Instructional practices and behavior during reading: A descriptive summary and comparison of practices in title one and non‐title elementary schools

Abstract

AbstractIncreasing achievement for all students is a focus of general and special education reform today. Especially in the area of reading, there are many children who are at risk for failure. The purpose of this study was to describe teachers' use of instructional time during literacy with students at schools with (Title One) and without (non‐Title) high percentages of students in poverty. Teachers and students from 35 classrooms were each observed for approximately 5 hours, for a total of 175 observation hours. Teachers identified the time when they consistently taught literacy and were observed in 1‐hour increments across 5 days. The Setting Factors Assessment Tool was used to measure the instructional context, teacher behavior, and student behavior. Main results from descriptive and statistical analyses indicate that teachers spent the majority of literacy time in whole group (40%) and independent work (32%). Only small percentages of instructional time were spent in peer work (8%), small‐group work (8%), and transition (8%). When comparing Title One and non‐Title classrooms, teachers in Title One classrooms used significantly more noninstructional related talk, had more instructional down time, and a higher number of student exits during instruction. A discussion of the limitations of this study and need for future research to extend these findings follows. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.