Lived experiences of six first-grade teachers using reading mastery plus curriculum in high poverty schools

Abstract

Purpose and Method of Study: The purpose of this study is to examine the lived experiences of six first-grade teachers using Reading Mastery Plus in schools participating in the Reading First Grant. This study will also describe the teachers' experiences of working in a school participating in the Reading First Grant. First-grade teachers were chosen for this study, because for the past century reading instruction has generally begun in the first-grade (DeVries, 2008). The method of interpretive hermeneutic phenomenology (Van Manen, 1990) guided me in my attempts to understand and describe the lived experiences of the first-grade teachers teaching with Reading Mastery Plus. Data was obtained through questionnaires, observations, interviews, and field notes.

Findings: Themes that emerged from the data collection were challenges of teaching in high poverty schools, namely-teacher stress, high student mobility rates, students with limited resources, and inexperienced teachers. These teachers also described constraints of life in schools with the Reading First Grant, specifically-their lack of professional autonomy, confusion about the Reading First Grant, and their students' constant traveling to other classrooms and teachers during their daily reading block. They also discussed their perceptions of the Reading Mastery Plus curriculum, that is-leaving the script of the program, how the stories in the program did not make sense, and the lack of student engagement. These emerging themes brought to light the lived experiences of six first-grade teachers, in schools participating in the Reading First Grant, and the professional obstacles they faced as they taught each day using the Reading Mastery Plus program.