Portraits of Practice: A Cross-Case Analysis of Two First-Grade Teachers and Their Grouping Practices

Research in the Teaching of English Feb 2013

Portraits of Practice: A Cross-Case Analysis of Two First-Grade Teachers and Their Grouping Practices

Beth Maloch The University of Texas at Austin ; Jo Worthy The University of Texas at Austin ; Angela Hampton Ball State University ; Michelle Jordan Arizona State University ; Holly Hungerford-Kresser ; Peggy Semingson The University of Texas at Austin

Abstract

This interpretive study provides a cross-case analysis of the literacy instruction of two first-grade teachers, with a particular focus on their grouping practices. One key finding was the way in which these teachers drew upon a district-advocated approach for instruction—an approach to guided reading articulated by Fountas and Pinnell (1996) in which students are instructed in small groups based on reading level—as a resource for their sense-making. Analysis indicated that the two teachers enacted the practice in distinct ways based on their experiences and personal characteristics. Findings further suggested that, reminiscent of research on ability groups conducted mainly in the 1970s and 1980s, instruction and materials in both classrooms were qualitatively different between lower groups and higher groups. Although we do not implicate the practice of guided reading per se, we call for closer examinations of modern manifestations of ability-grouped practices and explorations of alternatives to such practices.

Journal: Research in the Teaching of English
Published: 2013-02-01
DOI: 10.58680/rte201322713
Open Access: Closed
Topics: multimodality multilingual writers