Perceptions of Northern New Jersey Urban Kindergarten through Fifth Grade Teachers on Integrating Science and Social Studies Content Knowledge into Reading Instruction and its Effects on Student Reading Achievement

Masters, Donna

Dissertation

Perceptions of Northern New Jersey Urban Kindergarten through Fifth Grade Teachers on Integrating Science and Social Studies Content Knowledge into Reading Instruction and its Effects on Student Reading Achievement

Public Deposited

More than 50% of fourth graders in the United States are reading below a proficient level, with more than 75% of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch scoring lower than the U.S. average reading score. A framework of background knowledge is essential for vocabulary acquisition so the reader can comprehend the meaning of a text. Maintaining and building a reader’s foundation of background knowledge means that erosion of knowledge does not occur due to external factors such as socioeconomic status, limited English proficiency, or academic support at home. It is necessary to design literacy instruction with a primary focus on content knowledge to provide a foundation for reading achievement that can have a reciprocal effect on increasing reading comprehension skills. The narrowing of the elementary curriculum has jeopardized this foundation since the inception of NCLB, the marginalization of science and social studies education in elementary schools, the recommendations on how much time is recommended to teach these subjects effectively, and how knowledge in these content areas can support reading achievement. This quantitative cross-sectional field study aimed to measure the current perceptions of kindergarten through fifth grade teachers on whether integrating science and social studies content knowledge into reading instruction is a factor in student reading achievement. Their perceptions of the quality of professional development, resources, and time allotted to integrate content knowledge into reading instruction were also measured. The data from the surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics to identify the patterns and trends among the self-identified variables and the sum inventory score calculated for both research questions. Once these data were examined, inferential statistics in the form of one-way ANOVAs were conducted to determine if there were significant differences in the mean inventory scores of the categorical variables within the sample population. There was an overall positive response to the statement that integrating science and social studies content knowledge into reading instruction impacts student reading achievement. There was also a statistically significant difference in responses between teachers who have been teaching 11–15 years versus those who have been teaching 1–5 years and a statistically significant difference between teachers who teach kindergarten and first grade and those who teach multiple grade levels. There was an overall negative response to the quality of professional development, resources, and time allotted to integrate content knowledge into reading achievement and a statistically significant difference between kindergarten and first grade teachers versus teachers who teach multiple grade levels as well as between second and third grade teachers versus teachers who teach multiple grade levels.

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