An interpretive phenomenological analysis study of the reading achievement of African American boys in elementary restart schools

Abstract

This study examined how Teachers, Multiple Classroom Leaders and Instructional Facilitators make sense of their instructional practices that support the early literacy practices of African American boys. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a combination of six Multiple Classroom Leaders, Teachers and Instructional Facilitators in the Thomas County School District. Transcripts were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to identify themes. Four major themes emerged: the importance of professional development, explicit instruction, the ability to design for equity and how to gauge student learning. These findings were considered in light of the extant literature and Critical Race framework and suggest opportunities to prioritize professional development to include time to partner with educators in the understanding and application of their instructional practices. In addition, continue to encourage educators to think conceptually, as it relates to their practice and student voice and prioritize multisensory instruction and retrieval practice daily in all aspects of reading instruction.--Author's abstract