Date of Award

Fall 11-15-2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

First Advisor

Dr. Stephen Sherblom

Second Advisor

Dr. Jill Hutcheson

Third Advisor

Dr. Kevin Winslow

Abstract

The Orton Gillingham (OG) teaching method is commonly used in schools (Ritchey & Goeke, 2006, p. 172). However, there is little evidence to support the use of OG based reading programs to help students learn more effectively in tier 1, 2 and 3 settings (Ring, Avrit, & Black, 2017, p. 384). The researcher sought to shed light on the effectiveness of an OG based reading program in comparison to the use of Heggerty’s Phonemic Awareness Program and Words Their Way. The Investigator completed a study to shed light on the Fundations program. Fundations is an OG based reading program that is used in a tier 1 setting. The Investigator compared the reading outcomes of one first grade classroom using the Fundations program to a different first-grade classroom using Heggerty’s Phonemic Awareness Program and Words Their Way during the word study portion of the school day. The Investigator also compared students that were at-risk for dyslexia in the Fundations classroom to the students that were at-risk for dyslexia using Heggerty’s Phonemic Awareness Program and Words Their Way. The Investigator’s study helped the administrative team in a small Midwestern school to select a new phonics program for the 2019 – 2020 school year. The results from the study suggested that the Fundations program worked significantly better for all students in comparison to the Heggerty and Words Their Way programs in the areas of phonological awareness, letter-sound fluency, and decoding skills. The results of the case study support the use of the Fundations program in comparison to an alternative literacy program.

Rights

Copyright 2019

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