Navigating Social-emotional Experiences for Readers: Stories of Two High-performing Urban Elementary Teachers

Abstract

Reading proficiency rates for elementary students in the United States are extremely concerning, especially for students in urban contexts (National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2017). Due to accountability pressures and high-stakes testing, low-performing urban schools often take measures such as narrowing the curriculum (Rentner et al., 2006), relying on skills-based instruction (Hollins, 2017; Kohn, 2011), and test-focused instruction (Jennings & Sohn, 2014; Maniates, 2017; Zoch, 2017a) in an attempt to increase test scores. Research shows, however, the social-emotional experience of reading is a powerful influence in a child’s reading development (Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, 2017; Francois, 2013; McLean, Sparapani, Toste, & Connor, 2016; Miller, 2015; Pianta, Belsky, Vandergrift, Houts, Morrison, & NICHD, 2008). This study utilizes narrative inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000) to investigate the navigation of social-emotional experiences for readers by two urban elementary teachers identified as high-performing based on their students’ reading test scores. Using Dewey’s (1938) concept that experience equates to education and Bronfenbrenner’s (1976) ecological human development theory as the framework, this study examined the question: What are the behaviors, actions, and beliefs of high-performing urban elementary teachers in navigating social-emotional experiences for readers? Findings provide insight about the two teachers’ behaviors, actions, and beliefs in navigating social-emotional reading experiences in their contextualized stories, as well as the unique driving forces and ecological systems of that navigation for each teacher.