Briedwell, Jasmine L.
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the first year of districtwide implementation of phonemic awareness instruction in the River Bluffs School District on reading growth, as measured by the Text Reading Comprehension (TRC). This study explored reading growth for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade students and examined the impact of phonemic awareness instruction on students from various socio-economic backgrounds. Additionally, the study examined differences in reading growth between schools according to whether phonemic awareness instruction had been implemented one or two years. Data revealed that phonemic awareness instruction yielded statistically significant growth in reading for all grade levels at every TRC data point: beginning of year to middle of year, middle of year to end of year, and beginning of year to end of year. Students in each socio-economic status (SES) category (low, middle, high) demonstrated significant growth in reading at every TRC data point: beginning of year to middle of year, middle of year to end of year, and beginning of year to end of year. Finally, the analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in reading growth as a result of implementing one year or two years.