All Theses, Dissertations, and Capstone Projects

Year of Award

2022

Degree

Doctor of Education (EdD)

College

College of Education & Allied Health

Degree Program

Collaborative High Impact Instruction

Department

Education and Special Education

First Advisor

Gale Rice

Second Advisor

Sarah Huisman

Third Advisor

Joanne Fish

Fourth Advisor

Katy Hostman

Keywords

Classroom library, Reading material selection, Elementary education, Student participation, Teacher-Student collaboration, Student voice, Student agency, Grounded Theory, Change management

Abstract

Reading performance has been correlated to time spent in engaged reading. Additionally, positive attitudes toward reading, time spent reading, and reading proficiency have been shown to affect employment options, state of financial wellness, and overall quality of life and health into adulthood. How students contribute to book selection for classroom libraries may critically impact reading performance and attitudes toward reading, as books selected by teachers and school leaders may not be relevant, accessible, or interesting to the students for whom the books are selected. This mixed methods study examined factors around student collaboration in book title selection for the classroom library, including how teachers view collaboration, how teachers practice collaboration, how willing teachers are to increase collaborative practices, and needs that could be met to mitigate challenges around collaborative practices. Using a constructivist, grounded theory approach, data were collected via an electronic survey and an interview. Descriptive statistics provided context for themes found in coded, transcribed interviews. Results of the study suggest teachers positively view collaboration with students but financial resources, time in the school day, and curriculum demands limit how collaboration is practiced. Supporting teachers with discovery of new books and curriculum applications may increase collaborative practices. Lastly, an organizational improvement plan discusses how a children’s literature and classroom library providing company can increase student voice and agency through rebranding a web-based classroom library inventorying and auditing system. Change management is discussed through the lens of Dr. John Kotter’s 8-Step Process for Leading Change.

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

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