Elementary Reading Specialists' Perspectives Towards Their Work

196 Pages·2017·1.18 MB·English

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Wendy Woods Bunker
Syracuse University
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Bunker, Wendy Woods, "Elementary Reading Specialists' Perspectives Towards Their Work" (2017).
Dissertations - ALL. 789.
https://surface.syr.edu/etd/789
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ABSTRACT
The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to explore the narratives of 22
elementary reading specialists about their work. It asked: What were reading specialists’
narratives about their work and their influences? The study looked at reading specialists’ day-to-
day functioning within an institution and at reading specialists’ interactions with students and
colleagues. It considered how these mostly White women teachers were influenced by personal,
professional, political, and social contexts they encountered within the institutions where they
worked and the communities in which they lived.
This study was grounded in sociocultural traditions associated with inquiry into narrative.
These perspectives provided a lens for understanding how participants’ narratives were shaped
by their histories, work in schools, and affiliation with government and community institutions,
and by larger sociocultural forces such as gender, race, and class. Data sources included
transcripts from in-depth semi-structured interviews with each participant, which were analyzed
using the constant comparison method to identify participants’ narratives and historical,
institutional, and sociocultural themes within and across these narratives.
Reading specialists’ work has been described as fulfilling four roles: instruction,
assessment, resource to teachers, and leadership. The narratives contained herein reflect
participants’ enactment of those roles. Participants used three main narratives, reflecting
leadership, finding a niche, and teaching and collaborating, each of which revealed larger
historical, institutional, and sociocultural entities that shaped the reading specialist position.
This study is significant because, while much has been written about the multifaceted
roles of reading specialists, how their complex lives work is little understood. These findings
have implications for school professionals, teacher education programs, and researchers who are
interested in developing clarity in reading specialists’ work life expectations, as well as in
training individuals whose interpersonal acumen, versatility, and literacy pedagogy prepare them
for these complex positions. The findings also have implications for scholars who are interested
in how various individuals participate in the complex, often under-resourced organizational
cultures of schools.
ELEMENTARY READING SPECIALISTS’ PERSPECTIVES TOWARDS THEIR WORK

By

Wendy Woods Bunker
B.A. State University College at Potsdam, 1984
M.S. State University College at Cortland, 1994

DISSERTATION

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in Literacy Education

Syracuse University

August 2017
Copyright 2017 Wendy Woods Bunker

All Rights Reserved
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This journey would not have been possible without the help and support of family and
friends who believed that this work was achievable. I owe a debt of gratitude to each of them.
My friend and former colleague, Andi, shared research articles with me, piquing my interest in
learning more about teaching reading. My family encouraged me to pursue this work, never
questioning how it would affect their busy lives or how often I would miss after-school events
because of late classes. My sister provided many meals for my family and filled in to care for
my children when I wasn’t there. My family and friends provided emotional support and
accepted the times I was unavailable with good cheer. My parents have been tireless in their
support, encouragement, and belief in my ability to achieve this goal. They have always
believed that my sister and I could achieve any goal we set—their faith in me has been
motivating and sustaining. Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.
I owe an equal debt to my work colleagues who have also provided support and
encouragement. Some of them have read drafts of this paper and provided so many valuable
comments—thank you. All of these folks have eagerly awaited completion of this work and I
am grateful for their support as well.
Similarly, my Reading and Language Arts (RLAC) family has been with me every step
of the way. They too, have encouraged, mentored, cheered, and supported me. I owe special
gratitude to Dr. Benita Blachman and Dr. M. Kristiina Montero for serving on my committee and
supporting this work. To Dr. Kathleen Hinchman, Kathy, I am deeply indebted and eternally
grateful. She shared her wisdom, her humor, and her friendship as she helped me to realize this
dream. Words are insufficient to express my gratitude.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables .…………………………………………………………………………….. ix
Chapter One: Introduction ………………………………………………………………… 1
Rationale ………………………………………………………………………….. 2
Significance ……………………………………………………………………….. 4
Discussion of Key Terms …………………………………………………………. 5
Overview of Chapters ……………………………………………………………... 7
Chapter Two: Literature Review ………………………………………………………….. 10
Elementary School Reading Specialists and Programs …………………………… 10
Development of Reading Specialists’ Roles ……………………………………… 10
History of Reading Specialists’ Work in Schools ………………………………… 14
Reading Specialists in Recent Times ……………………………………………… 16
Current Scholarship on Reading Specialists and Coaches ……………………... 23
Summary ………………………………………………………………………….. 29
Sociocultural Aspects of Reading Specialists’ Work……………………………… 30
Gender and the Reading Specialist ………………………………………... 32
Intersections of Race and Class in Reading Specialists’ Perspectives ……. 36
Summary …………………………………………………………………... 38
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………… 39
Chapter Three: Method ……………………………………………………………………. 41
Participants ………………………………………………………………………… 42
Backgrounds ……………………………………………………..………………... 44
Inquiry into Narrative …………………………………………………………….. 45
vi
Data Collection ………..…………………………………………………………... 47
Data Analysis ………………………………………………………………….…... 49
Researcher’s Perspective ………………………………………………………….. 53
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………… 56
Chapter Four: ……………………………………………………………………………… 59
Trope #1: Leadership ………………………………………………………….…... 59
Taking on Authority ………………………………………………...……... 61
One of the Teachers ……………………………………………......……… 66
Not Just Teachers ………………………………………………......……… 70
Mediators …………………………………………………………….……. 77
Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………… 80
Chapter Five ……………………………………………………………………………...... 83
Trope #2: Finding a Niche …………………………………………….…………... 83
Settling into the Job ………………………………………………….……. 85
Advocate for Students ……………………………………………………... 90
Demanding but Manageable ………………………………………………. 94
Job In/Security …………………………………………………………...... 99
Job Flexibility ……….……………………………………………………. 103
Conclusion …………………………………………………………….................... 108
Chapter Six ……………………………………………………………………………....... 112
Trope #3: Teaching and Collaborating…………………………………………….. 112
Work with Students and Classroom Teachers …………………...…….. 113
They Don’t Understand What I Do ………………………………………... 122
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Misunderstood/Undefined Position ……………………………………….. 128
Do Whatever it Takes ……………………………………………………... 136
Conclusion …………………………………………………………….................... 140
Chapter Seven: Discussion ………………………………………………………………... 144
Summary of Findings Chapters……………………………………………………. 144
Discussion ………………………………………………………………………… 147
Limitations ………………………………………………………………………… 157
Implications ………………………………………………………………………...158
Implications for Future Research ………………………………………….. 158
Implications for School Districts and School Leaders …………………….. 159
Implications for Teacher Education ………………………………………. 161
Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………........ 162
Appendix ………………………………………………………………………………….. 165
Table 1 …………………………………………………………………………….. 165
Table 2 …………………………………………………………………………….. 167
Table 3 …………………………………………………………………………….. 169
Table 4 …………………………………………………………………………….. 170
References ………………………………………………………………………………… 171
Vita ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 183

viii
LIST OF TABLES

Table:
1. Participant demographics
2. Interview questions
3. Coding for themes heuristic
4. Julie’s schedule

ix