Nine elementary students with mild to moderate mental retardation were taught to use a balanced, multimethod, multilevel language arts framework that blended phonics and basal instruction with holistic and contextualized approaches. Children made gains in word identification and reading comprehension strategies, metalinguistics, written language,…

This study compares a traditional method of social studies teaching to a literature based approach. The study sought to compare student attitude, achievement, and retention of the material presented. The study involved 37 fifth-graders, one class using a literature based approach and the other traditional textbook teaching. Content objectives for…

This study explored the perceptions of whole language instruction held by a group of teachers of young children. Four questions framed the study: (1) How do teachers of young children define a whole language program? (2) What kind of whole language activities have the teachers tried in their classroom, and how did teachers feel about the outcomes…

This study was conducted to describe the process of reflective coaching as a means of assisting a kindergarten teacher in developing her own kindergarten program in which she stated she wished to begin to incorporate new strategies based on emergent literacy research. A kindergarten teacher and a teacher educator/researcher participated in the…

Addresses the concerns of first-grade teachers about the implementation of a holistic literature-based reading series. Notes that the teachers in the "conversation group" had not been direct participants in the adoption decision. Suggests that the conversation group enabled the teachers to assimilate change through the sharing of the…