Teachers' Perceptions of the Reading Component That Challenges Primary Grade Students’ Mastery
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Effective reading instruction is crucial for academic success in the primary grades, yet many U.S. students struggle to master reading skills as evidenced by standardized test results. The problem is that each year, primary-grade teachers fail to obtain the growth percentage increase for reading on the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) at Rise Academy (pseudonym). The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore primary-grade teachers’ perspectives on the challenges they encounter when teaching the reading components outlined by the National Reading Panel at a Central Georgia elementary school. The study addresses a gap in the literature related to teachers’ challenges in teaching reading to primary-grade students and how to overcome the challenges. Guided by Gibson’s bottom-up theory and Gagne’s theory of the conditions of learning, the study investigated teachers’ perceptions and proposed solutions for overcoming these challenges. Fifteen primary-grade teachers participated in the semi-structured interviews that focused on three key research questions related to challenges students experience in mastering the five reading components and strategies used to provide support. Data analysis employed both manual methods and the use of MAXQDA 24.1 software. Findings indicated that teachers perceived struggles with foundational skills, decoding difficulties, and challenges related to vocabulary and comprehension as primary obstacles to students' mastery of reading. Recommendations from the study included the use of explicit, differentiated, and targeted instruction when teaching the five reading components.