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Examining Rural Second-Graders\u27 Literate Identities in Relationship to Reading Proficiency: A Mixed Methods Case Study
No full textAlthough the act of reading is inherently multi-faceted, encompassing an array of interrelated cognitive, social, and cultural processes, the bodies of reading research typically align to either qualitative or quantitative methodologies. This routinely bifurcated approach to reading research reflects the ongoing disagreement surrounding best practices for literacy instruction. Numerous quantitative findings have supported the use of systematic and explicit foundational skill instruction to improve students’ reading proficiency. On the other hand, previous qualitative studies have emphasized the existing identities that children bring to any learning community and the benefit of nurturing literate identity formation in the classroom. Intersecting a modified mixed-methods parallel convergent design within an overarching case study methodology, I (1) investigate the impact of foundational reading skill interventions on rural, second-grade students’ reading proficiency in terms of reading rate, accuracy, and other embedded diagnostic measures, (2) explore how these same children articulate and depict specific dimensions of their literate identities through semi-structured interviews and artifacts, and (3) examine how these children’s reading proficiency trajectories intersect with their evolving literate identities. My findings reveal two distinct proficiency trajectories among study participants in this rural community and support previous quantitative insights about the effectiveness of explicit and systematic decoding and orthography instruction. My findings simultaneously yield several qualitative trends, including (1) children’s growing awareness of their own reading preferences, (2) children’s enduring tendency to frame reading as a social experience, (3) an increasingly expansive array of emotional responses to reading, and (4) diverging perceptions of self-efficacy according to reading proficiency trajectory. The present study suggests that constructs of self-efficacy and motivation predictably converge with reading proficiency growth profiles, whereas it surprisingly reveals that constructs such as reading preferences, beliefs about reading, and emerging expressions of empathy are capable of transcending one’s reading proficiency. This study confirms the importance of exploring reading development as a complex, multidimensional set of processes in service of honoring and nurturing our young learners as readers
“EMERGENCY RELIEF AS ROUTINE”: The Evolution of FSA’s Livestock Forage Disaster Program in an Era of Persistent Drought
No full textThis thesis examines the historical origins, current limitations, and future of the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), the primary federal drought disaster relief program for ranchers in the United States. Drawing connections between the Dust Bowl-era Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) and LFP, I argue that the AAA, while innovative at the time, prioritized the maintenance of commodity markets over ecological resilience, disproportionately benefiting white, landowning producers. This trend is reflected in LFP today. Through a policy analysis and original qualitative research, including interviews with 23 FSA staff members in nine states, I examine how LFP operates on the ground and the challenges faced by those responsible for its administration. My findings indicate that while FSA staff view LFP as a critical lifeline during worsening drought conditions, the program fails to serve many of the producers most vulnerable to losses during drought, particularly tenant, beginning, and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. LFP participation is hindered by burdensome documentation requirements, historical discrimination within the FSA and its county committee (COC) system, and a structure that prioritizes production during droughts over adaptation. Instead of eliminating the program, I propose that LFP be restructured. LFP payment amounts should be based on land values instead of commodity prices, and the implementation of adaptation practices must be a condition for receiving payment. The USDA also needs new drought relief programs tailored to low-capital and socially disadvantaged producers. Broader institutional reforms within the USDA, like abolishing the county committee system and reinstating the Office of Civil Rights, are also essential. As climate change reshapes American agriculture, disaster relief must evolve to support all producers, not just those who fit within outdated systems
