focus areas within literacy studies: (1) communities of readers, (2) multimodal literacies, and (3) critical multiliteracies. Our findings detail students' meaning-making experiences through the following collaborative multimodal reading practices: (1) sleuthing and theory-building, 2) traversing digital and analog spaces, and 3) engaging in zigzag polyvocality. Discussion and implications center the importance of collaboratively reading as a community, progressing the pedagogical and instructional concept of polyvocal multimodal reading, as well as the concept of zigzag reading, which encourages recursive, dialogic reading engagement from a variety of textual entry points that develop and embody critical connections across textual modes.
This study aimed to investigate the impact of a computer-delivered supplemental morphology instruction that includes optional Spanish language supports on multilingual learners' morphological knowledge skills in English. The quasi-experimental study was conducted during a summer school program with a sample of 13 Spanish-English speaking students in 3rd-5th grade. Pretest and posttest performance on the Morphological Awareness Test for Reading and Spelling (MATRS) was compared to assess change in morphological knowledge. Results indicated that students showed significant differences in their performance on Suffix Identification (p < .001, d = 1.47), Affix Meaning (p = .025, d = 0.60), and Suffix Spelling (p = .007, d = 0.89) after completing at least five modules of the supplemental instruction. Students who accessed the instructional supports in Spanish showed gains similar to the students who selected English-only supports. Results suggest that technology-enhanced morphological instruction that includes Spanish scaffolding is feasible to implement within a summer school program. The findings suggest that incorporating computer-delivered morphology instruction that includes explicit instruction on derivational morphemes and the meanings of multimorphemic words may enhance students' morphological knowledge in English.
The purpose of this study was to design and evaluate foundational skills modules taught by college professors to elementary-teacher candidates in a flipped-model of learning using active learning techniques. Twenty-three instructional modules were designed utilizing evidence-based practices, state, national, and professional standards on literacy. The study employed design-based research methods across two cycles of implementation with instructors from multiple institutions within one U.S. state. The first cycle included three instructors across two universities and the second cycle included five instructors across four institutions; qualitative and quantitative data led to revisions from the first to the second cycle. Analysis of teacher candidates' learning and reflections on their experiences with the active learning model showed statistically significant growth and positive ratings on flipped classrooms. Qualitiatve data indicated teachers' largely positive perceptions of the content, approach, and partnership with researchers. Implications for teacher-preparation programs and instruction on reading and writing are discussed.
Educators have a responsibility to critically evaluate the ways groups of people are represented in children's books. This study's purpose was to analyze portrayals of Indian American immigrant families in 28 children's books set in the United States. While research about diverse groups of people in literature has grown recently, representations of Indian Americans in children's books remain unexamined. This study, a critical content analysis, applies tenets of postcolonialism to deconstruct the ways child protagonists in books about Indian American immigrant families are portrayed. While several books in the sample call attention to realistic social issues Indian American families may face, this study finds that othering of Indian Americans, or constructing them as different from the "mainstream," is a prominent theme. Indian American characters are targets of negative attitudes, victims of discrimination and hate crimes, and positioned as outsiders because of their identities as Indian Americans and immigrants. This study concludes that educators must ensure the books they recommend to readers show diverse perspectives of Indian Americans to avoid perpetuating long-held stereotypes and problematic narratives.
The rapid rise of widely available artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has captured the attention of teachers and policymakers curious to understand the impact of AI on education and student learning. Teachers' perceptions of technologies influence if and how these technologies are integrated into classroom instruction. This study investigates the perspectives of 923 literacy teachers from across the United States who completed an online survey about their perceived benefits and concerns of AI and its impact on literacy education. Qualitative data analysis revealed benefits including 1) time efficiency, 2) creating and modifying content, 3) brainstorming, 4) evaluation and feedback, and 5) preparing for the future. Teacher concerns included 1) unreliability, 2) cheating and plagiarism, 3) limiting student development, 4) dependency, and 5) diminished human experience. These benefits and concerns can inform professional development to support teachers in their understanding and implementation of AI in literacy education.
Understanding an oral narrative is a predictive skill for future reading comprehension. There are a variety of levers for promoting this comprehension in listening situations, and teacher narration seems to be one of those to be encouraged at school. This study aims to explore the extent to which expressive narration without gestures and dramatized narration have an effect on inferential comprehension of narratives. Pre-reader children (N = 165, aged 5-7, 55% girls) from the South of France answered inferential comprehension questions during story listening. Based on a within-subjects experimental design, narratives were presented in three modalities: with inexpressive narration, with expressive narration, and with dramatized narration, each child having seen all modalities. The results showed better inferential comprehension scores when the stories were presented with theatrical narration, particularly with regard to scores in the production of emotional inferences enabling an emotional mental state to be attributed to the protagonists.
