Off-campus UNL users: To download campus access dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your NU ID and password. When you are done browsing please remember to return to this page and log out.
Non-UNL users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this dissertation through interlibrary loan.
Evaluation of student performance in reading-writing classrooms
Abstract
The primary purpose of this research was to search for patterns of evaluation of student performance in reading-writing classrooms with a whole language philosophy. Qualitative data were collected from the analysis of teacher interviews, classroom observations, and collection of artifacts. Patterns of evaluation evolved from triangulation of data. The eight patterns of evaluation that evolved from the study included: (1) Parents were involved in evaluation. (2) Students self-evaluated. (3) Peers evaluated and helped each other. (4) Child-centered classrooms allowed students to make decisions and choices about their learning. (5) Teachers modeled instructional strategies to motivate thinking. (6) Mini-lessons were provided to students who needed help. (7) Evaluation and assessment were very important and were interwoven with instruction. (8) Professional reading and consultation with experts provided guidance to teachers. The conclusions drawn from this study, based on observations, interviews, and artifacts, were: (1) Teachers, students, and parents were involved in the evaluation process which was of great importance in the classrooms. (2) Students were empowered to make choices and self-evaluate. (3) Evaluation and instruction were interwoven. The following recommendations are offered: (1) Provide a multi-faceted evaluation and assessment program. (2) Encourage parent and student involvement in the evaluation process. (3) Promote child-centered classrooms where students have choices. (4) Make current literature available to teachers. The findings can be compared to the art work of a tapestry. The different "threads" of instruction and evaluation strategies were interwoven to provide the "picture" of the eight patterns of evaluation. The unveiling occurred when the research story that demonstrated what took place in the classrooms matched the tenets of effective assessment of evaluation established in the professional literature.
Subject Area
Literacy|Reading instruction|Language arts
Recommended Citation
Sweeney, Karen Jean, "Evaluation of student performance in reading-writing classrooms" (1992). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9225497.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9225497