| This qualitative study was to describe and analyze the perspective of reading teachers whose students achieved the highest gains on the National Curve Evaluation (NCE) for 2 years, based on their SAT 9 Reading from 2000 to 2001 in the Long Beach Unified School District. The theoretical framework that formed the basis this study was effective-reading-strategies research. The research design involved "in-depth phenomenological interviews" (Seidman, 1991), follow-up telephone conversations, and observations involving a primary sample composed of ten English/Language Arts teachers.;Qualitative, descriptive case-study research methods were used to accomplish an in-depth analysis. This study focused on six high schools in a suburban district, Long Beach Unified School District, selected on the basis of the district's having one of the most diverse ethnic compositions in California.;The three major findings emerged from the study: (1) Success in helping students coordinate prior knowledge with texts to generate relevant inferences is dependent on the activities and the means which teachers provided their students to preview and anticipate the text, (2) the success in helping any student to become a strategic reader hinges upon the strategies the teachers employ; and (3) the influence of context variables may be lessened by the teachers' content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, sensitivity, and appreciation the differences of their students' background and environments.;Recommendations for successful implementation of effective reading strategies included a total transformation in the teacher's view of the subject, the student, and the teacher's role. Suggestions for future study included curriculum and instruction that facilitate the smooth transition between elementary and secondary reading curriculum, a coherent pedagogy among teachers who presume to teach for comprehension, and both ongoing pre-service and in-service teacher education programs. |
