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the Chapter 3 section of the Dissertation Criteria Assessment. It is important to compare your specific content per section outlined in the dissertation template with the information in your document as you complete the DCA assessment tool.
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A Consensus Review of Strategies and Techniques Using Best Practices to Increase Summer Reading Growth: A QUALITATIVE E-DELPHI STUDY by Gretchen Carter Copyright 2021 A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Educational Leadership University of Phoenix Commented [TB1]: Please fill this in Commented [GS2R1]: Filled in 1 Introduction Summer reading growth is essential for students to sustain skills and knowledge acquired during the previous academic season. Students experience a loss in mathematics, but economically disadvantaged students face a more considerable loss in reading (Bowers & Schwarz, 2017). The academic achievement gap is a significant problem in the United States. Summer learning loss adds to the academic achievement gap (Seawright, 2017). Summer learning loss occurs at a traditional middle school in the southwestern United States (Beach et al., 2018). Comprehension is a significant part of the learning curve. According to research, children who engage in summer reading initiatives enhance their reading comprehension and, therefore, perform better in academic subjects than those who do not engage in such an initiative (Bowers & Schwarz, 2017). The Southwest school district provides limited resources for literacy development throughout the summer. However, the case under study still experiences summer learning loss among its students, even with the emphasis placed on literacy. Chapter one provides the background and implications of academic summer school reading programs for elementary school students. The emphasis will be on a summer curriculum hosted by a Southwest school district. The subject of summer reading programs and the impact on tutorial performance in reading is mentioned as relevant to the planned study. The problem, providing the premise for the study, the statement of purpose, guiding analysis questions, and the study's nature are discussed in this chapter. The chapter concludes with an announcement of significance and a presentation of relevant terms. Background of the Problem 2 Educators have noticed that children from low socioeconomic backgrounds experience significant gaps in learning during the summer months compared to their peers. Furthermore, the gaps will only widen over time (Campbell et al., 2019). The summer reading setback accounts for about 80% of the reading achievement difference, contributing to this disparity (Campbell et al., 2019). Children learn at the same rate during the school year. As a group, the reading achievement of low-socioeconomic students typically declines during the summer vacation period, while the reading achievement of children from more economically advantaged families holds steady or increases modestly. Extended vacations from formal education take students away from the classroom's regular learning blueprint and into a period when they are less likely to participate in official literacy programs (Chin et al., 2020). Parents reading with their children, plus the availability and use of educational resources, are all part of a healthy home literacy environment. Different degrees of parental participation in a home learning environment and a child's lack of participation in texts during a prolonged vacation might help evaluate probable variables leading to summer learning setbacks (Chin et al., 2020). Reading declines in early elementary grades show that, despite significant reading gains established in kindergarten and first grade, the summer session between first and second grade is particularly problematic for students who do not have opportunities to engage with reading during summer recess (Seawright, 2017). The lasting impact of low reading abilities in early grades is associated with low, middle, and high school achievement. Thus, literacy loss must be considered (Beach et 3 al., 2018). Comprehensive information for parents through a user-friendly guide is the most appropriate method to address this issue. Summer reading loss is well documented and is more persistent among students from low socioeconomic backgrounds who are already at risk of academic failure (de Groot, 2021). Declines in academic achievement during summer break are more prevalent and consistent for students from low socioeconomic backgrounds than students from middle and higher social classes (Campbell et al., 2019). Over time, the breach amplifies and leads to an achievement gap among students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. The summer reading loss issue has caused policymakers, school districts, and other stakeholders throughout the United States to debate formal year-round education for elementary and middle school students (Seawright, 2017). In a typical school calendar, summer break for students averages 12 weeks (about three months); this equates to a significant time when the educational process is interrupted. During this time away from the structure and reinforcements of the regular school day, home and family variables have influenced reading growth or regression in young students (Campbell et al., 2019). For example, in a 12-week layoff, early learners who lack access to print with limited opportunity to read the text at their independent levels will often experience regression in fluency and comprehension skills (Hillier, 2021). Such regression is often seen in students from disadvantaged homes (McDaniel et al., 2017). Many parents from higher socioeconomic backgrounds provide reading enrichment and continuous learning for their children during the summer (Beach et al., 2018). Students who only continuously learn throughout the summer could lose up to 4 three months of reading progress, setting them further behind for the upcoming academic school year (Campbell et al., 2019). Summer vacation inequalities in educational opportunities and outcomes lead to uneven learning gains (Seawright, 2017). Limited book access, difficulties in self-selecting books, the school calendar, socioeconomic status, and the amount of information retained over the summer are all reasons for student reading digressions (Capotosto, 2019). Further investigation is needed to explore strategies to keep students engaged in reading growth throughout the summer to prevent reading growth loss in the Southwest rural, low-socioeconomic school district. There is no consensus in the research literature regarding the most useful strategies and techniques to use to increase summer reading growth (Capotosto, 2019). In addition, there are no available research studies regarding effective practices to increase summer reading growth. The study addresses the gap in literature and aims to determine effective practices for closing the academic achievement gap that occurs during the summer within this school district. Problem Statement Proponents of the faucet theory believe literacy gaps occur during the summer (McDaniel et al., 2017). During the summer break, students, on average, lose between a month and three months of school-year learning and about 25 to 30 percent of school- year learning (Alexander et al., 2016; Atteberry & McEachin, 2016). Despite continued efforts to close the achievement gap over the past decades, considerable disparities remain. On average, summer vacations produce an annual achievement gap of approximately three months between wealthy and poor students, biasing students from more economically advantaged families (Alexander et al., 2001). Higher-income students Commented [TB3]: Wait, you have no problem statement in your problem statement section. Honestly, I would move all of this to the background of the problem as that was short and this is what was missing. Then see dissertation alignment guide to write a small section here that includes your problem statement in the context of your design and that is cited in current literature showing best industry practices have not been identified. Commented [GS4R3]: section moved to the background Commented [GS5R3]: added the problem statement 5 have the advantage of continued learning through vacation experiences and summer programming (Morgan et al., 2019). The loss of reading skills over the summer has been documented and is more prevalent among students from poor socioeconomic backgrounds who are already at risk of academic failure (Laurie et al., 2019). An academic analyst examined thirteen epidemiological studies involving approximately 40,000 schoolchildren and discovered that, on average, the reading competency status of pupils from lower-income households declined significantly during the summer season. In contrast, the reading competency levels of schoolchildren from middle-income households were enhanced (Capotosto, 2019). The availability of reading materials has long been recognized as a factor in differential reading development since students from low-income families frequently lack access to a home library and therefore do not have the required study material. Primary school reading slides reveal that despite massive reading improvements in preschool and kindergarten, summer activity between first and second grade is incredibly stressful for children, especially for children who do not have ways to be involved in reading throughout summer break (Nicholson & Tiru, 2019). Because poor reading in early elementary is related to lower high school attainment, the long-term consequences of literacy decline must be acknowledged (McDaniel et al., 2017). Moreover, since no effective practices and strategies are available to close the summer learning loss gap completely, an e-Delphi study is being conducted. To avoid bias, the team must remain consistent. As part of the district assessment process, a team composed of building principals and literacy coaches analyzes the 6 students' data. Teachers and administrators will identify students involved in the summer school program. Purpose of the Study Using an e-Delphi study, a panel of education professionals will elicit consensus about strategies and techniques to increase summer reading growth in a rural, low- socioeconomic-status southwest school district. The school district is a small, high- poverty school district in southwest Mississippi. Ultimately, this study aims to determine the most effective steps to solve the summer learning loss problem. Consequently, this thorough literature review is being conducted as suggested (Volley, 2020). Understanding the research on summer reading loss is imperative when identifying ways to close the achievement gap (Volley, 2020). Later, through thorough analysis, suitable parameters to close this issue of summer study loss will be established along with strategies for effective implementation. Identifying the predictors of successful reading can improve students' academic achievement (Seawright, 2017). Population and Sample The study population and the sample should meet the expertise requirements, including practical communication skills, education and experience on the issues, capacity and compliance to participate, and enough time to complete the e-Delphi study (Volley, 2020). The sample population will consist of district-level administrators, literacy coaches, instructional coaches, interventionists, and the curriculum director. The sample for this study will be selected based on the following criteria: years in public school education with at least a minimum of ten years of experience as either a state or national board-certified teacher in reading, English, language arts, or English as a Commented [TB6]: This section still needs some work for clarity. I'm having to search and think through what you are saying to understand and am still not 100% sure I am clear on your intentions. Be very clear and organized with your writing and do not repeat information in different ways. Commented [GS7R6]: Revised to clarify. 7 Second Language. Sample adequacy in qualitative inquiry pertains to the suitability of the sample configuration and size (Nicholson & Tiru, 2019). According to the sample size guidelines, 15 to 20 interviews are sufficient. The more valuable the data collected from each participant, the fewer participants are required (Nodeland & Morris, 2018). The e-Delphi study will consist of a sample size of 12 to 15, which should provide satisfactory results (Nodeland & Morris, 2018). The minimum number of participants depends on the study design (Beach & Traga Philippakos, 2020). To achieve data saturation, a predetermined sample size of 12–15 education experts within the rural Southwest school district will be interviewed. If consensus cannot be achieved among the 15 participants, the researcher will investigate beyond this number if necessary (Sampson, 2019). Significance of the Study The overall findings of a preliminary review literature review indicated a continued concern for the learning gap that occurs during summer break and the implications for struggling learners (Garst & Ozier, 2015; Katzir et al., 2013; Pitcock & Seidel, 2015; Whittingham & Rickman, 2015; Zvoch & Stevens, 2016). As this topic has persisted, increased research has focused on how summer slide disproportionately affects students from low-income homes (Allington et al., 2010; Blanton, 2015; Garst & Ozier, 2015; McGill-Franzen, Ward & Cahill, 2016; Suitts, 2015; Vale et al., 2013; Zvoch & Stevens, 2015). The adverse outcomes of summer reading loss are noteworthy. Summer reading loss affects students throughout their academic careers. Students who cannot read at grade level in third grade are less likely to graduate by age 18 than those who perform at Commented [TB8]: Still needs more depth, review dissertation alignment guide and also ensure it is aligned to your design Commented [GS9R8]: added: The adverse outcomes of summer reading loss are noteworthy. Summer reading loss impacts students throughout their academic careers. Students who cannot read on grade level in the third grade are less likely to graduate by age 18 than those who