Term of Award
Fall 2007
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Curriculum Studies (Ed.D.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading
Committee Chair
Grigory Dmitriyev
Committee Member 1
Linda M. Arthur
Committee Member 2
Kent Rittschof
Committee Member 3
Neal Saye
Abstract
This mixed methods study explored the perspectives of thirty-nine (N=39) elementary teachers employed in four elementary schools in one school district in Georgia regarding the use of performance-based assessment strategies within an all encompassing balanced literacy framework for instruction. Participants were surveyed on their use of performance-based assessment strategies, and both quantitative and qualitative data were collected. This study draws on the research regarding the dichotomy that exists between standardized tests and the performance-based assessment practices of teachers implementing balanced literacy. Because teacher buy-in is critical to the success of any curricular initiative, inquiry into teacher perceptions of their role in the assessment process and in the information they derive from performance-based assessments is necessary. This study provides a deep understanding from the perspectives of teachers how they value and use the assessment strategies incorporated in the framework and what level of autonomy they perceived for themselves while incorporating the balanced literacy initiative. The findings of this study indicated wide variances in the degree of implementation of the assessment strategies in the balanced literacy approach to instruction. The data revealed that more training is needed in Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2) and in the use of running records and the Qualitative Spelling Inventory. What was clear from the responses to the open-ended questions was that teachers were divided on whether or not they valued the assessment strategies in balanced literacy. Phenomenological analysis of the data revealed that teachers felt a loss of instructional decision-making power as a result of implementing the assessment strategies in the balanced literacy approach, and many have experienced a lower level of job satisfaction. Implications for practitioners are discussed, as well as implications for future research in the field of literacy instruction.
Recommended Citation
Duke, Amy McGowan, "Performance-Based Assessment within a Balanced Literacy Framework: An Analysis of Teacher Perceptions and Implementation in Elementary Classrooms" (2007). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 501.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/501
Research Data and Supplementary Material
No
