| With the standardized test movement well under way, students are expected to perform proficiently on standardized assessments associated with reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Much of the burden of this movement inevitably falls with secondary English teachers whose responsibilities now include a daunting task that emphasizes students' abilities to think and read critically (IRA & NCTE, 1999; Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2010; National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2009). Unmistakably, this charge has many challenges. As a result, the purpose of this qualitative, participatory action research study was to determine the effectiveness of the Literary Theory Implementation Model, a model created by the researcher, for classroom implementation. The study also examined the likelihood of the teachers' use of literary theory in their secondary English classrooms given the applied use model.;The LTI Model is comprised of two components: a checklist to be completed about a specific work and a packet of boxes containing background information and implementation ideas for the theories included on the checklist. Once the checklist is completed for a specific work, the user matches the letter of any box containing three or more checks to the theory box with the same letter. This process identifies which literary theories can be used with the specific text, and it provides historical information and implementation ideas for those theories.;For this study, the researcher conducted interviews with six secondary English teachers currently teaching in three counties in Western Pennsylvania to analyze their perceptions about the Literary Theory Implementation Model. Six secondary English teachers were given the LTI Model, trained via a video tutorial, and interviewed the researcher. The results of the study indicated that the Literary Theory Implementation Model is a practical, accessible classroom tool and remedy for secondary English teachers to meet the various, challenging standards associated with students' critical thinking and reading skills while maintaining consistency with the variety of secondary English curriculums. |
