Literacy education—doctoral specialization in reading
“REAL”— Reading to Engage All Learners
Professors Deborah Dillon, Lori Helman, David O'Brien, and Barbara Taylor
How do students learn to read, particularly learners from diverse backgrounds in urban and rural settings? How can we help learners develop self-efficacy and remain engaged and motivated to read as they move from childhood to adolescence? What roles do print materials, digital texts, and media play in helping learners read and connect their real-world lives to school learning? How can teachers construct learning environments and teaching and learning practices to optimize reading engagement for all learners? What assessments best show what these readers know and are able to do, and what materials motivate learners and support their success in developing literacy? How can reading leaders support educators to develop students’ reading skills in elementary schools and middle and high school reading and content-area classrooms? What teacher-researcher tools, reflective abilities, and professional development knowledge are important to literacy educators as they seek to collaboratively initiate school change?
These are only a few of the questions doctoral students explore through coursework, research, outreach experiences, and individual investigations as they progress through the PhD with a track in Literacy Education with a specialization in Reading Education. The aim of this specialization is to guide PhD students to become scholars who link research to classroom practice, and strive to understand the reading process and its instruction within the broader context of social, political, and cultural issues. In the REAL specialization, literacy faculty members, other researchers, graduate students, K-12 educators, and individuals both in- and out-of-school settings work together to create contexts and opportunities for Reading to Engage All Learners.
The specialization in reading education prepares researchers and teacher educators to:
- build on past research in exploring new models and paradigms for research in reading and literature ranging from traditional theoretical models and processes of reading to studies in new literacies, including new media and digital texts;
- engage and instruct literacy learners in diverse contexts, including multilingual and/or urban contexts;
- educate literacy teachers and leaders as they develop expertise across their professional careers; and
- shape practices in new literacies and policies in K-12, university, and out-of-school settings.
The specialization in reading education supports researchers and teacher educators as they
- strengthen and build on their current knowledge base in literacy education;
- expand their skills as researchers through collaborative projects;
- develop as reading teacher educators and educational leaders both locally and nationally; and
- engage with colleagues from across disciplines and in various settings to solve literacy problems and provide outreach and professional development to multiple constituencies.
Course offerings for students in the REAL specialization
Required coursework: minimum of 24 credits
- 8000—Reading Education courses (9 credits)
- 8412 Part 1—Research in Reading: Shifting Paradigms & Theoretical Perspectives
- 8412 Part 2—Research in Reading: Reading Development, Comprehension Processes & Assessment Issues
- 8400 Part 1—Special Topics in Children's and Young Adult Literature–Transactional Theory
Recommended reading education courses (6 credits)
- 8470—Literacy in Diverse Settings
- 8470—Role of Motivation in Engaged Reading & Writing
- 8412—Research in Reading: Effective Schools, Teachers, and School Improvement
- 8412—Research in Reading: Current Issues
Electives from reading education (3 credits) and reading licensure program coursework
- 5410 or 5660—Special Topics: Literacy Instruction for ESL Students
- 5410—Special Topics: Engaging Struggling Adolescent Readers
- 5410—Special Topics: Video Games, Gaming Environments and Literacy Practices
- *5431—Introduction to Instructional Leadership, K-12 Reading (Ph.D. students take CI 8412, part 1 instead of CI 5431 for the first course in the reading licensure program)
- *5432—Instructional Leadership in Reading in Kindergarten and the Elementary Grades
- *5433—Instructional Leadership in Reading for the Middle and Secondary Grades
- *5434 Professional Development and Evolving Practice in K-12 Reading
- *5435 Instructional Leadership in Preventing Reading Difficulties
*These are the 5 courses required to earn a reading license. To be admitted to the licensure program, see: K-12 reading additional licensure. These courses may also be applied to an ME.d. or Ph.D. program.
Electives from the literature and critical literacy specialization areas (3-6 credits)
Children’s literature coursework including:
- CI 8400, part 2—special Topics in Children’s and Young Adult Literature—Examination of Trends and Issues in Literature
- CI 8412—Research in Reading: Literature, Comprehension, & Assessment
- CI 5401—Children’s Literature in the Elementary School
- CI 5402—Research in Special Collections
- CI 5403—Writing for and by Children
- CI 5405—Culturally Diverse Literature for Children and Adolescents
- CI 5410—Special Topics
- CI 5442—Adolescent Literature
Critical literacy specialization coursework:
- CI 8461—Sociocultural Theory, Education, and Literacy
- CI 8470—Critical Theory and Literacy
- CI 8470—Literacy and Identity
- CI 8470—The Politics of Race and Literacy in Schools
Sample program plan for the REAL specialization
C&I Core, 9 credits (see the C&I Department for a description of these courses)
Literacy, 21 credits. (for the reading education/REAL specialization)
Educational foundations, 6 credits (may use C&I courses including 5145—Critical Pedagogy)
Research courses, 12 credits (see below for requirements)
Supporting program or minor, 12 credits. (possibilities include a research methodology focus, teacher development focus, or another agreed upon focus. See the C&I Graduate Studies Handbook for more information on supporting programs and minor requirements)
Thesis Credits 24 credits.
Total 84 credits
[Note: The minimum hours required for a Ph.D. is 78 credits.]
Research courses recommended for reading education
- CI 8148—Conducting Qualitative Studies in Educational Contexts
- CI 8149—Qualitative Research: Coding, Analysis, Interpretation, and Writing
- EPSY 8261—Statistical Methods I: Probability and Inference
- EPSY 8262—Statistical Methods II: Regression and the General Linear Model
Elective research course options
- CI 8147—Critical Discourse Analysis in Education
- CI 8410—Special Topics in Reading Research and Instruction: Designing Literacy Research Using Mixed Methods
- EPSY 8215—Advanced Research Methodologies in Education
- EPSY 8268—Hierarchical Linear Modeling in Educational Research
Revised September 2009
