| The aim of this study was to identify professors who use and teach reading comprehension strategies in their content-area classrooms, and once identified, to find out what factors influenced them to do so.; Surveys used to identify professors using and teaching reading comprehension strategies were sent to the entire University of Massachusetts Lowell population of professors (excluding the College of Education). Out of the 399 surveys sent 138 were returned. Seventy-nine respondents were willing to be interviewed and fifty-nine were not willing to be interviewed or did not provide the necessary information to be contacted. Due to maternity leave, sabbaticals, employment change, and some candidates who simply could not be reached, the twenty interview participants were chosen from the highest scoring twenty-six candidates based on the survey results. Respondents from nine different disciplines returned surveys and six of those disciplines are represented in the interview phase of the study. The surveys revealed what reading comprehension strategies were being used, to what extent, and by whom.; Once the interviewees were selected, contacted, and scheduled for an interview, the researcher conducted the forty-five minute to two hour face-to-face interviews at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The interviews were designed to ascertain factors that lead interviewees to incorporate reading strategies into their curriculum. Teaching strategies and personal information were also examined to determine if either of these areas contributed to the use of reading comprehension strategies.; The data were analyzed in several ways. The surveys were analyzed by survey scores and disciplines. The interview responses were analyzed using three categories: personal information, teaching strategies, and influential factors. Whenever possible, depending on the type of question asked, quantitative data was provided to support the qualitative data. The analysis of interview data sought to determine the commonalties and differences among those individuals who were interviewed.; The results of the present study indicate that although there is no conclusive evidence that a single experience or combination of experiences leads a teacher to incorporate reading comprehension strategies into their curriculum, desire for improved teacher effectiveness and student outcomes, as well as a willingness to experiment and be innovative appear to have the greatest influence on professors. |
