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The use of differentiation in English medium instruction in Middle Eastern primary schools: a gap analysis

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The use of differentiation in English medium instruction in Middle Eastern primary schools: a gap analysis

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Content DIFFERENTIATION IN ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 1

The Use of Differentiation in English Medium Instruction in Middle Eastern Primary Schools:
A Gap Analysis

by

Nina Thomas

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2018

Copyright 2018 Nina Thomas
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 2

DEDICATION
For Mom, Betty J. Ellis, who was the first to get a college degree in her family and earned a
master’s degree back when I was just a toddler. You managed to put two kids through college as
a single mom and always insisted that we would at least earn a Master's degree. You have
always been my biggest cheerleader. Thank you for setting the bar high and never doubting my
ability to achieve or exceed your expectations. I love you and appreciate your support and
encouragement – even way back when earning a doctorate seemed like nothing more than a
pipe dream.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I must acknowledge Jesus Christ, my reason for being. You
transformed this depressed single mom and college dropout from a woman drowning in darkness
to a joyful wife, mother of three, and professional who has seen time and again that all things are
possible with God. This accomplishment is further proof that You are alive in me and work for
the good of those who love You and are called according to Your purpose. I trust that you will
use this experience and all the opportunities that result from it for Your glory.
To my husband and the extraordinary father of my children, Evan David Thomas, thank
you for doing nearly everything else at our house for the past few years while I studied and
wrote. Without your practical help and support, this research, and resulting degree, would not
have been possible. You have sacrificed almost as much time and energy as I have for this
degree. I love and appreciate you more than words can express. I hope to return the favor
during this next season in our lives.
To my kids, Alex, Ana, and Ian, who put up with a constantly busy and distracted mom
for nearly three years. Thanks for your patience as I tackled this great task. I hope you will look
back on this time and be inspired to not give up on your dreams.
Family and friends, I appreciate your willingness to work around my crazy schedule and
fit in quality time with me whenever possible over the past few years. To my sister friends who
were in process or had already completed doctorates that mentored and encouraged me early-on
to believe that I could do this and to keep going when I was overwhelmed, thank you! It is an
honor to join your ranks and be able to pay it forward to the next woman in the struggle.
To my colleagues, thank you for participating in my research and your willingness to
indulge my particular brand of crazy. You EMTs take on a Herculean task daily and handle it
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 4

with such grace. It was a pleasure getting to witness your tireless efforts firsthand, having the
opportunity to hear the thoughtfulness with which you approach your work and experiencing the
encouragement you provide one another. You ladies are an inspiration! Special thanks to Sara
and Kimberly for being flexible, supportive and helping make sure I got what I needed when I
needed it.
To my dream team of a dissertation committee – chair, encourager and occasional whip
cracker, Dr. Kathy Stowe, intercultural communication expert, Dr. Darline Robles and EL and
reading specialist, Dr. Kimberly Ferrario – I appreciate your feedback, insight, and thoughtful
suggestions. Thanks for pushing me to do my best!
Finally, to the amazing women and men of OCL Cohort 2, you wildly intelligent people
have made this past few years an enjoyable experience. I have emerged from this crucible of a
journey a more capable and knowledgeable professional thanks to this collaborative process.
You are all so impressive, it has been both humbling and an honor to work closely with many of
you.

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 5

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication 2
Acknowledgements 3
List of Tables 8
List of Figures 9
Abstract 10
Chapter One: Introduction 11
Organizational Context and Mission 13
Organizational Performance Status 14
Related Literature 16
Importance of Addressing the Problem 17
Organizational Performance Goals 18
Description of Stakeholder Groups 19
Stakeholder Group for the Study 20
Purpose of the Project and Research Questions 21
Conceptual Framework 22
Definitions 22
Organization of the Study 23
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature 24
General Research on Factors Influencing Performance in Differentiation in an EFL
Context 24
Effective Instruction for English Learners 26
Differentiation 29
Clark and Estes’ (2008) Gap Analysis Conceptual Framework 33
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 6

Stakeholder Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Influences 34
Conclusion 48
Chapter Three: Methodology 49
Purpose of the Project 50
Research Questions 50
Conceptual Framework: Interaction of Knowledge, Motivation, Organization 51
Participating Stakeholders 56
Data Collection and Instrumentation 59
Data Analysis 62
Credibility and Trustworthiness 63
Ethics 64
Limitations and Delimitations 67
Chapter Four: Findings 69
Participating Stakeholders 69
Findings 71
Summary and Implications 99
Chapter Five: Recommendations for Practice to Address KMO Influences 101
Knowledge Recommendations 102
Motivation Recommendations 107
Organization Recommendations 111
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan 116
Evaluation Tools 126
Data Analysis and Reporting 127
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 7

Summary 128
Limitations and Delimitations 129
Recommendations for Future Research 130
Conclusion 130
Appendix A: Interview Protocol 132
Appendix B: Observation Protocol 136
Appendix C: Informed Consent/Information Sheet 138
Appendix D: Recruitment Letter 140
Appendix E: Observation Summary 141
Appendix F: Within Workshop Assessment Activities 144
Appendix G: Before and After Workshop Survey 145
Appendix H: Post Workshop Survey 146
Appendix I: Delayed Post Workshop Survey 147
References 148
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 8

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Organizational Mission, Organizational Performance Goal, and Stakeholder
Performance Goals 20
Table 2. Knowledge Influences 39
Table 3. Motivation Influences 44
Table 4. Organizational Influences 47
Table 5. Summary of Assumed Needs for Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Issues 55
Table 6. Research Participants 71
Table 7. Summary of Knowledge Needs and Recommendations 103
Table 8. Summary of Motivation Needs and Recommendations 109
Table 9. Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations 112
Table 10. Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes 118
Table 11. Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for EHS Teachers 119
Table 12. Required Drivers to Support EHS Teachers’ Critical Behaviors 120
Table 13. Components of Learning for the Program 125
Table 14. Components to Measure Reactions to the Program 126

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 9

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Distribution of Student Scores 15
Figure 2. Conceptual Framework 51
Figure 3. Grade 2 Lesson Plan 74
Figure 4. Guided Reading Tracking Sheet 75
Figure 5. Student Engagement Chart 128
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 10

Abstract
This study identified knowledge, motivation and organizational influences preventing the
consistent implementation of differentiated instruction via Guided Reading in English classes at
a Middle-eastern public primary school in Abu Dhabi. English medium teachers, most of whom
hail from native English-speaking countries, were the target stakeholder group. Each teacher
participated in an observation, a one-on-one interview and submitted a copy of the week’s
English plans for document analysis. Findings included the need for more teachers to have in
their repertoire strategies for scaffolding English Learners, as well as a more refined
understanding of how to incorporate instructional strategies to aide students’ reading
development. Some teachers attributed student success or failure to language proficiency or
some other ascribed cultural characteristic, suggesting a need for teachers to better understand
the impact of instruction on student performance. Additionally, findings indicated that lack of
high quality feedback and the presence of organizational silence hindered consistent Guided
Reading implementation and deterred teachers from bringing attention to or requesting help with
known barriers. Finally, recommendations for each validated influence are provided along with
a detailed implementation plan, based on the New World Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick &
Kirkpatrick, 2016).
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 11

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
Introduction of the Problem of Practice
English medium instruction in Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region school
systems varies widely, often resulting in fewer high quality learning opportunities for students.
High quality, well-resourced, foreign-run private schools have been available in the Middle East
for quite some time but access to these schools has traditionally been limited to the wealthy,
leaving children in families with more modest means with poor quality publicly-funded schools
as the only option (El-Ghonemy, 1998). Private schools also offer high quality foreign language
instruction, such as English, which is not consistently available in many MENA region public
schools (Commett, et al., 2015). One proposed explanation for the questionable quality of public
schools in the region is teacher pedagogy. Until recently, many local teacher preparation
programs responsible for preparing those who staff public schools in the region have taught
traditional pedagogy and rote learning, which has been associated with substandard educational
outcomes in Middle Eastern public schools (Benard, 2006).
Sub-average levels of student achievement in subjects where instruction is typically
delivered in English - English reading and writing, mathematics and science - in MENA region
countries are reflected in several international comparative assessments. The 2011 Progress in
International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), a test administered to 4
th
graders, showed all
participating countries in the MENA region (except for Israel) scoring below the PIRLS Scale
Center point of 500 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2013). The Programme for
International Student Assessment (PISA), a comparative survey of proficiency in mathematics,
science and reading administered to 15-year-olds in grades 7 and above, showed all participating
MENA countries as scoring below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 12

Development (OECD) average for reading, mathematics and science literacy in 2009 and 2012
(National Center for Education Statistics, 2014).
Having limited access to quality instruction, particularly English instruction, is especially
problematic since English fluency is required for post-secondary academic success in many
countries in the region. Watson (2005) found that English is used in tertiary education in most
Middle Eastern countries. Given the existing barriers to safe, resourced, and effective schools,
the inclusion of a requirement of English fluency for post-secondary academic success poses an
additional obstacle to countries in the region creating a high quality, self-sustaining education
system.
In response to the aforementioned barriers to student academic success, Middle Eastern
countries, like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, have implemented large-scale
education reforms to address the quality of public education. (Commett, et al., 2015). In Abu
Dhabi, UAE’s capital city, educational reform has included implementation of the “New School
Model,” which includes encouraging all teachers to adopt a student-centered pedagogy. This
includes believing all kids can learn as well as implementing kidwatching and gradual release, in
addition to incorporating foreign teachers. In 2010, as a part of its reform efforts, the Emirate of
Abu Dhabi in UAE began employing licensed teachers from native English-speaking countries to
teach English, mathematics and science in its public schools (El Ajou, 2009, referenced in
Dickson, et al., 2014). The Emirate has seen gains in student proficiency in these areas as
documented by rising scores on the External Measure of Student Achievement (EMSA), a
criterion-referenced standardized test developed by Abu Dhabi Education Council and US-based
Pearson Education, which has been used to assess student achievement in English and Arabic
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 13

literacy, mathematics, and science since 2009. EMSA evaluates student knowledge related to the
outcomes taught in the current and previous grade levels.
Organizational Context and Mission
Al Shamkha Primary Girls School (a pseudonym) is a public, elementary level school
providing instruction in both Arabic and English to local students in a suburb of Abu Dhabi,
United Arab Emirates. The school is in Al Shamkha, about 40 km outside of downtown Abu
Dhabi. The school’s vision states that the organization “will cultivate a generation of educated
leaders who are alert, innovative, and uphold religious values and cultural identity” (Al Shamkha
School’s Vision Statement, n.d.). Like the vision of the entity which oversees public schools in
the region, Shamkha’s vision statement echoes the need for local children to be well-prepared to
address future challenges while respecting Islam and UAE culture as the country’s future leaders.
The school serves about 600 local female students in grades one through five. There are a small
percentage of children from other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that attend the
school. All students attending the school are fluent speakers of Arabic, the official language of
the country. Although English is widely spoken in Abu Dhabi and signs around the city
frequently appear in both Arabic and English, few local parents and teachers in the community of
Al Shamkha are comfortable reading, writing, or speaking in English.
The school employs about 50 teachers, including an English Head of Faculty (HOF), an
English-speaking Academic Vice Principal (AVP) and 14 English medium teachers (EMTs),
who provide instruction in English, mathematics and science. The EMTs at Al Shamkha are
made up of native-English speaking expatriates from Canada, the United States, the United
Kingdom, New Zealand, and South Africa. EMTs teach 30 periods a week distributed into six
periods of English, five periods of math, and four periods of science instruction to two different
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 14

classes. There is also one Emirati national who provides instruction in English as an Emirati
English medium teacher (EEMT), who is grouped in with the EMTs and carries similar
responsibilities but teaches a maximum of 24 periods a week. The remaining 34 members of the
teaching staff consist of Arabic Medium Teachers (AMTs), who provide instruction in Arabic
literacy, Islamic studies, civics, information and communication technology (ICT), art, music,
and sports. While most AMTs at Al Shamkha are Emirati nationals, expatriates from other
Arabic-speaking countries in the MENA region also provide instruction as AMTs. All AMTs
are assigned a maximum of 24 periods of instruction per week.
Organizational Performance Status
Being in a small conservative neighborhood, Al Shamkha school is accountable to the
community as well as the public-school system. The accountability system at Al Shamkha is
primarily bureaucratic, with the Irtiqua’a school’s evaluation team monitoring the schools’
progress and the School Improvement Plan is expected to guide most decisions. The metrics
used to determine Al Shamkha’s progress include EMSA scores, annual parent and student
satisfaction survey results, attendance data, and student progress on learning outcomes.
Currently, analysis of student performance is determined at the school level through student
progress on teacher collected data on student reading levels, number of high frequency words,
letter sounds, and phonemes identified. The school is also evaluated based on the comparison of
average student EMSA scores against that of the average of students in public schools across the
city of Abu Dhabi. Table 1 shows the distribution of EMSA scores across proficiency levels for
English reading, writing, mathematics, and science for Al Shamkha students and all students who
were in grade 3 in 2014 and grade 5 in 2016.

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 15

Figure 1. Distribution of student scores for the cohort of students in grade 3 in 2014 and grade 5
in 2016 in Al Shamkha School and all students, respectively, in English Reading and Writing

The graphs show grade 5 students’ performance across Cycle 1 (primary school) proficiency
levels (L1 being the lowest and L7 being and above being the highest considered at this stage).
As demonstrated in Table 1, students have shown significant growth over the years noted. The
targets for the 2015-2016 school year was for Al Shamkha students to score 30 or more points
above the average score of all students in Abu Dhabi in English reading, writings, mathematics,
and science. The school scored an average of 44 points above the Abu Dhabi average in the
given subjects.
Student achievement of grade and subject specific learning outcomes is assessed in terms
of mastery and assigned a rubric score of M for mastered the concept or skill, D for developing
understanding or proficiency, E for emerging understanding or needs considerable scaffolding,
and N for no achievement, however the scores recorded by teachers on each outcome are
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 16

compiled and a letter grade is generated on student reports for parents. How letter grades are
calculated appears to vary from term to term, as the system is calibrated regularly.
Al Shamkha School’s status is currently an Irtiqua’a grade of B, meaning Satisfactory
(Acceptable) performance. The Irtiqua’a team recommended more effort be put into
differentiating effectively in the English medium subjects of English, mathematics and science.
Interventions put in place by administration to address this includes requiring grade levels to
provide evidence of analyzing student progress data regularly and ensuring all lessons include a
component that shows differentiation for 5 different levels, including remediation for excessively
low and challenge activities for talented students. In the 2016-2017 school year, Al Shamkha
has focused on more effectively implementing differentiation in English through guided reading,
a form of differentiation in which students receive targeted reading instruction in small,
homogenous groups. This is a schoolwide initiative, as Arabic teachers are also being required
to incorporate guided reading into their language instruction. At the start of the 2016-2017
school year, the average English reading level in grade 5 was Reading A-Z Level D, which is
considered early 1
st
grade by United States standards. By monitoring student reading levels and
providing targeted, small group instruction to support their reading development needs, Al
Shamkha school aims to get student reading performance closer to grade level by international
standards.
Related Literature
To address the disparities in student performance, Abu Dhabi’s education reform
initiative focuses on high expectations for all, systematic assessment, data driven decision-
making, and gradual release (Abu Dhabi Education Council, 2013). Gradual release, or helping
students develop the ability to independently apply skills learned, is associated with helping
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 17

English learners develop metacognitive skills needed to succeed academically (Shyyan, Thurlow
& Liu, 2008; Wong & Nunan, 2011). Similarly, regular assessment and using data to drive
decisions, as are high-expectations for all and standards-based instruction are factors associated
with a high quality academic program for English Learners (ELs) (Tèllez & Manthey, 2015).
In order to provide academic support for students at varying levels of academic
performance, differentiation utilizes a variety of instructional approaches (Roe & Egbert, 2011).
Guided reading is one method for differentiating reading instruction in mixed level classes
(Walpole & McKenna, 2007). The main aspects of guided reading include students receiving
targeted instruction in word attack and comprehension strategies in small, homogenous groups
formed and reformed regularly based on assessment results with a goal of learning to apply them
in independent reading (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996).
Importance of Addressing the Problem
Abu Dhabi’s Economic Vision 2030 details the need to ensure that the next generation of
national workforce can fully honor their culture and religion while remaining competitive in the
international economic marketplace (Government of Abu Dhabi, 2008). Abu Dhabi Education
Council’s (ADEC’s) Strategic Plan dictates that its students need a system that will develop
academic fluency in Arabic and English to fulfill the goals laid out in Economic Vision 2030
(Abu Dhabi Education Council, 2009). The current model used by ADEC for education is based
on research around the most effective ways to create a truly bilingual constituent. Like the
United Arab Emirates, many countries in the MENA region have brought in foreign teachers to
help students achieve the levels of English fluency and academic performance necessary to
eventually replace the need for foreign workers and instructors in the future.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 18

Consequently, the problem of ineffective instruction, resulting in deficient English
proficiency among Arabic-speaking students, is important to solve for a variety of reasons. In
the case of Al Shamkha School, not producing students who are proficient in English prevents
the organization from meeting its goals of student academic growth necessary to bring average
student performance up to international standards, so students can compete with more developed
countries. For public schools in UAE and other middle eastern countries, not ensuring schools
consistently produce students who are fluent in English will severely limit educational options
for many students at the tertiary level, and, thus, impede opportunities for sufficiently large
numbers of students to receive the training and qualifications necessary to create high-quality,
self-sufficient educational systems.
Organizational Performance Goal
By the end of the 2016-2017 school year, students in grade levels 3-5 at Al Shamkha
School will grow by 15% on the External Measure of Student Achievement (EMSA) scores in
English reading, English writing, mathematics, and science. This goal has been determined by
Abu Dhabi Public Schools, the governing body which oversees Al Shamkha School.
To meet this expectation, Al Shamkha School has incorporated the following two goals
into its School Improvement Plan (SIP):
1. Improve the quality of teaching & learning.
2. Implement solid data driven instruction to increase student learning and meet needs.
Success in meeting these SIP goals will be determined by consistent implementation of
differentiation via guided reading in English and Arabic and evidenced through student
performance on EMSA, learning outcomes, and reading skills assessments.

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 19

Description of Stakeholder Groups
Stakeholders are key participants in any organization. Research suggests engaging all
relevant stakeholders in addressing organizational goals is crucial to the success of an
organization. Collins and Porras’s (1995) research on the performance and resilience of 18
‘visionary’ companies found that “not only did these companies invest heavily in employee
training, knowledge transfer and alignment of organizational values, they also outperformed
comparable companies on the stock market by an average of 15 times” (in Wheeler & Sillanpää,
1998, p.202). Researchers from Harvard, Kotter and Heskett (in Wheeler & Sillanpää, 1998)
concluded that companies which prioritize employees, customers, and shareholders equally had
four times the sales growth and eight times the employment growth of companies that prioritize
shareholders above all else.
The stakeholder groups considered for this purpose are teachers and Heads of Faculty
(English and Arabic). Teachers at Al Shamkha School are separated in two groups: 1) those
who teach in English, native English-speaking teachers from Western countries known as
English medium teachers or EMTs and 2) Arabic-speaking teachers, comprised of native
Emiratis and expatriates from other Arabic-speaking countries, known as Arabic Medium
Teachers or AMTs. In any school setting, teachers play a significant role in that they are often
directly responsible for achieving many of the organization’s goals through their daily
contributions. Heads of Faculty, or HOFs, provide direct supervision, support, training and
coaching to the teaching staff. They are responsible for identifying areas of growth among the
faculty and providing the training and support to realize improvement in those areas. Al
Shamkha currently has one English HOF and one Arabic HOF, both are responsible for
collecting lesson plans, grade-level data analyses, participating in walk-throughs and providing
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 20

modeling and feedback to teachers regarding instruction. The English HOF will be an important
resource for accessing school level documents for analysis and to give some insight about the
administrative teams’ reasoning.
Table 1
Organizational Mission, Organizational Performance Goal, and Stakeholder Performance Goals
Organizational Mission
The mission of Al Shamkha School is to cultivate a generation of educated leaders who are alert,
innovative, and uphold religious values and cultural identity.

Organizational Performance Goal
By the end of the 2016-2017 school year, students in grade levels 3-5 at Al Shamkha School will show a
15% increase in average External Measure of Student Achievement (EMSA) scores in English reading,
English writing, mathematics, and science to meet or exceed targets set by Irtiqua’a, the schools
evaluation team for Abu Dhabi Public Schools.

Students/Parents of
Students
English medium
teachers (EMTs)
Arabic Medium
Teachers (AMTs)
Heads of Faculty (HOFs)
By the end of the 2016-
2017 school year,
students in grade levels
3-5 at Al Shamkha
School will show a 15%
increase EMSA scores
in English Reading and
Writing, Arabic Reading
and Writing,
Mathematics, and
Science that are above
the average for public
school students in all of
Abu Dhabi city.
By the end of the 2016-
2017 school year, EMTs
teaching students at Al
Shamkha School will
regularly implement
differentiation in
English via guided
reading weekly.

By the end of the 2016-
2017 school year,
AMTs teaching the
Arabic language to
students at Al Shamkha
School will regularly
implement
differentiation via
guided reading weekly.
By the end of the 2016-
2017 school year, HOFs
will support the EMTs
and AMTs in
implementing
differentiation via guided
reading by providing
professional
development via
workshops, in class
modeling and feedback
from walkthroughs.

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 21

Stakeholder Group for the Study
Although the effort of every stakeholder group is a key component required for
achievement for the overall organizational goal of improving student EMSA scores, practicality
requires a focus on one stakeholder group, English medium teachers (EMTs), for the focus of
this study. The reason for the selection of this stakeholder group primarily is due to their
centrality to the execution of the organizational goals targeted in this study - improvement in
EMSA scores in English reading and writing, mathematics and science, which are all English
medium subjects. The current goal for EMTs is to implement differentiation in the classroom
and lesson planning. Evidence of differentiation via guided reading instruction is expected to be
reflected through detailed strategies for support of each group in lesson plans, observations,
student work and assessments. This goal has been determined by the school’s Site Leadership
Team. Achievement of this goal is crucial for the student academic progress in English medium
subjects required for successful completion of the organizational goal of improving EMSA
scores. Not meeting this stakeholder goal could result in lack of progress necessary for academic
skill development required for improved student results on EMSA, as well as the school not
meeting the expectations of parents and the larger community to prepare students for further
academic success at the secondary and tertiary levels and, ultimately, better equip them for
leadership roles in the country.
Purpose of the Project and Research Questions
The purpose of this project is to conduct a gap analysis to examine the knowledge,
motivation and organizational influences that interfere with the goal of using differentiation
(specifically guided reading) in English medium classrooms which hinders the development of
English literacy in Arabic-speaking students at Al Shamkha School. This study seeks to apply
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 22

what is known about differentiation and effective instructional strategies for English Learners
and English as a Foreign Language to the Middle Eastern context, specifically United Arab
Emirates, to determine the best conditions for encouraging differentiated instruction and, thus,
maximizing student success in English medium classes. The analysis will begin by generating a
list of possible or assumed interfering influences and then by examining these systematically to
focus on actual or validated interfering influences. While a complete gap analysis would focus
on all stakeholders, for practical purposes the stakeholder to be focused on in this analysis is the
English Medium teacher. As such, the questions that guide this study are the following:
● What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational elements that interfere
with English Medium teachers’ ability to fully implement differentiation through
guided reading consistently?
● What are the recommended knowledge, motivation, and organizational solutions?
Conceptual and Methodological Framework
A gap analysis, as described in Clark and Estes (2008), will be utilized as the conceptual
framework. This analytical method uses organizational goals to identify the extent to which an
organization’s performance measures up to its expected performance. In this qualitative case
study, literature review, interviews, observations, and document analysis will be used to
determine knowledge, motivation and organizational influences that impede EMTs from meeting
their goal to effectively implement differentiated instruction via guided reading on a weekly
basis. Results will be used to generate recommendations for research-based solutions.
Definitions
Differentiation: the use of instructional strategies, variable resources, and student choice to
provide individualized instructional support to each student in a multi-level class.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 23

Gradual Release: the progression of moving students from complete dependence on teacher
support and direction to increasing levels of independence and ownership of the learning process.
Guided Reading: teaching strategy in which teachers provide personalized reading instruction to
leveled small groups that is frequently associated with differentiated instruction.
Kidwatching: a formative assessment strategy that involves taking anecdotal notes from
informal observation of individual students during class to inform differentiated instruction.
Organization of the Study
Five chapters are used to organize this study. This chapter provided the reader with the
key concepts and terminology commonly found in a discussion of barriers to English language
proficiency in Abu Dhabi public education. The organization’s mission, goals and stakeholders
as well as the initial concepts of gap analysis were introduced. Chapter Two provides a review of
current literature surrounding the scope of the study. Topics of differentiation, guided reading
and effective instruction for English Learners will be addressed. Chapter Three details the
assumed interfering elements, as well as methodology, specifically choosing participants, data
collection and analysis. In Chapter Four, the data and results are assessed and analyzed. Chapter
Five provides solutions, based on data and literature, for closing the perceived gaps as well as
recommendations for an implementation and evaluation plan for the solutions.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 24

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
This study will examine the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences on
barrier to English medium teachers (EMTs) effective implementation of differentiation through
guided reading in a public, primary school in Abu Dhabi. Chapter Two outlines the literature
regarding education in the Middle East, the instruction of English Learners (ELs), and
differentiation in instruction. The first section will discuss the literature on educational quality in
the middle east. The second section will explore the research on practices effective for English
Learners and connects them to current educational reform efforts in Abu Dhabi. The next
section provides an overview of differentiation in K-12 classrooms, including a look at research
regarding guided reading. A discussion of the Gap Analysis (Clark & Estes, 2008) as a
conceptual framework follows. The chapter ends with an examination of the research around
differentiation and content-based English instruction considering the gap analysis dimensions of
knowledge, motivation, and organization.

General Research on Factors Influencing Performance in Differentiation in an
EFL Context
Middle Eastern Education
Many countries in the Middle East are currently undergoing school reforms to improve
student achievement and reoccurring themes in the literature include the need for addressing
cultural differences among staff and the need for professional development or coaching. Litz
and Litz (2009) argue reform efforts will only be effective if they include a modern approach to
mentoring that includes developing schools into learning organizations by increasing the
capacity of teaching staff through high quality professional development and transformational
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 25

leadership. In examining the conditions needed for the student-centered teaching aimed by
Qatar’s education reform, Ikhlef and Knight (2013) suggest that targeted professional
development and coaching are key. Al Suwaidi and Schoepp (2015) suggest utilizing teacher
leaders to help fill the gap in support and mentorship needed in Abu Dhabi schools. Their
research also highlights cultural differences that arise between western English medium teachers
(EMTs) and their Emirati English medium teaching counterparts (EEMTs) in their differing
perspectives on individualism vs. collectivism and power distance. For instance, EEMTs saw
Professional Development as a key role or teacher leaders, a role most EMTs from more
individualistic Western countries did not recognize. Similarly, EMTs saw a major benefit of
teacher leaders as extending the principal’s capacity, a benefit not appreciated by most EEMTs,
due to the high-power distance found in Emirati culture (Al Suwaidi & Schoepp, 2015).
Dickson, et al.’s (2014) qualitative study on challenges faced by novice EEMTs under Abu
Dhabi’s New School Model reform noted managing relationships with their foreign EMT
colleagues was a factor. Not knowing how much help was appropriate to ask for and not clearly
understanding the role of the Head of Faculty (HOF) were specifics that arose from the
interviews.
Difficulties that appear to challenge educational reform in Abu Dhabi include moderating
the sometimes-contentious relationship between Western and Emirati EMTs and ensuring
English medium teaching staff receive adequate support to effectively instruct students in a
language that is foreign to most in the public-school system (Dickson, et al, 2014). Both
challenges can be overcome by effective leadership and coaching (Ikhlef and Knight, 2013). To
ensure all staff have or develop the capacity to provide students with the necessary skills for
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 26

success, Abu Dhabi Public Schools have articulated an approach that brings together research on
effective second language instruction and content instruction.
Effective Instruction for English Learners
English as a Foreign Language. Most of the research around English as a Foreign
Language (EFL) programs generated in literature searches were conducted in post-secondary
settings or outside of traditional K-12 settings. The research most applicable to the public-school
context in Abu Dhabi, in which the clear majority of students have Arabic as their primary
language, is that regarding English Learners (ELs). Studies on ELs, which are overwhelmingly
conducted in K-12 settings, will be the focus of this section. In most EFL programs, any native
speaker with a degree can qualify to teach English and few have been formally trained in
teaching or second-language acquisition in children (Göker, 2006). However, Abu Dhabi has set
out to specifically hire native English-speakers who are experienced K-12 teachers and currently
licensed as such in their home countries to deliver English instruction in its public schools (Abu
Dhabi Education Council, 2013).
Educational Reform in Abu Dhabi. The main features of Abu Dhabi’s New School
Model (NSM), a key facet of its education reform, parallel instructional strategies known to be
effective with English Learners (ELs) – high expectations for all, systematic assessment, data
driven decision-making
,
and gradual release (Abu Dhabi Education Council, 2013), all factors
that have been linked to effective implementation of differentiation through guided reading.
High expectations for all refers to a teacher’s belief that, with the proper support, all students can
learn and grow academically to meet academic standards. This idea that individualized support
can make the standards accessible by all students is central to the educational philosophy that
underlies differentiation (Tomlinson, 2013). Additionally, systematic assessment, which
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 27

dictates regular appraisal and analysis of student performance data, and data driven decision-
making, which necessitates analysis of available data to inform key determinations, work in
tandem to ensure current information is used in decision making.
Gradual release of responsibility refers to moving the responsibility of monitoring
learning from teachers to students (Fisher, 2008). Shyyan, Thurlow, and Liu (2008) found the
most useful strategies for ELs with disabilities in English, mathematics, and science were those
which focused on developing student skills and improving student ownership of learning. For
example, they concluded that arming students with problem-solving techniques, task analysis,
and think-aloud led by the teacher or another student in mathematics or science were important
to student success. Similarly, Wong and Nunan’s (2011) study of learning styles and strategies
of effective and ineffective ELs found effective English learners were more likely to possess a
communicative orientation, also known as an active and field independent approach, to learning
– meaning they initiated English practice outside of class. Conversely, ineffective ELs were
more authority-oriented or passive, field-dependent, approach to learning (Wong & Nunan,
2011). These results support the idea that helping students develop the metacognitive skills
necessary to take lead in their learning, a key facet of gradual release of responsibility, is
significant for equipping ELs for academic success.
Components of High Quality EL Programs. Tèllez and Manthey (2015) identified
components of a high-quality program for ELs as including a schoolwide focus on standards-
based instruction, high expectations for all students, systematic assessment and data-driven
decision making. Abu Dhabi’s NSM began with the premise that “All students can learn”
(ADEC, n.d.) and emphasized the importance of consistently using learning outcomes to guide
instruction. Schools are expected to have in place a school-wide assessment plan which yields
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 28

data that should inform site-based decision-making. Finally, Tèllez and Manthey (2015) noted
the necessity of staff with the capacity to meet the unique needs of ELs, a component addressed
by quality professional development.
Specialized support for ELs. The capacity to appropriately scaffold instruction for ELs
includes understanding the role of affect and the importance of repetition. Although the
importance of lowering one’s affective filter and managing one’s intrinsic load allows all people
to learn more effectively, these are especially significant to ELs, who have the additional barrier
of language to increase anxiety and intrinsic load.
Lowering affective filter. The affective filter hypothesis posits that the presence of
anxiety filters out information that might have otherwise been understood (Krashen, 1982). Hite
and Evans (2006) found that mainstream first-grade teachers tended to be more attuned to
affective conditions that can hinder learning for ELs. These included helping students feel
accepted, the use of cooperative learning, connecting language and content learning, appreciation
of students’ home culture, and encouragement of the home language.
Reducing intrinsic load through repetition. Cognitive load theory asserts that the brain
can only handle so much, so the energy needed to focus on instruction in a foreign language
would lower the intensity of the content one could attempt, unless the intrinsic load could be
lowered through previously taught procedures and other strategies that allow more mental energy
to be freed up for more complex learning (Kirshner, Kirshner & Paas, 2006). Gersten and Baker
(2000) confirmed this. They found that adjusting for cognitive and language demands is a
component critical to effective EL instruction. Additionally, they list the use of visuals to make
vocabulary and ideas concrete, utilizing cooperative learning and peer-tutoring, as well as
strategic use of the students’ native language as important factors in helping make content
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 29

accessible to EL students (Gersten & Baker, 2000). Facella, Rampino & Shea (2005) have
compiled a similar list of effective teaching strategies for ELs. This includes the use of visual
cues, realia and hands-on activities, multi-sensory approaches, and repetition and multiple
opportunities for practice (Facella, et al., 2005). Hite and Evans (2006) echo this need for
practice and suggest highly engaging peer interactions be used for increasing opportunities for
authentic language use. Language rehearsal has the benefit of lowering anxiety as well as
mitigating students’ intrinsic load.
Teacher Perception in EL Research. A final theme from the literature on instructional
strategies for ELs is more of a methodological issue. Much of the empirical research around
what instructional strategies are most effective for ELs is predominately based on teacher
perception without any independent data to confirm the accuracy of those perceptions. Hite and
Evans (2006), Facella, et al. (2005) and Tèllez and Manthey (2015) all present research that rely
solely on teacher perception data to determine what strategies are most effective for ELs.
Shyyan, Thurlow & Liu (2008) and Wong and Nunan (2011) both incorporate EL student
perspectives about what works best for them. The literature on effective strategies for ELs can
only be strengthened by research which validates teacher perceptions with additional methods of
determining effectiveness.
Differentiation
What differentiated instruction entails and how to implement it effectively is not clearly
defined in the literature. Roe and Egbert (2011) broadly define differentiation as “using varying
approaches to maximize the achievement of all students, regardless of ability level or
background” (p. 94). Walpole and McKenna (2007) essentially equate differentiated reading
instruction with guided reading. This approach is corroborated by research which found the use
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 30

of differentiated reading instruction in the form of the schoolwide enrichment model – reading
(SEM-R) produced statistically significant improvements in reading fluency in elementary
school students (Reis, et al., 2011).
Guided Reading. Fountas and Pinnell (1996) define guided reading as “a context in
which a teacher supports each reader’s development of effective strategies for processing novel
texts at increasingly challenging levels of difficulty. The teacher works with a small group of
children who use similar reading processes and are able to read similar levels of text with
support” (p. 2). The authors explained the purpose of guided reading as providing regular
opportunities to help children learn and utilize reading strategies independently (Fountas &
Pinnell, 1996).
The process of observing and coaching that Guided Reading utilizes is based on the idea
that learning is a social pursuit and children develop most effectively when functioning in their
zone of proximal development (ZPD). Coined by social-cognitive psychologist Lev Vygotsky
(1978), the ZPD has been defined as “the distance between the actual developmental level as
determined by independent problem solving and the potential development as determined
through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers” (p.
38). Essentially, the ZPD is the space between where children are currently performing and their
potential with support. In Guided Reading, the teacher provides the “scaffolding” or support
needed by each child to move to more independent use of reading strategies.
Moving children through the ZPD has been broken down into four stages; each stage
requires a different level of support and instructional techniques to ensure student success
(Antonacci, 2000). In Stage I, children are still mostly mimicking the target literacy strategy and
are heavily reliant on the teacher for direction (Gallimore & Tharp, 1990). Instructional
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 31

techniques appropriate for Stage I include modeling, questioning, and thinking aloud (Antonacci,
2000). During Stage II, children are beginning to self-regulate and may be using self-directed
speech (Gallimore & Tharp, 1990). This stage requires teachers to provide formative feedback
throughout to confirm or correct desired behaviors (Antonacci, 2000). In Stage III, children are
performing the task independently – the target literacy strategy is said to be “automated” or
easily used and “fossilized” or internalized at this stage – and no assistance is needed from the
teacher. Finally, Stage IV of the ZPD is the continual learning of new skills that build on the
student’s current skills (Antonacci, 2000). Guided Reading utilizes gradual release of
responsibility, scaffolding, and social mediation to help children develop the ability to use
literacy strategies independently. In that respect, Guided Reading can be a particularly powerful
instructional tool for English Learners.
Stahl and Heubach (2005) analyzed a comprehensive, fluency-oriented reading
instructional program in which lower-elementary students were given multiple opportunities to
build reading fluency through practice, taught to self-select books at or near their instructional
level, and given reading strategy instruction targeted for their specific developmental needs, all
features associated with guided reading. They found an average gain of 1.88 grade levels after 1
year of instruction and 1.77 after 2 years of instruction (Stahl & Heubach, 2005). Avalos, et al.
(2007) note that English-language learners (ELLs) benefit most from modified guided reading
(MGR) – the modifications include detailed instruction in vocabulary and structural features of
text specific to English, as well as culturally relevant texts. They found after 9 months of
receiving MGR, one group of ELLs gained an average of 1.8 grade levels in English reading.
The other group of ELLs studied gained 1.3 grade-levels on average after 4 months of MGR
instruction (Avalos, et al., 2007).
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 32

Guided Reading Implementation. Implementing a guided reading program
successfully with children requires an understanding of the skills needed for decoding and
making meaning of text, knowledge of students’ skill levels, as well as enough awareness of
instruction to engage students in meaningful tasks and procedures in place to guide students in
appropriate ways to extend their learning when finished. Tomlinson, Moon, and ebrary (2013)
stresses the importance of developing classroom leadership (not simply classroom management)
and feedback to effective use of differentiation. The need for professional development in
learning to effectively supporting students at multiple levels is well documented. Al-Shammakhi
and Al-Humaidi (2015) studied strategies used by English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers
in Oman to overcome challenges to differentiating instruction. They recommended professional
development with coaching to help teachers develop the skills needed to effectively implement
differentiation. Puzio, Newcomer and Goff (2015) found that participation in professional
development in differentiation was positively correlated with teacher efficacy and efficacy
beliefs. They also emphasized the key role of the school principal in supporting differentiation
(Puzio, et al., 2015). Furthermore, Tomlinson and Murphy (2015) further define the role of a
school principal as taking lead in developing vision and modeling the change to a differentiated
school. Effective implementation of differentiation requires commitment and participation from
all levels on a school site to mitigate problems that might otherwise impede the process.
Assessing Differentiation. Finally, in response to the need for clear indicators of
differentiated instruction, some research has been focused on developing tools for assessing
differentiation. The Classroom Observation Scales-Revised (COS-R) teacher observation tool
has been documented as valid for assessment and self-assessment of differentiation in the
classroom (VanTassel-Baska, 2012). Teacher checklists have also been documented as a reliable
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 33

measure of differentiated instruction (Williams, et al., 2012). Fountas and Pinnell (1996)
provide a self-assessment for teachers, which details for each component of guided reading
expectations at various levels of implementation to aid in gauging one’s progress and
determining next steps. Elsbree, Hernàndez, and Daoud (2014) introduce lesson plan analysis as
a means of determining the ways differentiation is addressed. Structured observations, lesson
plan analysis, and teacher checklists are all ways to determine the level of implementation of
differentiated instruction in classrooms.
The Clark and Estes (2008) Gap Analysis Conceptual Framework
The Gap Analysis approach to improving organizational performance advocates
institutions adjust maximize the effectiveness of the organization’s human capital by identifying
areas where performance goals are not being met, or performance gaps. Clark and Estes (2008)
argue that all performance gaps are cause being deficiencies is one or more of the following three
areas: knowledge, motivation, and organization. Knowledge refers to whether employees’
knowledge and skills are adequate for achieving the tasks necessary to meet performance goals.
Knowledge issues include unclear communication of goals and expectations, as well as whether
staff knows what procedures to apply and when to use a given procedure. Motivation denotes
whether staff have the impetus to start, persist, and apply mental effort required to complete the
required responsibilities. Motivation issues include lack of commitment to the organization or
the goals and whether personnel lack the self-efficacy necessary to accomplish tasks, as well as
when overconfidence prevents some from acknowledging their errors. Organization signifies
ways the institution blocks performance through lack of resources, necessary processes, or
cultural context needed for achieving goals. Organizational issues include whether tools,
processes, or procedures, as well as the organization’s norms allow for successful achievement
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 34

of predetermined goals. Identifying the sources of performance gaps via stakeholder feedback is
critical preparation for selecting and applying an appropriate solution.
Clark and Estes (2008) assert that, while performance gaps are often attributed to lack of
staff know-how and seen as training issues, organizational factors may be creating barriers or
diminishing employee motivation. Training staff in lieu of addressing organizational issues
which may be hindering the successful implementation of a program will not solve the problem
and may further complicate the situation by indicating a lack of confidence in already
knowledgeable staff. Consequently, the Gap Analysis approach insists all factors be analyzed
and obvious organizational gaps, such as inadequate or inappropriate resources, be addressed
before considering the role of employee motivation and, lastly, knowledge gaps (Clark & Estes,
2008).
Stakeholder Knowledge, Motivation and Organization Influences
Knowledge and Skills
This section will review knowledge-related influences related to differentiation and
instructional strategies most effective for English Learners (ELs) and/or in an English as a
Foreign Language (EFL) context. Applicable literature will be analyzed in terms of knowledge
type.
Stakeholder Knowledge influences. The literature examined will include that which is
relevant to English medium teachers, or those teaching EFL, using differentiation and best
practices in instruction with ELs. The knowledge teachers need to appropriately plan for student
success is immense. To make that information manageable for the purposes of this discussion
and later analysis, it will be categorized by knowledge type.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 35

All knowledge required by stakeholders for accomplishment of specific performance
goals can be categorized as declarative, procedural, or metacognitive (Krathwohl, 2002).
Declarative knowledge includes information which is factual – basic parts of an idea, such as
terminology and components of the concept. For example, understanding that the terms add,
subtract, multiply and divide correspond to the symbols +, -, x, and ÷, respectively, is factual
knowledge in mathematics. Declarative knowledge also includes information which is
conceptual – how the parts of a concept relate to one another. Knowing that addition and
subtraction are both mathematical operations that are also inverse, or opposite, of one another is
an example of conceptual knowledge in mathematics. Procedural knowledge encompasses all
the information needed to accomplish a specific task – required steps or subject-specific skills,
necessary techniques or methods, and criteria for when to apply a particular technique.
Understanding how and when to use the algorithm for multiplying multi-digit numbers is
procedural knowledge in mathematics. Metacognitive Knowledge refers to the awareness and
understanding of one’s own thinking processes. Teachers often use the strategy of Thinking
Aloud, or talking through the reasoning used at each step to solve a problem, to help students
develop the metacognitive knowledge required for success in their subject area. When faced
with a multiplication problem that could easily be answered using repeated addition or the
algorithm, the self-knowledge required to determine which method would make the most sense
to apply is an example of metacognitive knowledge.
Declarative knowledge influences. To achieve the goal of effectively implementing
differentiation, a key understanding for EMTs will be what is differentiation? The literature
around differentiation varies in its depiction of the nature of differentiation. Roe and Egbert
(2011) provide four different definitions for differentiation. These include the idea that
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 36

differentiation is what teachers do whenever they use adapt their instruction in response to
individual students (Berninger and Nagy, 2008). Using this definition, many recent studies
which have focused on the ways teachers accommodate the needs of ELs in mixed ability
classes, such as Al-Shammakhi & Al-Humaidi (2015) and Helfrich & Bosh (2011), could be
regarded as research in differentiation. Researchers, like Egbert (2007), argue differentiation is
the use of technology to innovate instruction by providing activities that are specialized for each
student based on the student’s previous responses. Finally, there are multiple researchers who
assert differentiation is a process in which teachers employ a large variety of strategies,
resources, and procedures to provide the most suitable learning experience for each student
(Tomlinson & ERIC, 2000; Tomlinson & Imbeau, 2010; Walpole & McKenna, 2007).
Other concepts that teachers are expected to master to successfully meet their goal in this
context include what best practices are for supporting ELs in academic settings. Unlike with
differentiation, there is empirical evidence to support several instructional strategies that are
useful with ELs. These include 1) student-centered, interactive strategies that increase student
engagement (Curtin, 2005; Hite & Evans, 2006); 2) providing an emotionally supportive
environment using positive reinforcement, incorporating elements that are culturally familiar,
and peer support (Facella, Rampino & Shea, 2005; Helfrich & Bosh, 2011; Hite & Evans, 2006;
Lee & Buxton, 2013; Pekrun, 2011; Scott & Palinscar, 2006); and 3) a variety of
strategies designed to maximize current understanding of how people learn an additional
language (Gersten & Baker, 2000; Sutiah, 2011; Torres, 2013). EMTs also need to have a clear
understanding of how people learn, and the general parameters required for learning to occur,
such as an understanding of the significance of cognitive load and zone of proximal development
(Kirshner, Kirshner & Paas, 2006; Mayer, 2011; Scott & Palinscar, 2006).
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 37

Procedural knowledge influences. To accomplish their stated goal, EMTs need practical
knowledge about how to differentiate – including the specific pedagogies, strategies, procedures,
and academic contexts that are most appropriate for effective differentiation. Many researchers
have addressed these concerns. Tomlinson & Imbeau (2010) describe the need for a pedagogy
which believes all students can learn, have the right to thrive academically, and can do so with
the proper supports in place. They also provide suggestions for strategies and procedures
teachers can use to start implementing differentiation in their classes. Walpole & McKenna
(2007) provide practical suggestions for developing a differentiated literacy plan based on
assessment. Their book also includes sample differentiation plans for each of the lower grades.
A few researchers address the difficulties faced by teachers in incorporating differentiation and
provide practical strategies for overcoming them (Helfrich & Bosh, 2011; Tomlinson & Imbeau,
2010).
Another key piece of procedural knowledge is how to implement best practices for ELs.
Gersten and Baker’s (2000) review of the literature regarding effective instruction for ELs
pointed out that there was confusion or tension around the use of oral language. They note that
the goals dictate how best oral language should be incorporated into instruction for ELs. In
trying to gage how prepared educators are to adequately support their ELs, Facella, et al. (2005)
interviewed 20 early childhood educators who worked in linguistically diverse school districts
and routinely instructed ELs. They found that, although many of the strategies had been selected
because they provide multisensory experiences teachers found useful for most students, many of
the teachers were using strategies backed by research to effectively support academic skill
development in ELs. The researchers noted that providing direction about how which strategies
are most effective for ELs and the parameters in which they are most effective would help more
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 38

educators better serve their ELs. Helfrich & Bosh (2011) make a similar assertion, arguing that
ELs are not a monolith and educators can more competently assist their academic development if
they are aware of best practices for ELs and their application. They also highlight the
importance of the socio-emotional context in which instruction occurs and advocate for
heightened awareness of educators’ value and respect for cultural differences, use of
collaborative work and peer interactions, as well as the impact of cultural bias on assessments
used to inform teaching. Sutiah’s (2011) Participatory Action Research in a third grade EFL
class in Indonesia yielded evidence that the incorporation of interactive communicative learning
tasks positively impacted student behavior and overall academic achievement.
Metacognitive knowledge influences. Many researchers have addressed the need for
professionals and students alike to be able to apply metacognition to self-regulate learning
(Baker, 2006; Facella et al, 2005; Helfrich & Bosh, 2011). Torres (2013) advocates actively
teaching metacognitive strategies and self-regulatory awareness to students in an EFL setting to
increase the program’s effectiveness. Similar arguments are inherent in much of the literature
around implementing differentiation in literacy instruction as the focus is often on teaching
students reading strategies and when to use them (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996; Tomlinson, 1999;
Walpole & McKenna, 2007).

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 39

Table 2
Knowledge Influences
Assumed Knowledge Influence Knowledge Type Knowledge Influence Assessment
Teachers do not fully understand
what differentiation entails.
Declarative
(Conceptual)
EMTs asked to identify the key factors
involved in differentiation.
Interview Question: What does
differentiation entail?
Describe a classroom that regularly
employs differentiation.
Teachers do not regularly collect
formative assessment data to
inform instruction.
Declarative
(Conceptual)
EMTs asked to list what information they
collect about students that is relevant to
reading development.
Interview Question: What information do
you collect that is relevant to student
reading development? How often do you
collect each of these? Why do you
collect each of these?
Classroom observations.
Teachers do not know how to
implement differentiation into
their regular classroom practice.
Procedural EMTs asked to identify key strategies for
implementing differentiation.
Interview Question: How do you
implement differentiation into your
regular classroom practice?
Classroom observations.
Teachers do not know how to use
formative assessment data in
instruction.
Procedural EMTs asked to explain how they use
information collected about students
reading skills.
Interview Question: Describe a time
when you incorporated information
collected about student reading skills into
your instruction. How representative is
this incident of your typically use student
data relevant to reading?

Motivation
Motivation is the process that gets one started and keeps one moving toward a goal
(Pintrich & Schunk, 1996). Many learning problems can be attributed to motivational issues that
impact whether the learner chooses to act, persists in the given activity, or asserts the mental
effort required to do the activity well. This section examines some of the literature applicable to
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 40

teachers’ motivation to implement differentiation and EL best practices in their professional
settings. Applicable theories, namely Expectancy Value Theory, Attribution Theory, and
Emotional Climate Theory, and the literature documenting their application will be discussed.
Expectancy Value Theory. Expectancy Value Theory rests on the belief that people
will participate in activities related to that which they value and will either decline initial
participation, not persist or fail to expend the mental effort necessary to complete activities for
which they do not perceive value (Eccles, 2006; Pintrich, 2003; Borgogni, Russo & Latham,
2011).
Teachers and Expectancy Value Theory. Teachers who do not perceive their value to
their educational organization will choose not to participate or persist in participation.
Kirkpatrick and Johnson (2014) concluded that lack of feedback and attention to second stage
teachers (those with 4-10 years of experience) by administrators lead to teachers determining
whether and how they would engage in teaching. Those teachers who had reported previously
high levels of engagement that was not recognized or supported had reduced their engagement
and or planned to do so subsequently.
It is important that teachers’ contributions are valued, but teachers who value their own
work are more motivated to the benefit of their students. Katz and Shahar (2015) found that
teachers who enjoy and value their work are more likely to believe in the benefits of
autonomously motivated students and, thus, incorporate an autonomy-supportive style into their
classrooms. This importance of teacher value is also reflected in the impact of professional
development. Pop, Dixon and Grove (2010) determined that teachers who recognized the value
of the science research experiences professional development noted more confidence and
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 41

enthusiasm about applying their experiences to their teaching. This suggests that teachers who
value the training they receive are more likely to be motivated to use it.
Attribution Theory. Attribution Theory states that the cause to which people attribute
their success or failure in an endeavor will impact their future motivation for similar endeavors
(Anderman & Anderman, 2006). The type of feedback given for performance will help
determine whether causality is attributed to internal or external factors (Anderman & Anderman,
2006). The significance of the locus of causality is due to its reflection of one’s perception of
how much personal control one has over the outcomes (Pintrich, 2003). Higher perceived levels
of control are associated with greater motivation and more positive affect (Pintrich, 2003). For
example, an educator who attributes student failure to some quality inherent in the students is
unlikely to adjust the instructional approach utilized. However, an educator who attributes
student failure to a more controllable factor, such as the quality or quantity of the instruction
provided, is more likely to look for ways to improve.
Teachers and Attribution Theory. Several researchers have found a tendency for
educators to attribute student academic failure in traditionally low performing groups to some
feature related to the group membership rather than low expectations or lack of appropriate
instructional support. Zohri and Zerhouni (2013) documented evidence of self-serving bias in
teacher’s attributions for both student success and failure. Bertrand and Marsh (2015) found
that, which teachers often attributed student performance to their instruction, they were also
inclined to cite student characteristics when interpreting results, suggesting the actual problem
may be the result of low expectations. Similarly, Bezemer (2007), whose research was
conducted in the Netherlands, documented educators attributing student mistakes in sentence
construction to a lack of “feeling” for word order in “foreign children” (p. 74). This pattern of
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 42

attributing failure to already low performing students may make it unlikely for teachers to
expend the necessary mental effort required to effectively implement differentiation.
In their study of interactive attribution of academic success multi-ethnic schools, deHaan
& Wissink (2013) found that teachers most often spoke to majority parents about how best to
encourage the student’s internal motivation and most often spoke to minority parents about
employing external factors to effect motivation. Similarly, Wissink & deHaan (2013) concluded
that teachers were more often attributed academic performance in minority students to effort than
to their majority counterparts. These findings suggest differences in perception about how best
to motivate majority and minority students, and may impact how much effort teachers are willing
to put into setting certain students up for success. Vlachou, Eleftheriadou & Metallidou (2014)
found a similar disparity in teachers’ attributions to the performance of students with learning
difficulties (LD) versus those without LD. Teachers were more inclined to associate less
stability and controllability for students described as having LD than for those without LD. The
results also documented teachers as reporting higher levels or anger and great expectations of
future failure for students with LD than those without LD. This suggests that attributions impact
a teacher’s emotional reaction to the child as well as their expectations for future performance.
Given the documented impact of teacher expectations on student performance, these results
could have dire consequences for students perceived as weak.
Emotions and Emotional Climate. Emotional Climate theory discusses the impact
one’s emotions and the emotional climate of one’s professional or educational context on
motivation. Pekrun (2011) asserts the combination of control or lack thereof and importance
determine whether an event will trigger positive or negative activating or deactivating emotions.
Positive activating emotions, such as pride or enjoyment, are motivating and spur people to
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 43

action, as do negative activating emotions, such as anxiety or frustration. Positive deactivating
emotions, such as relaxation or relief, stop people from acting, as do negative deactivating
emotions, like boredom or hopelessness. The task itself, the environment in which the task is
undertaken, whether the actor has autonomy or not and the feedback or consequences associated
with the given task or context all play a role in whether the emotion inspired will be positively or
negatively activating or deactivating (Pekrun, 2011). Goette, et al. (2012) found that when
competition is introduced, in-group cooperation is enhanced but outsiders are more likely to be
mistreated, even when no competitive advantage exists for group members to do so. This
suggests that, under certain circumstances, group competition could be potentially destructive in
the work environment, encouraging anti-social behavior and highlighting differences when staff
needs to work together (Goette, et al., 2012). This could make the work environment an unsafe
place for those deemed as outsiders.
Teachers, Emotions and Emotional Climate. Schools need to be emotionally safe for
teachers to take the risks necessary to engage in new practices. Ji Hoon, Woocheol, Dae Seok
and Sang Hoon Bae (2014) documented the significance of creating a school environment that is
emotionally safe for educators to share knowledge and maintain engagement in their work.
Carroll and O’Loughlin (2014) came to similar conclusion in their study of the implementation
of a peer observation process.

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Table 3
Motivation Influences
Assumed Motivation
Influence
Motivation Influence
Assessment
Utility Value – Teachers need to see the
value in incorporating differentiation for
students.
Interview items:
“Do you find guided reading useful in the classroom?”
“Describe a time when you found differentiated
instructional activities (like guided reading), useful for
helping the students in your class learn.”

Attributions – Teachers should feel that low
academic proficiency is due to their own
efforts at instruction rather than students’
lack of ability, site level organization,
available resources, or student home culture.

Interview item:
“What factors would you say contribute most heavily to
your students’ success/failures in your classroom?”

Emotional Climate – Teachers are unlikely to
persist in environments where their
contribution is perceived as unwelcome,
unrecognized or unappreciated.
Interview prompt: “To what extent are your
contributions to the school community welcome,
recognized, and/or appreciated?”

Organization
Knowledgeable and motivated employees alone are not sufficient to shore up
performance gaps if contributing organizational factors have not been addressed. An amazing
recognition program can only do so much to motivate a staff who is frustrated and disengaged
due to unclear expectations. This section will address those organizational components that
influence the context in which employees operate, such as the organization’s culture, stakeholder
goals, policies and procedures. When attempting to close performance gaps, Clark and Estes
(2008) suggest addressing organizational influences before employee motivation and knowledge,
since organizational culture may be mediating some of the motivation or knowledge issues.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 45

Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001) break culture down into more specific units of
analysis, called cultural models and cultural settings. Cultural models refer to the unstated
values, beliefs, interpretations and assumptions of a group. Cultural settings are the specifics
that make up the landscape in which shared meanings are developed. Cultural settings are the
physical landscape and written policies and value statements, which comprise the surface level
context of a group.
Cultural Model Influences
Cultural models could be described as the shoulds or oughts for a group or organization,
which go largely unnoticed by group members. The concept of cultural models aligns with
Schneider’s (1996) description culture and Schein’s (2004) underlying assumptions, both which
highlight the implicit nature of the ideas held at this level.
Organizational silence. Employees in an organization which implicitly sends the
message that voicing concerns is unwise experience organizational silence (Morrison, 2015).
Factors leading to the development of organizational silence include management’s fear of
negative feedback, implicit beliefs that frame the organization as needing authoritative
leadership, and organizational characteristics which encourage these beliefs, such as industry
stability, vertical differentiation, reliance on contingent workers, and a high degree of
dissimilarity between management and line staff (Morrison, 2015). Systematic silence in
organizations leads to employee’s feelings of not being valued, perceived lack of control, and
cognitive dissonance (Morrison, 2015).
Cultural Setting Influences
Cultural settings are what Schneider, et al. (1996) describes as climate and Schein (2004)
would categorize as artifacts and espoused beliefs and values – the organizational structure,
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 46

policies, procedures, vision, and mission, which all make up the explicit framework in which
group values develops.
Clarity of goals and systems alignment. To maximize an organization’s potential,
employee goals must be clear and aligned with organizational vision and mission (Clarke &
Estes, 2008). Understanding why a certain approach is being taken is key to motivating adults to
participate and learn (Knowles, 1980). Waters, Marzano & McNulty (2003) found a correlation
between interventions focused on the school vision and student achievement.
Feedback. Organizations must have systems in place to provide employees with regular
feedback to ensure their employees develop new skills needed for successful completion of their
goals. Formative feedback is a critical component to learning (Shute, 2008). To be most
effective in improving performance, feedback should be specific, timely, and given in private
(Shute, 2008). Feedback, along with successful completion and modeling, is also associated
with self-efficacy when attempting tasks that are challenging (Borgogni et al., 2011).

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Table 4
Organization Influences
Assumed Organizational Influences Organizational Influence Assessment
Cultural Model Influence: Dynamics between
administration and staff have resulted in the
development of organizational silence.
Interview item(s):
“Are there any topics or areas regarding the
workplace that are considered ‘off-limits?’
What, if any? (If applicable)
Does the fact that there are prohibited subjects
ever impede communication with your
coworkers or superiors?
Can you give a specific example where this
occurred?
How comfortable do you feel asking for
assistance at work?
Are there others at work that help you grow as a
professional? Who? Give an example of a time
when they have helped in your professional
growth.”
Cultural Setting Influence 1: Organizational
policies and procedures are not aligned with
goals and expectations.
Interview item(s):
“Are the goals and expectations regarding the
use of differentiated instruction, such as guided
reading, clearly defined at your school? Can you
articulate how those goals and expectations
align with your school’s mission and goals?”
“Guided reading is now required twice a week in
all English classes. What sorts of school-wide
supports are in place to help you pull guided
reading groups? What could the school do to
better support your ability to conduct guided
reading regularly?
How useful do you find structural helps [such as
blocked time, minimized interruptions (think the
‘NO INTERRUPTIONS’ sign), and easy access to
leveled books] in making guided reading more
manageable?”
Cultural Setting Influence 2: Teachers are not
receiving effective feedback with manageable
suggestions or follow-up.

Interview item(s):
“To what extent is the feedback you receive
effective in helping improve your ability to
differentiate instruction through guided
reading? Give an example of a time when you
received feedback regarding your teaching
practice that was helpful. Give an example of
a time when you received feedback regarding
your teaching practice that was not helpful.”
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Conclusion
The purpose of this project is to conduct a gap analysis to examine the knowledge,
motivation and organizational influences that interfere with the goal of effectively using
differentiation in English medium classrooms which hinders the development of English literacy
in Arabic-speaking students at Al Shamkha School. The review of the literature highlighted
relevant Middle East educational reform, considerations around what makes instruction effective
for Els, differentiation, as well as the possible knowledge, motivational, and organizational needs
of English medium teachers necessary for successful implementation of differentiated instruction
through guided reading. Some of these needs include a clear understanding of what
differentiation is, what it entails, and what value it brings to one’s ability to support student
academic development, in addition to the need for educators to believe that their contributions
are welcome, recognized and appreciated, and, finally, the need for educational organizations to
align their policies and expectations of teachers with organizational goals. The knowledge,
motivation and organizational needs discussed in Chapter 2 will be validated during this study to
determine their applicability to the context of Al Shamkha School and Abu Dhabi public schools,
in general. Chapter 3 will detail the validation process to be utilized.

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CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
The qualitative approach was used to understand which knowledge, motivation, and
organization influences teachers perceived as preventing the use of differentiation in English
medium classrooms and why. The qualitative approach aligns with the researcher’s assertion
that the meanings individuals make of a situation can be complex and varied (Creswell, 2014).
Qualitative methods, particularly interviews, guided by open-ended questions, observations and
document analysis were selected because they are the best way to get at the intricacy of
individual perceptions while triangulating these perceptions with other information.
A literature review was conducted to better understand the context and problem and to
identify potential gaps in knowledge, motivation, and organizational context which may be
hindering the use of differentiation through guided reading in English medium classrooms and
the major themes discovered were used to develop the interview protocol. One-on-one
interviews with English medium teachers at the case study site (Al Shamkha School) were used
to identify those knowledge, motivation, and organizational gaps teachers perceived as
contributing to the performance gap. Transcripts from interview recordings and notes were
analyzed for themes, which were then compared to applicable theories and trends identified in
the literature. Observations were conducted in the classrooms of interview participants to see
evidence of guided reading as discussed in the interview. A document analysis of lesson plans
and grade level data analysis collection forms was conducted to gain an understanding of the
ways teachers were documenting their differentiation efforts, judging its effectiveness and the
factors that have impacted said effectiveness. The document analysis also offers a means to
validate teachers’ knowledge of differentiation and guided reading, since differentiated
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instruction requires thorough planning (Tomlinson, 2010). Results were used to generate
recommendations for research-based solutions.
Purpose of the Project
The purpose of this study is to conduct a gap analysis to examine the knowledge,
motivation and organizational influences that interfere with the goal of effectively using guided
reading to differentiate instruction in English medium classrooms at Al Shamkha School. This
study seeks to apply what is known about differentiation and effective instructional strategies for
English Learners (ELs) to the Middle Eastern context, specifically United Arab Emirates, to
determine the best conditions for encouraging differentiated instruction in the form of guided
reading and, thus, maximizing student success in English Medium classes.
Research Questions

The research questions to be addressed in this qualitative study are as follows:
● What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational elements that interfere
with English medium teachers’ ability to effectively implement differentiation
through Guided Reading?
● What are the recommended knowledge, motivation, and organizational solutions?

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Conceptual Framework: The Interaction of Stakeholders’ Knowledge and Motivation and
the Organizational Context
Figure 2. Conceptual Framework for Gap Analysis.

The conceptual, or theoretical, framework provides the structure of a study by outlining
the concepts that form its basis, or theoretical “lenses” through which the research topic can be
studied (Merriam and Tisdell, 2016). A graphical representation of the conceptual framework
for a study identifies the key ideas considered in the research and shows what the researcher
believes are their relationships (Maxwell, 2013). Figure 1 graphically represents the concepts
explored in this study and the interrelationships I sought to understand throughout this inquiry.
A gap analysis, as described in Clark and Estes (2008), was utilized as the basic framework for
this study. This analytical method uses organizational goals to identify the knowledge,
motivation, and organizational influences on the gap between an organization’s actual
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 52

performance and its expected performance. This study seeks to understand the knowledge,
motivation and organizational factors that impede English medium teachers’ ability to implement
guided reading instruction for differentiation in their English classrooms. Essentially, I wanted
to understand if teachers understood differentiation and how to implement guided reading. All
the knowledge influences directly impact motivation in that a person may be hesitant to start or
continue an activity they are uncertain about or unsure how to execute. The assumption being
that teachers who do not fully grasp guided reading are less motivated to try to implement it
regularly due to not attributing student success or failure to the actions of the teacher, not
recognizing the usefulness of the strategy, or simply feeling as if one’s efforts are unappreciated
leaving the teacher unwilling to dedicate additional time and energy needed for implementation.
Attribution theory states that whether people attribute their success or failure to internal or
external and stable or unstable forces will affect their motivation for similar pursuits in the future
(Anderman & Anderman, 2006). In this case, the concern is whether teachers attribute their
students’ academic success or failure to instruction. Research suggests that teachers are likely
to attribute student failure in groups of students that are not typically successful academically,
such as English Learners, to some aspect linked to students’ group membership as opposed to
instructional choices on the part of the teacher (Bertrand and Marsh, 2015; Bezemer, 2007; Zohri
and Zerhouni, 2013).
The organizational influences consider the ways the organization’s culture and structure
impact the stakeholders’ ability to meet identified goals (Clark & Estes, 2008). The
organizational settings to be examined in this study include clarity of goals and systems
alignment as well as the availability of effective feedback received by teachers. Each
stakeholder’s goals must be clear and aligned with the organization’s mission and vision to
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 53

capitalize on the organizational potential (Clarke & Estes, 2008). Similarly, policies and
procedures in place at an organization must be aligned with the its mission. Lack of clear
alignment between goals and mission or policies results in inconsistencies in expectations of
various staff which may leave some feeling unwelcome, unrecognized, or unappreciated, and
negatively impact motivation.
A system for providing employees with effective feedback – specific, timely, and shared
privately - to adjust their performance is key to supporting employee development (Shute, 2008).
Receiving feedback increases self-efficacy and increases the likelihood of persistence through
difficult tasks (Borgogni et al., 2011). Consistently delivered accurate feedback may increase a
teacher’s ability to associate student success or failure with teacher moves.
The cultural model considered in this study is organizational silence. Organizational silence
exists in organizations that have unwritten rules against expressing concerns (Morrison, 2015).
Typically, a function of authoritative management, high reliance on transitory employees, and
many differences between management and staff, longstanding patterns of organizational silence
result in employees feeling devalued, powerless, and disconnected (Morrison, 2015). These
conditions are applicable to many organizations in UAE, where according to the 2010 census,
88.5% of the population is made up of non-Emiratis (De Bel-Air, 2015), most whom are only in
the country on limited contracts. Although most employed people are foreign nationals, the
Emiratization movement has ensured that many leadership positions are filled by Emiratis. The
large power distance between those in administrative positions and the employees who work for
them that is common in Middle Eastern cultures is associated with a more autocratic
management style (Białas, 2009). Although the above-mentioned circumstances suggest
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 54

organizations in UAE may be more conducive to developing organizational silence, I have not
found any research that documents whether this is more or less of an issue in this context.
Nevertheless, the results of organizational silence, powerlessness and disengagement, are known
motivation killers. Additionally, employees not feeling at liberty to share concerns limits the
possibility of identifying and correcting procedures and policies that are not in alignment with
organizational goals and reduces the likelihood of employees asking for clarification or
assistance needed to overcome knowledge deficits. Both situations may result in reduced
motivation.

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Table 5
Summary of Assumed Needs for Knowledge, Motivation, and Organizational Issues
Assumed Needs
Sources Knowledge Motivation Organization
Learning and
Motivation
Theory
● Need knowledge
of the components of
guided reading.
● Need knowledge
of how to implement
guided reading regularly.
● Need to see the
value in incorporating
guided reading for students.
● Need to attribute
low academic proficiency to
their own instructional
behaviors rather than
students’ ability, site level
organization, available
resources, or student home
culture.
● Need to feel their
contributions are welcome,
recognized, and
appreciated.

● Need regular,
effective feedback with
manageable suggestions
or follow-up.
● Need clear goals
and expectations that
are aligned with
organizational mission.
● Need to address
factors leading to
organizational silence.
Assumed Needs
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 56

Sources Knowledge Motivation Organization
Related
Literature
● Need clear
definition of
differentiation.
● Need knowledge
of what an effective
guided reading program
looks like in the classroom.

● Need to clarify the
role of English proficiency
and native English-speaking
teachers in Middle Eastern
Education reform.

● Need to clarify
the role of English
proficiency and native
English-speaking
teachers in Middle
Eastern Education
reform
● Need to
acknowledge that
implementing
differentiation requires
schoolwide commitment
and support, especially
on the part of
administration.

Participating Stakeholders
The target population for this study was English medium teachers (EMTs) in a large Abu
Dhabi public primary school. EMTs in this context may include Emirati teachers who teach
English medium subjects (EEMTs) as well as expatriate teachers from English-speaking
countries. The interviewees and subjects observed in this research consisted of the EMTs from
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 57

the target school site, Al Shamkha School. The goal at the identified site has been for the
preceding school year and continues to be increasing the use of differentiation via Guided
Reading in classrooms.
Interview Sampling Criterion and Rationale
Criterion 1. Participants must work at the target school (Al Shamkha, a public, primary
girls’ school). This site was selected primarily due to its goal of increasing the use of
differentiation in all classrooms and focus on promoting differentiated instruction, as well as,
ease of access and its familiarity as the researcher’s school site. Having been an EMT at this
school site for the preceding 3 years, I had intimate knowledge of the group’s experience,
personal relationships with most EMTs at the school, and unlimited access to the site. These
factors made Al Shamkha an ideal site to examine the KMO factors affecting teachers’ use of
differentiation via Guided Reading.
Criterion 2. Participants must be English medium teachers (EMTs) at the selected school
site. Since the aim of this qualitative study is to provide insight about challenges to the
implementation of differentiated instruction in the English medium subjects, those primarily
tasked with delivering instruction in English, math and science (EMTs) were the most logical
group to provide information that can be used to answer the research question.
Criterion 3. Participants must be using Guided Reading in their English instructional
periods.

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Interview Sampling (Recruitment) Strategy and Rationale
The sampling strategy used was purposeful and convenience. Given the small number of
members (15) in the focus stakeholder group, all English medium teachers (EMTs) at Al
Shamkha School were invited to participate via email and personal invitation from the
researcher. The invitation email included a summary of the purpose of the study, what
information would be collected and how it would be used, a promise of confidentiality of
comments from individual participants, the list of questions to be discussed and what to expect.
One-on-one interviews were postponed until the last few weeks of school, when students were
no longer attending. All teachers, except one, agreed to participate in the research and were
interviewed.
Observation Sampling Criterion and Rationale
Criterion 1. English medium classrooms at the target school (Al Shamkha, a public,
primary girls’ school).
Criterion 2. Typical class period of English language in which guided reading
instruction was occurring.
Criterion 3. Observations were to be scheduled during a period where special needs or
talented students will receive guided reading instruction, to see how the needs of these outliers
are supported. One of the arguments behind incorporating differentiated instruction is to support
the needs of students who are at extreme ends of the academic spectrum.
Observation Sampling (Access) Strategy and Rationale
English medium classrooms were the target setting, as the research looked at barriers to
differentiated instruction via guided reading in such environments. As a teacher at the site in
question, the researcher had relatively unlimited access to the site. Participants were consulted
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 59

one-on-one and asked to identify a suitable day and time for the researcher to view a typical class
period in English where guided reading instruction would occur. Ideally, observations were to
be scheduled during periods where talented or special needs students will receive guided reading
instruction, but given the small window for data collection, observations were scheduled
whenever teachers were willing, and the researcher was available or able to get coverage. Since
permission to conduct the study was received toward the end of the school year, teachers were
invited to schedule time for a classroom observation right away. Observations occurred late in
the third term of the school year, after EMSA testing and just before and right at the start of
Ramadan when school hours were reduced. Given that most observations were scheduled in the
last week or two of student attendance, many EMTs were finished conducting guided reading
groups and focused on conducting one-on-one end-of-year literacy testing. Most EMTs
mentioned this was the case but agreed to conduct guided reading groups and the associated
centers for the period scheduled for observation.

Data Collection and Instrumentation
Data collection methods used included interviews, observations, and document analysis.
One-on-one interviews gave participants the opportunity to share their insight into the factors the
literature suggests may impede the implementation of differentiated instruction. Observations
were used to identify the ways guided reading was being implemented in English medium
classrooms at Al Shamkha School and look for evidence of the concerns raised in the interviews.
Lesson plans from the week the observation was conducted, as well as the grade-level data
analysis and reflection at the end of the unit observed was examined for evidence of how and
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 60

when differentiated instruction was employed in the classroom and to get a feel for its
effectiveness.
Interviews
All English medium teachers (EMTs) at Al Shamkha School were invited to participate
via email and personal invitation from the researcher. The invitation email included a summary
of the purpose of the study, how the information collected would be used, a promise of
confidentiality of comments from individual participants, the list of questions to be discussed and
what to expect. Teachers were invited to schedule time for a one-on-one interview during the
school day after students stopped attending. Teachers who did not respond to the email were
approached in person and asked to schedule an interview time or to decline participation. All but
one teacher agreed to participate and were interviewed.
Interviews were scheduled for 40 minutes (roughly 1 period minus 5 minutes for passing)
but varied from 25 minutes to 90 minutes in length, so a two had to be conducted in two parts
due to time constraints. One interviewee was unwell during her scheduled interview time and,
thus, opted to submit written responses to the interview questions via email. The interviews
were semi-structured, with a protocol to follow, which still allowed the interviewer to probe, as
needed. Teachers were asked to decide whether they preferred the interview be conducted in
their classroom or the researcher’s. Most elected to be interviewed in their own classroom.
The interview protocol consisted of 20 questions. The first 5 were demographic and
straightforward and intended to help participants feel more comfortable before getting into the
more involved questions. The main questions related to the knowledge (declarative and
procedural), motivation (attribution, utility value and emotional climate), and organization-
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 61

related factors (alignment, feedback, and organizational silence) impacting teachers’ use of
differentiation via guided reading. See the Interview Protocol in Appendix A.
Observation
One 20 to 40-minute observation was conducted with each participating English medium
teacher and the Head of Faculty, who was conducting guided reading groups with students pull
out for an intervention program. The focus of each observation was on teacher moves and
classroom organization that evidenced differentiation for individualized student needs. The
observation protocol used was a combination of the Classroom Observation Scales – Revised
(COS-R) (VanTassel-Baska, et al., 2012), which was designed to identify and assess the
effectiveness of strategies for differentiating instruction in the classroom and the Guided Reading
Self-Assessment (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996). The scale used in the COS-R has been shown to be
highly reliable in three studies (α = .91 to .93) (VanTassel-Baska, et al., 2012). The Guided
Reading Self-Assessment (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996) is a tool for assessing one’s progress in
implementing the key aspects of Guided Reading. The observation data relates directly to the
metacognitive knowledge portion of my conceptual framework, as observation is the best way to
see if teachers know how to put the knowledge of differentiation, specifically in Guided Reading,
to use. The observations allowed a first-hand view of the strategies teachers choose to use in the
classroom context. Find the Observation Protocol in Appendix B.
Documents and Artifacts
The English lesson plans for the week in which the study-related observation was
conducted was collected from the Head of Faculty, who collected lesson plans weekly.
Additionally, copies of the grade level assessment reporting forms for the outcomes assessed
during selected weeks was collected from the Head of Faculty. Teachers at each grade level
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 62

regularly completed assessment reporting forms for each outcome taught on which they
compiled each class’ student assessment results for the outcome and wrote a brief analysis of the
data, reflecting specifically on the strategies used and what should be changed the next time the
unit is taught. Collected lesson plans were analyzed for the evidence of differentiation and the
types of differentiation employed. Grade Level Assessment Reporting Forms were analyzed for
evidence of the level of work quality and/or student achievement during the weeks the
observations were conducted in order to gain an understanding of the level of student
achievement and type of teacher reflection that was occurring during that time. Emails sent to all
English medium teachers (EMTs) regarding guided reading expectations were also be analyzed
for their insight into the organizational factor of alignment. Additionally, the tone of the emails
was assessed for its ability to provide evidence regarding the emotional climate for EMTs on
campus.
Data Analysis
The data analysis process began during data collection, as analytic memos were written
after most observations and reflective memos were written after selected interviews where I felt
the need to note the tone or some other quality that might not come through in my notes or the
transcripts. After most of the observations, memos documenting my thoughts, concerns, and
initial conclusions about the data in relation to my conceptual framework and research questions
were created. Over the summer, interviews were transcribed using Rev.com, a professional
transcription service. NVivo software was used to organize the interview responses into nodes
grouping answers to the same question and references to the same concepts. In the first phase of
analysis, open coding was used to identify for empirical codes and apply a priori codes from the
conceptual framework. A second phase of analysis was conducted where empirical and a priori
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 63

codes were aggregated into analytic/axial codes. The third phase of data analysis identified
pattern codes and themes that emerged in relation to the conceptual framework and study
questions. Finally, lesson plans and common assessment reflection forms were analyzed for
evidence consistent with the concepts in the conceptual framework.
Credibility and Trustworthiness
Merriam and Tisdell (2016) discuss the importance of credibility in qualitative research,
asserting that study results “are trustworthy to the extent that there has been some rigor in
carrying out the study” (p. 237). To ensure a trustworthy study, sought to provide a clear
research question and detailed descriptions of the methodology, noting how each step relates to
the conceptual framework and research questions. Similarly, the data collected has been
reported as plainly as possible and reflections particularizing the reasoning behind each decision
of the analysis have been documented to allow the reader the logic to follow (Maxwell, 2013).
Member checking, and peer review were used to ensure each step of the research process made
sense and all connections made were logical and accurate and significant information was not
missed or the importance of insignificant data has not been magnified (Maxwell, 2013; Merriam
& Tisdell, 2016). By observing and interviewing all but one relevant participants at the
selected site, I hoped to assure that my sample was representative (Miles, Huberman, and
Saldaña, 2014). Being explicit about my role on site, the aims of the study and ways the two are
interrelated, as well as, submitting my data collection and analysis processes and findings to a
trusted participant for feedback and peer for review was another strategy intended to safeguard
against the impact my participation as researcher would have on the study (Miles, et al., 2014).
Including all but one relevant participants and triangulating data with multiple collection
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 64

methods provided additional safeguards against biases that may develop from my personal
connections to the research site (Maxwell, 2013; Miles, et al., 2014).
Merriam and Tisdell (2016) noted that ensuring the validity and reliability of the data
from planning the study, to data collection, through analysis, and reporting is a significant part of
ethical behavior in research. I attempted to introduce the necessary rigor to warrant an ethical
study by triangulation of data collected through interviews with that obtained via observations
and document analysis.
Ethics
My responsibility to the human subjects included in my research is to behave ethically.
This includes, but is not limited to, not causing harm by asking questions which would bring
discomfort or distress, obtaining informed consent to ensure participation is completely
voluntary, and being respectful to participants by listening to their responses without interruption
and clarifying whether comments made outside of the interview or observation can be included
as “on the record” (Rubin & Rubin, 2012). As Glesne (2011) noted, the roles of the researcher
may introduce ethical dilemmas. As someone who had worked on site for more than 2 years at
the time of data collection, I had personal relationships with most members of the focus
stakeholder group. I made every effort to document ideas and information to be included in the
study and use member checking to avoid including any information obtained through my role as
a friend and colleague that could not be corroborated by information obtained through my role as
a researcher.
To ensure informed consent, participants were also given the choice to decline audio
recording of their interview. Contributors were supplied with an information sheet detailing the
purpose of the research project and explaining what participation would entail. Each volunteer
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 65

retained the right to discontinue participation at any point throughout the study and was
reminded of this at the start of the interview, as noted in the interview protocol. An additional
safeguard for participants was the submission of this study to University of Southern California’s
Institutional Review Board (IRB) for approval, as well as the Research and Planning Office of
the study site’s parent organization for approval, before commencing any data collection.
Ensuring confidentiality of individual participant responses was difficult to ensure with
such a small stakeholder group; however, every reasonable effort was made to secure
confidentiality. I have used pseudonyms, removed identifiable demographic information from
interview transcripts and observations before publication, and kept study-related documents with
identifiable information secured in the researcher’s home.
Some personal qualities which may cause bias that I had to account for in this study
included my status as an African-American woman raised by an African-American longtime
teacher who was educated in segregated schools and a Cuban immigrant to America.
Professionally, I had been an educator for over 17 years, had worked with students who were
English Learners most of that time, and had received specialized training to support such
students in the classroom. While these identities have played a role in the inception of this study,
they also may have introduced bias that I strived to identify and name throughout the process.
Assumptions I entered this study with which significantly impacted the study design and
analysis included:
● All students can learn if given appropriate support to meet their individual needs.
● English Learners (students who are not native English-speakers) need support
unique to their English fluency when receiving instruction in English.
● Teacher moves have a significant impact on student performance.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 66

● Differentiated instructional strategies can positively affect student academic
performance if employed correctly and consistently.
● Differentiated instructional strategies have been underutilized by teachers at the
site of analysis.
● Teachers generally try to do what they feel is best for their students.
Ways I planned to keep these assumptions in check and ensure my research findings are
valid included the following:
Rich descriptions. By seeking to provide highly detailed descriptions, I aimed to give
readers enough detail to thoroughly understand the context and make sense of my deductions and
conclusions (Maxwell, 2013).
Triangulation. I used multiple methods of data collection and considered evidence
arising from interviews, observations, and document analysis to look for ideas that were
corroborated by multiple sources (Maxwell, 2013; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Respondent validation. I got feedback from interview and observation subjects about
whether interpretations make sense (Maxwell, 2013; Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Discrepant evidence. By looking for evidence that did not fit proposed explanations and
negative examples of identified phenomena, I hoped to ensure I considered all possible
explanations and arrived at the most accurate conclusions (Maxwell, 2013).
Researcher reflection. By keeping a log of my personal reactions and thoughts through
each step of the process, I hoped to identify and acknowledge whenever my personal biases may
have influenced my conclusions and think through what may have been missed or
overemphasized thus (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 67

Peer review. A knowledgeable colleague reviewed the evidence and findings to identify
anything I may have missed and verified that my conclusions make sense. Additionally, the
committee reviews inherent in the dissertation approval process provided another forum for
critical feedback (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016).
Finally, my responsibility as a researcher included providing some reciprocity to my
study’s participants, when possible (Glesne, 2011). My hope was that the results of this research
would lead to better understanding of the problem and, ultimately, improved conditions for
teachers and students that will result in improved student academic performance.
Limitations and Delimitations
Some limitations of this research may have been respondent truthfulness,
misunderstandings due to language variations from country to country and teacher perception.
Factors out of my control may have impacted whether participants felt comfortable being
completely forthcoming during interviews, especially those held at the school site. I conducted
interviews on student-free days and in a private location, when possible, to encourage honest and
open responses and reduce the threat of the interview being overhead. Similarly, there may be
subtle variations in terminology and usage that may have impeded clarity or correctness at the
data collection and analysis stages.
Language posed another limitation. Although most EMTs are native English speakers,
the EMT population is varied and participants came from a number of different countries or parts
of the world with different educational approaches. Also, the connotations of certain terms vary
from country to country. I asked for more details and examples whenever possible to help
circumvent this difficulty. Finally, as mentioned in my literature review, teacher perception can
be influenced by many factors that will not be identified. To get around this limitation, I tried to
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triangulate information, where possible, with information gathered during observation or
document analysis.
Delimitations, or conscious decisions I made during the study that limited possible
information collected, narrowed possible solutions but made the project more manageable and
completion more likely. Due to the nature of the study and teachers, in general, I acknowledged
the need to stay constructive and not allow the interviews to become complaint sessions. I tried
to do this by maintaining the time limits set and ensuring the questions posed in interviews were
focused on only that which elicited information pertaining to differentiation, guided reading and
my Conceptual Framework. Another delimitation was the time spent on data collection and
number of observations conducted. These were limited to one 20- to 40-minute observation per
teacher of those willing to participate. Finally, I acknowledge that some ideas that may
illuminate the problem or a possible solution might have been lost by limiting study participants
to English speakers, but note that a similar effect may have resulted from introducing translation
into the process.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 69

CHAPTER

FOUR:

RESULTS

AND

FINDINGS
The purpose of this study was to conduct a gap analysis to examine the knowledge,
motivation and organizational influences which hinder the use of differentiated instruction
through guided reading in English medium classrooms. The questions that guided this
investigation were the following:
● What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational elements that interfere
with English medium teachers’ ability to fully implement differentiation through
guided reading consistently?
● What are the recommended knowledge, motivation, and organizational solutions?
Assumed interfering influences stemming from the literature were systematically
examined via interviews, observations, and document analysis. The stakeholder group of focus
in this analysis was English Medium teachers as they were primarily responsible for providing
differentiated instruction via guided reading in English language classes. Members of the
stakeholder group at Al Shamkha School were observed conducting guided reading groups in
their classrooms and provided lesson for English classes during the week of observation for
document analysis. Each English teacher also participated in a one-on-one interview. The
remainder of this chapter details key characteristics of participating stakeholders, highlights the
knowledge, motivation, and organizational findings, sharing representative and interesting
examples from observations, interviews and the lesson plans analyzed, and explains the
implications of the findings for future practice.
Participating Stakeholders
All but one of the 15 English medium teachers and the Head of Faculty at Al Shamkha at
the time of data collection participated in the study. One teacher opted out, citing personal
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 70

reasons. Most study participants were trained in native English-speaking countries, such as the
United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and South Africa. One
English teacher was trained in the United Arab Emirates. Participating teachers had an average
of 11 years of experience and had taught in UAE for an average of 4 years. Given the heavy
turnover and that most teachers entered the United Arab Emirates at that time with two- or three-
year contracts, having an English staff where most were in their 4
th
or further year was notable.
All Participating teachers had an average of 204 hours of training in differentiation. Participants
had as many as 300 hours specifically in Guided Reading and as little as 2 hours, with an average
of 81 hours in Guided Reading training. Based on the amount of training in Guided Reading,
teachers were categorized into one of three categories: Minimal Preparation (M), Substantial
Preparation (S), Extensive Preparation (E). Those designated as Minimal had 10 or fewer hours
of training in Guided Reading. Teachers with more than 10 hours but less than 100 were
designated as having received Substantial preparation. Finally, those teachers with 100 or more
hours of Guided Reading Training were designated as having received Extensive preparation.

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Table 6
Research Participants
Teacher 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Country
Trained for
Teaching
UA
E
SA NZ AUS
CA
N
SA UK US
A
(CA
)
SA SA USA
(WI)
NZ UK
(Eng
)
USA
(ND)
USA
(OK)
Total Years
Taught
5 5 12 5 9 7 7 24 3 15 15 7 19 22
Years
Taught in
UAE
5 2 4.
5
4 7 3 5 9 0.2 3 2 4 5 6
Hours
Differentiation
Training

4 8 20 40 45 45 100 14
0
100 100
0
70
0
100 250 300
Hours GR
Training
2 3 6 30 30 6 100 10 100 100 30
0
100 150 200
Preparation M M M S S M E M E E E E E E

Findings
This section examines evidence from observations, interviews and document analysis that
directly addresses the research question: What are the knowledge, motivation, and organizational
elements that interfere with English medium teachers’ ability to fully implement differentiation
through guided reading consistently? In short, the lack of clarity regarding how Guided Reading
is to be conducted has resulted in a dearth of knowledge that may prevent some teachers from
consistently implementing Guided Reading. This problem has been compounded by the fact that
teachers have felt they received little to no feedback specifically addressing the quality of their
Guided Reading instruction. The amount and quality of the feedback given was an
organizational issue, as was the presence of organizational silence. Organizational silence was a
cultural model influence that impacted communication as well as motivation. Finally, there were
enough teachers that attributed student performance to student characteristics, such as language
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proficiency and cultural background, to suggest attribution may have an influence on teacher
motivation.
This section will explore the first research question regarding the knowledge, motivation,
and organizational influences impacting the implementation of Guided Reading at Al Shamkha
School considering interviews, observations, and document analysis findings. The knowledge,
motivational and organizational influences that may have interfered with teachers’ ability to
implement Guided Reading consistently included a weak or unclear understanding of specific
strategies for furthering student reading fluency, scarcity of high quality feedback, the presence
of organizational silence, and attributing student performance to inherent characteristics. Each of
these factors may have influenced teacher motivation for starting or continuing Guided Reading
instruction. The second research question regarding recommended solutions will be addressed in
Chapter Five.
Knowledge Findings
In addressing the research question, a key concept was determining whether teachers at
Al Shamkha had the declarative, procedural and metacognitive knowledge necessary to
implement a Guided Reading program in their classrooms. To determine this, interview
questions and an observation protocol were developed to assess whether teachers knew what to
do as well as how to do it.
Declarative knowledge findings. Interview questions were asked to determine teachers’
understanding of differentiation, Guided Reading, and best practices for supporting English
Learners. When asked to define differentiation and detail what it entails, most of the teachers
interviewed were able to provide a working definition of differentiation, noting teachers can vary
tasks, resources and assessments to better support student needs. Similarly, teachers articulated
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how Guided Reading provided support to students at their various levels of reading proficiency.
The lesson plans and other planning documents provided additional evidence that teachers were
focused on helping students at different levels of reading proficiency move students forward.
Few teachers, however, mentioned using strategies that were particularly useful for English
Learners.
Defining differentiation. Most teachers defined differentiation as “meeting students
where they’re at ability-wise” (Teacher #10, n.d.). Ten of the 14 teachers interviewed defined
differentiation as relating to supporting the individual needs of each student. One teacher
articulated the need for using the knowledge of students’ current academic performance to
determine their next steps, “Knowing where the child is working at and knowing the next step
that that child needs to take in order to meet the objectives (Teacher #11, n.d.).” This notion that
student data determines future planning was mentioned by seven other teachers, who all noted
their kidwatching notes informed the next steps for each Guided Reading group.
In addition to catering to student needs, some teachers referred to differentiation as
varying tasks, assessments and resources. “I can differentiate with what kind of resources they
use, the number charts, manipulatives. I can differentiate the tasks that I've given them, so the
assignment. I can differentiate the expectations that I expect from them,” (Teacher #13, n.d.).
Most teacher’s lesson plans included varied tasks and/or assessments for multiple levels of
proficiency. The lesson plan format includes a box for a differentiated activity block in each
lesson. Based on the lesson plans collected, this is where most teachers listed what they planned
for Guided Reading groups. Some plans were sparse, only listing which center each group
would be in that day. Other plans were detailed, noting the skill and/or High Frequency Words
to be reviewed with the group.
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Figure 3. Grade 2 Lesson Plan Excerpt

This lesson plan from a Grade 2 classroom shows planning for varied tasks for 5 different
leveled groups and shows how students at each level will be assessed. This break down of tasks
and success criteria for multiple levels was common throughout the lesson plans collected.
Observations confirmed that the lesson plans accurately described how most teachers were
delivering reading instruction.
In addition to the formal English lesson plans that all teachers utilized, all teachers were
required to use a document that detailed various skills taught or observed via Guided Reading.
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Figure 4. Guided Reading Tracking Sheet

Most teachers used this to record kidwatching notes during Guided Reading sessions and score
aspects of student fluency, comprehension, and behaviors associated with good readers. Some
teachers used this to record the book they planned to use with a group and highlighted the skills
on which they intended to focus.
Seventy-one percent of teachers interviewed were able to articulate a definition of
differentiation that showed awareness of the need to support students’ individualized needs. All
of the lesson plans collected showed differentiation of tasks, assessments, support or resources
for three to five different levels of students. Classroom observations confirmed that all teachers
were differentiating for different student groups through varied tasks, assessments, support, or
resources.
Throughout the classroom observations, I consistently saw leveled groups of four to six
students engaged in tasks that appeared appropriate for their current literacy skills. The Guided
Reading lessons seemed targeted to focus on the skills the students in that group needed to access
the selected text. When observed, teacher #10 noted that the group which whom she was
meeting was learning to identify words with silent letters and they were reading about sound,
which was also the current topic being studied in science. As they read the book, Sound, the
teacher jotted down words (all mispronounced) on a whiteboard as one child read. The words
included pluck and listen. The teacher prompted the student to sound out pluck and asked the
students if they knew the word. When several shook their heads to indicated no, she pulled out a
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rubber band, stretched it across her fingers and demonstrated plucking. She then asked each
child at the table to pluck the rubber band. The teacher quickly moved on to listen, asking
students to identify the silent letter in that word. This focused and responsive approach to small
group instruction was representative of the Guided Reading lessons I observed throughout the
English classes.
The evidence collected through interviews, observations and document analysis
suggested that Al Shamkha English teachers had a solid understanding of differentiation as a
concept and were making efforts to plan ways to accommodate for the needs of students at
multiple levels.
English Learner Support. The only high impact strategies for English Learners
mentioned by multiple teachers, most of whom had substantial or extensive training in
differentiation, was the need for structure, repetition and procedures.
I have to be organized. We have a classroom plan. Everyone knows what they're doing with their
reading. Then kids would be in their own centers. All the other groups would be doing some kind
of centers at their level that's doable by themselves or with their peers. (Teacher #7, n.d.).
This quote was typical of the comments made in interviews, as 64% of the teachers interviewed
seemed aware of the importance of getting students working independently so they could
conduct Guided Reading groups uninterrupted. The need for structure that allows for students
experiencing instruction in an additional language to anticipate what to expect in class supports
research findings around cognitive load, which asserts that learning is enhanced when strategies
to decrease extraneous cognitive load are implemented (Kirshner, Kirshner, & Paas, 2006).
One teacher, described how she tries to give all students multiple, varied experiences, front-load
new vocabulary and tie it to something concrete to increase students’ understanding.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 77

…revisiting and repeating things, often try and find different ways of communicating the
same thing if they don't understand, ideally giving them experiences beforehand,
particularly with these children, so that you're developing that vocabulary before they go
ahead and, if you're going to read a book, give them the tools to be able to read that book.
(Teacher #11, n.d.).
All the strategies mentioned would serve to help students manage intrinsic load (Mayer, 2011) or
decrease cognitive load (Kirshner et al., 2006), goals in line with research-based best practices
for English Learners (Gersten & Baker, 2000). Comments like that of Teacher #11, which cited
multiple strategies for supporting English Learners, were rare. This suggests that other teachers
may not know which strategies are particularly helpful for their English Learning students.
All but one of the teachers interviewed were aware that the students at Al Shamkha
needed more support than students they have had in their predominately English-speaking home
countries, but few could articulate how best to provide that scaffolding.
With this group, with this age level, I like everything to be center-based, hands on,
developmentally appropriate, try to get as much one-on-one time as I can as possible with
a classroom of 24 and one teacher and, again, with the language barrier. We do a lot of
peer tutoring going on in here, and I have those girls who are well in English to be my
translators (Teacher #14, n.d.).
Peer tutoring, or student translators were frequently mentioned as the fall back when teachers felt
students were not understanding. Peer tutoring, cooperative learning and other opportunities for
strategic use of students’ native language are also strategies associated with helping English
learners access content (Gersten & Baker, 2000). Social interaction strategies like peer tutoring
and cooperative learning were only mentioned by three teachers, all of whom had extensive
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training in differentiation, as a strategy for differentiating instruction to better meet student
needs. Only half of the English teachers at Al Shamkha mentioned or demonstrated knowledge
of how best to support those student needs associated with English Language acquisition.
Procedural knowledge findings. While most teachers could articulate a definition for
differentiation and how it should look in Guided Reading, all but two of the teachers interviewed
expressed a desire for a better understanding of how best to maximize those short instructional
periods. Only two teachers, both of whom had extensive training in guided reading, were
confident that what they were doing was the most effective way to develop each group’s reading
skills.
Differentiation strategies. When asked which strategies they used to effectively support
the needs of each child, three teachers mentioned social interaction strategies, such as peer
tutoring. Four teachers stated that they used activities students could do independently or those
which were engaging for students. Most teachers associated differentiation with meeting with
small groups of students, a prospect which requires other students in class to be otherwise
engaged or have a way to get any needed support without needing to go to the teacher. One
teacher explained, “they have to have really engaging activities for you to have guided reading
taking place successfully. Because if they’re making a noise then you can’t focus on your
guided reading” (Teacher #2, n.d.). The focus seemed to be on ways to manage and engage the
other children in the room effectively, so small group support could happen, rather than detailing
how students reading proficiency was furthered through small-group instruction.
Guided Reading strategies. When asked about the strategies they employed in order to
ensure Guided Reading happened regularly, six teachers brought up blocking their schedule to
have a chunk of time they could dedicate to the process.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 79

I have actually combined two periods to ensure that I have everything set up to do it. And
it just happened every single Tuesday because I changed my schedule in that way. That to
me was like the best way to ensure I was actually gonna do it. Was to combine two 45-
minute periods and to just kind of have this seamless long block that I can meet with
every group (Teacher #10, n.d.).
All English Medium teachers saw each class for three consecutive periods each day. Teachers
were given flexibility to organize those periods how they saw fit as long as each class was
getting six sessions of English, five sessions of math, and four sessions of science. The freedom
to plan a double period for seeing Guided Reading groups was important to some teachers.
Data collection for Guided Reading. The question about information collected in
relation to Guided Reading elicited very similar answers from all 14 teachers interviewed. The
data teachers were required to submit early in the year and at the end of every term included the
running record level from Reading A to Z, number of High Frequency words (from a list of 500
words, 100 each for grades 1-5, predetermined by the district) students could identify, and
number of the 58 letter sounds associated with Song of Sounds levels 1 and 2.
I have a sheet that has every single sound on it and I check off as students know that
sound. …just knowing their actual reading level. Doing running records. Checking if
their level went up or not. Also, I would actually have them answering comprehension
question independently sometimes and collect that and check that and look over if they
understood what we're doing. And what high frequency words they know. And ... I don't
know what else. Well and just some notations of if they're mixing ... What are they
having difficulty with in terms of the sounds? If they're mixing B and D or they're having
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 80

a problem with silent letter words or ... Making actual annotations during guided reading.
(Teacher #10, n.d.).
As this teacher mentions, all but one teacher discussed using running records results for creating
and reorganizing student groups throughout the year. Other data, mainly kidwatching notes
collected during Guided Reading, was used to guide planning for each group and document
student progress. Although I observed only eight of the 14 participants taking kidwatching notes
during their Guided Reading lessons, all teachers observed could produce multiple pages of
kidwatching notes from previous sessions. There was ample evidence that teachers were using
student literacy data to regularly inform their Guided Reading instruction, a significant
component of any Guided Reading instructional program (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996).
Metacognitive knowledge findings. Teachers showed their ability to reflectively
address student needs through the selection of appropriate texts, the teaching decisions made
throughout the Guided Reading session, and the independent or group learning activities selected
for other groups during Guided Reading. This was most evident during observations, so these
teacher behaviors were in included in the observation protocol. For each of the areas listed on
the Observation Protocol, I used the following criteria to determine whether the described area
was implemented effectively, somewhat effectively, or ineffectively: Effective – evidence of the
described component was observed and appeared to aid students’ ability to successfully navigate
the assigned activity independently; Somewhat Effective – evidence of the described component
was observed and appeared to aid students’ ability to navigate the assigned activity, however a
noticeable amount of students did not appear to do so successfully or independently; Ineffective
– evidence of the described component was observed but did not appear to help students navigate
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the assigned activity. Details of actual numbers and ratings of each behavior observed can be
found in Appendix E. Observation Summary.
The observations confirmed that most Al Shamkha English teachers had a solid
understanding of the logistics of Guided Reading, but few fully implemented the more refined
facets of the strategy. Areas such as appropriate materials, text selection, classroom
management, lesson management, as well as high expectations, opportunity and support for all
students were identified as implemented effectively or somewhat effectively in 100% of the
classrooms observed. Effective examples were observed less consistently in aspects of Guided
Reading or differentiation that tended to be not as well-defined, such as teaching decisions to
incorporate powerful teaching points during reading (observed in 50% of classrooms),
encouraging student reflection (observed in 43% of classrooms), and high-level questioning
(observed in 21% of classrooms).
The finer aspects of reading instruction were not seen as frequently during observations.
This may have been due to the timing as all observations were conducted in the final weeks of
the school year when many teachers were using that time to conduct one-on-one reading and
phonics tests, rather than meeting small groups for Guided Reading. Many teachers taught a
Guided Reading lesson for my observation, so there may have been less preparation or lead up
than what would have been observed during other times in the school year.
One observation exemplified this need for a more detailed understanding of how to
improve students’ reading skills. Teacher #8’s lesson was focused on using punctuation,
specifically full stops, to aid in fluency. She encouraged students to read each page of The
Tortoise and the Hare silently and then read it again aloud, attending to the full stops with a
pause long enough for a breath. Each student managed to do this easily. However, when she
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began to ask comprehension questions, it became clear several of the students did not understand
what was happening in the story.
T: What made him laugh?
S1: He said, “I know something funny?”
T: What was funny?
S2: The race?
S3: The running?
T: I see when you are reading, you are not understanding. You must think about what
you are reading. (The teacher’s voice raises a bit.) What was he laughing at?
S1: The tortoise?
T: Why were they laughing at the tortoise? You must read again.
All students reread the page to themselves.
T: What were they laughing about.
S1: The tortoise was slow. (Except from observation of Teacher #8, 2017).
Although one student eventually figured out why the animals in the story were laughing, I
wondered whether the teacher might have incorporated another strategy besides reread to help
students understand what was happening in the story. My presence may have also made it more
difficult for the teacher to think of other ways to get the students to make sense of the text.
This and other teachers noted the need for more strategies and coaching to help them become
more proficient in supporting student reading development. Teacher #10 mentioned in her
interview that, when given a survey from school administrators about what was needed to
improve Guided Reading, she asked for a list of teachers who were doing it well, so she could
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make plans to observe a solid lesson to know what it should look like. There was clearly a need
for more a more detailed understanding of how to equip students to become better readers.
Mixed messages regarding guided reading instruction. Teachers at Al Shamkha knew
what to do in terms of general expectations of a Guided Reading lesson, but there was evidence
suggesting a need for a finer understanding of which skills to focus on to help students at various
levels make progress. The expectations regarding the frequency of Guided Reading lessons and
the basic components of a Guided Reading lesson were clear to all teachers interviewed.
However, the specifics of what should be happening in the small group lessons were unclear for
many.
Motivation Findings
Research findings around the elements associated with motivation – attributions, utility
value, and emotional climate – were explored. Evidence suggesting whether each of the
motivational influences impact Al Shamkha teachers’ likelihood of starting or continuing Guided
Reading implementation were examined. The findings indicated that student characteristics,
such as English proficiency and cultural background were nearly as likely to be attributed for
student achievement as teacher actions, like planning and preparation. The evidence considered
in the next section showed that most teachers found Guided Reading to be a useful strategy for
helping students develop English reading skills. Finally, indicators of school climate, whether
teachers felt their contributions were welcome, recognized, or appreciated and the level of
professional safety, suggested the school is not necessarily a safe space for teachers. Comments
from teachers indicated that, although many felt unrecognized and unappreciated by the
administration and that professional safety was low, teachers supported and encouraged one
another and the benefit to students outweighed the risks to trying out new strategies.
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 84

Attributions. More than half of the English teachers at Al Shamkha recognized their
role in student success or failure. When asked to which they primarily attribute student success
or failure, one teacher’s response was “the classroom environment relationship with the teacher
and their peers. The preparation of the lessons and the activities” (Teacher #13, n.d.). 57% of
teachers, all but one of whom had moderate or extensive training in differentiated instruction,
mentioned factors that fall within a teacher’s control, such as teacher preparation and planning,
classroom environment and relationships with students and parents.
Nearly half of the English teachers attributed student success or failure to characteristics
associated with students, their culture or community. One teacher noted “…attendance. I would
say that's extremely important …. I would say their level of English and if their parents value
education or not, kind of, too, for how motivated they are and how much they care about their
studies” (Teacher #10, n.d.). As is apparent in this teacher’s comments, the belief that student
success or failure was primarily impacted by their level of English proficiency, parents value of
education and student attendance was held by other teachers. Of the seven teachers that
mentioned student characteristics, three also mentioned at least one teacher controlled factor as
responsible for student performance. Although most teachers identified the importance of their
role in student success or failure, the fact that half of the staff, including some of those who
mentioned teacher responsibility in student performance, mentioned student characteristics
suggests half of the English teaching staff can opt not to adjust their teaching to better
accommodate student needs if they perceive the group as low due to their limited English
proficiency.
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Student characteristics and attributions. Half of the teachers interviewed attributed
student success or failure with student personal characteristics, such as language fluency or
cultural background.
I would say it's their level of English. The differing levels of English that we have in the
classroom, really decides on how well they're going to achieve the outcome. Especially
with science. The science level comes down to their English level because if they don't
understand the vocabulary they can't achieve what you want them to. That's something
that I've struggled with, trying to get them to do well in science. It comes down to their
vocab, their English level (Teacher #12, n.d.).
This teacher, whose training in differentiation and Guided Reading was extensive, was
convinced that her students’ English proficiency was the deciding factor about whether they
were successful or not, particularly in vocabulary rich science.
Other teachers, all of whom have taught in the Emirati children for 4 or more years,
discussed language proficiency as another tool that makes it easier for girls who have more skill.
One teacher articulated it as, “the girls who have a good grasp of English have an advantage,
because they haven't got that barrier to begin with” (Teacher #3, n.d.). In the same vein, the
assumption is those with less English proficiency have a disadvantage that will make success
more difficult.
Another teacher felt the issue was more of a reflection of student’s home culture. She
discussed the consistency with which students are attempting to apply the skills learned in school
and pondered whether students might be more successful if they were reading more at home.
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There's something missing, maybe, in the culture, even. Just like the parents don't have a
love of reading so the kids don't have. There are no books, maybe, in Arabic that they can
remember from their child to that they want to read with the kids (Teacher #5, n.d.).
The teacher went on to mention that libraries were a fairly new thing in the area and the recent
government promotion of reading were indicators that there was an awareness of the problem
and efforts were being made to rectify it. This notion that reading just was not a part of the local
culture and students who read less at home were less likely to be successful was shared by one
other teacher.
A different teacher agreed the home culture impacted student success, but felt it was
more about the level of parental involvement than the prevalence of reading in the home.
I think there’s not a lot of parental involvement with the kids and then they just, some of
them just lost interest in… so excited to read, to take a book home, and to share it with
their parents and then I think parental involvement it hampers their growth. It’s just
difficult for me as a teacher to get the parents also to help me because parents they don’t
realize their importance (Teacher #8, n.d.).
The teacher cited the initial excitement among her students about taking books home and how
quickly that died down after the first week when few parents had signed to indicate they had
listened to their child read.
The idea that parental involvement, or lack thereof, was considered responsible for
student success or failure may impact teacher performance, never-the-less. Not attributing
success or failure to factors within one’s control is inherently demotivating and may have
discouraged some teachers from starting or maintaining a Guided Reading program. The fact
that some teachers associated student performance with the child’s language proficiency suggests
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a lack of knowledge regarding strategies for supporting English Learners. Such strategies, if
implemented, may reduce the number of teachers who felt language proficiency or cultural
background was a major determinant of student success.
Utility Value. Most teachers at Al Shamkha had high praise for Guided Reading and
found it to be useful in developing student reading skills, demonstrating student progress, and
classroom management. One teacher described the impact of Guided Reading on her students in
this way:
Every 2 or 3 weeks I would try a level up for those groups - I found success in 4/5 groups
on a continuous basis. For my top groups, I saw them using strategies I had taught in
guided reading to complete other activities in the classroom, (Teacher #4, n.d.).
Comments like this one were typical from the Al Shamkha English teachers interviewed. A
couple of teachers noted a marked change in student progress when they started to use Guided
Reading more consistently. When asked how useful Guided Reading was, Teacher #10 shared,
“I found it very useful. I didn't do it very often last year, and this year I did notice a big
difference in the gains that they made in their reading level. I mean, who wouldda thunk it, if
you're reading that your reading level goes up?” Similarly, another teacher discussed how she
was surprised to see even her lowest students making noticeable progress, which was atypical.
Definitely this year, with all the improvements and focus on it, it's gone well, I think. I
can definitely see a lot more girls this year improving their reading than previous years,
as a trend.... Even the low group’s making progress, where I didn't really see that, before
(Teacher #5, n.d.).
This idea that even children who typically struggle were showing improvement speaks to the
point of differentiation, to meet each child where they currently are and bring her forward. One
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teacher touched on this while explaining she felt Guided Reading was so powerful and necessary
for all children.
It's small group where the teacher is able to give one on one. Even though it's in small
group, you're able to give one on one attention to each child. The children get better.
They improve. They achieve. ...20 minutes small group with a teacher is far better than an
hour and 40 minutes with a whole class. It's far more effective. And it's no hiding.
Nobody gets missed out. When you're teaching a whole class, often the well-behaved
children flow through the gaps. There's no gaps in guided sessions. Everyone's focused
on (Teacher #11, n.d.).
As this teacher points out, the students get attention and specific feedback they rarely get during
whole-class instruction. Overall, 86% of English teachers interviewed at Al Shamkha shared a
comment or example that identified Guided Reading as responsible for the gains recently
measured in English reading levels.
Emotional Climate. The emotional climate at Al Shamkha was determined by the extent
to which English teachers felt their contributions were welcome, recognized, or appreciated, as
well as the level of professional safety for teachers. Emotional climate was assessed to identify
whether and how it impacted teachers’ motivation to implement Guided Reading.
Contributions. Most teachers felt their contribution at Al Shamkha was welcome, albeit
conditionally.
I think we have an idea we are listened to. I don't know it ever is put into practice. Then
there's also certain people, higher-ups, that have their ideas and that's the way it's going to
be. Even if they're not in the classroom, that's what they decided. It's not as if they won't
listen to you. They will listen to you. Although, there have been some teachers that have
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had a lot of ideas and then almost been too opinionated are seen to be, maybe, too
opinionated…. I think. That hasn't helped them here. (Teacher #5, n.d.).
The sentiment that teacher suggestions were welcomed when offered with the proper deference
was shared by five teachers.
Only three teachers felt their contributions were recognized and just two thought their
offerings to the school community were appreciated. One teacher noted that, although English
teachers work quite hard on campus, she felt the negative was often highlighted.
I feel like most of the feedback we have is negative, unfortunately, but we do work hard,
and I feel like the things that are picked out all the time, it's things that aren't happening.
Maybe I just haven't seen it, I don't know. Very rarely, we'll get a little thumbs-up for
something and, “thank you we appreciate you.” (Teacher, n.d.).
Half of the teachers interviewed mentioned they felt the English Head of Faculty and Academic
Vice Principal noticed their efforts but that administration, overall, did not recognize or
appreciate the efforts of English teachers on campus. As one teacher noted, “We're not really
valued, and our knowledge isn't valued in any way. We don't have an opportunity to really share
what we know on a whole school level. We're not really given, what's the word, autonomy,” (Al
Shamkha Teacher, n.d.). Although, many felt school administration did not appreciate their
efforts, they did feel those who they saw regularly and are most impacted by their work –
coworkers, direct supervisors, and students – recognized and appreciated it. When asked if her
contribution to the school was appreciated, one teacher stated it was.
By my team, by students, by certain students, by the Head of Faculty and the people who
we work closely with, maybe, they appreciate what we do. That we try our best in the
situation we're in and try to have a good attitude and that kind of thing. I think they do.
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They do appreciate it, but maybe certain others just think of you are doing your job. You
get your salary. That's how they see. (Teacher #5, n.d.).
This idea that one’s salary is enough and no pats on the back were due was shared by three
teachers, who felt they did not need recognition or appreciation. One teacher articulated this
idea, “I just take it for granted that it is appreciated. I don't expect anything, to be honest with
you. How do you show appreciation? They're letting me do my job. I get paid,” (Teacher #11,
n.d.). Another teacher noted that she felt her team appreciated what she had to offer and that was
enough. Overall, although few stated they felt recognized or appreciated, English teachers at Al
Shamkha appeared to get enough confirmation for their efforts from their students, direct
supervisors and each other to continue working hard to implement Guided Reading.
Professional safety. Professional safety can be defined as job security or the extent to
which one is seen and treated as a professional. Twelve teachers rated professional safety at Al
Shamkha with a 3 or lower on a scale of 10 high and 1 low. Many teachers cited not feeling as if
they were trusted as the reason for the low rating. One teacher explained,
Everything's under lock and key. Everything is under lock and key. There's not a lot of
trust, and that makes the job very hard. So, when it comes to resources in that or things to
help you deliver an effective program, yeah, having to chase around a key and find the
person, it's not a lot of trust there (Teacher #11, n.d.).
The idea that resources teachers needed regularly were locked up and a key had to be located in
order to get them was a point of contention for English teachers. Another teacher gave the
example of asking for paper and being asked why she needed it. The idea that English teachers
were not perceived as trusted colleagues was further cemented by a teacher who shared an
experience of being forced to bring a gift for and apologize to a child that accused her of an
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offense which was never articulated. She shared that later she discovered that the parent had
visited the school to speak with her three times but was not allowed to speak with her as she was
in class, but that she was not informed the parent had even come by until after the angry parent
went to the organization’s headquarters to complain. The teacher was never told exactly what
the child said she did or asked to explain why she thought the child was upset, but was required
to apologize nevertheless. This notion that English teachers were not trustworthy or entitled to a
clear explanation and the opportunity to defend themselves when accused was unnerving for that
teacher. Another teacher noted, “I have decided to leave this campus, and teaching, due to the
sheer lack of respect, lack of safety, lack of professional development, etc. on this campus,”
(Teacher #4, n.d.). The lack of professional safety for English teachers on campus invoked deep
emotions and concern by all who felt it was an issue.
Six teachers noted that the lack of professional safety made it difficult to grow
professionally. Five teachers stated that they still try new strategies in the classroom, regardless
of the emotional climate on campus because that was what was best for their students. “The
thing of it, the stakeholders are the children, and I don't want to rip them off. And I'm not the
teacher I want to be. I will always strive to be the [best] teacher, regardless of management,”
(Teacher #11, n.d.). Others shared this sentiment that the students deserved their best,
regardless.
Two teachers said they sometimes felt, “Why bother?” but their actions in the classroom
suggested they were still putting in effort to ensure their students received consistent instruction.
The classroom observations provided evidence that all teachers implemented Guided Reading at
some point, as students knew what to do. Although the consensus was that professional safety
on campus was relatively low and the evidence from interviews suggested it was impacting
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motivation, as only 35% of English teachers at Al Shamkha stated they were committed to
implementing strategies, like Guided Reading, which they felt would help their students learn
nevertheless, the fact that all classrooms operated as if Guided Reading was part of the normal
routine suggested that teachers managed to overcome this hinderance.
Organizational Findings
Findings related to organizational influences hypothesized to impact the likelihood of
teachers conducting Guided Reading – feedback, alignment, and organizational silence – were
examined. The findings suggested that many teachers felt feedback was not sufficient enough to
reassure them their guided reading program was running correctly. In terms of alignment, most
teachers felt the expectations around Guided Reading were aligned with the school’s mission.
There was a lack of clarity around the role of the Common Formative Assessment process in
helping the school meet its mission. Finally, there was evidence of organization silence on
campus and clear indication that it has hindered communication, particularly with administration,
and impeded critical conversations which may be necessary for continued progress.
Feedback. Five teachers noted that they had gotten little to no feedback from
administrative walkthroughs regarding Guided Reading.
I don't think I got a lot of feedback. I got a lot of, “this is working, this is good,” like your
session [on necessary components of Guided Reading instruction] in the beginning of the
year. We had that workshop and the guided reading workshop and through ideas there. I
feel like those are things that I was really doing. I think I reflect a lot more, maybe, on my
own practice then maybe the feedback that I get, (Al Shamkha Teacher, n.d.).
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As mentioned in the above comment, several teachers felt their own critical reflection helped
them continue to grow professionally in the absence of constructive feedback from school
administration.
Five teachers who did have examples of feedback received during this past school year
noted the feedback was unspecific or too general to be useful.
We get walkthroughs but it's kind of general feedback, or they're just checking if we're
actually doing it or not and not really telling me what I'm doing a good job on doing or
not. So, yeah, not a lot of support to really ... and guidance to know exactly what's
expected of us (Al Shamkha Teacher, n.d.).
As highlighted in the quote above, the feedback most teachers received was more confirming
whether the components of Guided Reading were present in classes, rather than addressing the
specifics of what was happening within the small group instruction to further student reading
proficiency. This is mainly due to the feedback forms employed by school administrators to
assess Guided Reading that school year, which were mostly checklists. While several teachers
explained the feedback they received was more of a checklist of what they were and were not
doing, five teachers noted feedback as unhelpful because it did not respect student needs or
teacher judgement.
I had a group of students who did not know their sounds. During guided reading, I would
use the time to play sound games to help them learn their sounds. I was told practicing
sounds is not beneficial to students learning how to read and that I must choral read with
them or get them to repeat after me to get them reading…. After week 5 of coral reading
and repeat after me with the same book, students still could not decipher the different
sounds in the book, (Al Shamkha Teacher, n.d.).
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All of the teachers from a particular grade level shared the experience of being told that teaching
phonics was not appropriate during their Guided Reading time. Each teacher expressed
frustration at not having the space to spend time equipping their students with the skills they felt
they needed to successfully decode text.
Feedback that was helpful was described as detailed, offered practical suggestions,
encouraged reflection, and was motivational, qualities the research associated with effective
feedback. Those teachers who related examples of feedback they found to be helpful shared
feedback they had received from the Academic Vice Principal or the English HOF.
Insufficient Feedback. The apparent lack of clarity around Guided Reading instruction
was further compounded by insufficient feedback. Without specific feedback regarding their
performance during Guided Reading instruction, teachers may have been less motivated to
continue implementing the literacy development strategy.
Alignment. Another area of influence related to the organization and its contribution to
the whether Guided Reading is consistently implemented is the extent to which the expectations
around Guided Reading align with the school’s vision. When asked about this, nine teachers
articulated the connection between raising reading scores or skill development via Guided
Reading and the school’s mission statement.
How does it align? You want the children to be literate so that they are successful. If they
can read, they can gather knowledge, so yeah, it goes with innovative leaders, thinkers.
You're exposing them to and equipping them to be able to gather knowledge about the
world around them (Al Shamkha Teacher, n.d.).
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Several teachers saw the implementation of Guided Reading as allowing students to develop
thinking skills and raise reading scores, which most believed was consistent with the mission to
develop educated leaders.
Guided Reading Expectations. Several teachers identified some expectations that were
clear, such as the fact that everyone is expected to use Guided Reading during 2 English periods
a week and the expectation that the schoolwide phonics program be used at the start of those
periods. Most felt they received mixed messages about what exactly should be happening when
the teacher meets with her small group, citing a training where the English HOF modeled choral
reading, walkthroughs in which the head administrator modeled round-robin reading, and yet
another training in which Guided Reading was modeled in Arabic that some noted appeared to
be different still from everything else they had been told. The expectations around conducting
Guided Reading groups and what other students should be doing was unclear to 64% teachers
interviewed.
Impact of Common Formative Assessment. The school’s effort to encourage and
monitor the impact of data analysis on instruction was via the Common Formative Assessment
process, which required grade levels to gather at the end of each unit, tabulate & record student
assessment results and complete a reflection that noted strategies that appeared to work and what
would be done differently next time. Half of teachers interviewed found this process to be
helpful, citing the process confirmed what was and was not working and made them think about
how to approach the concepts the next time. 64% of the teachers interviewed noted that there
was not feedback or follow up from administration, mentioning that the forms were collected and
never discussed again. One teacher shared:
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I know that data analysis for me, I just feel like I need some more explanation of what
happens with it. Then I'll be more motivated to spend a bit more time on it. We have an
end of unit test, we get the marks, we write them in. I just feel like if it was a bit of
information of what do you do with this information we give you, then ... I don't know. I
think that's why am not very motivated (Al Shamkha Teacher, n.d.).
Similarly, another teacher explained that the data analysis probably could be more useful, but
given teachers’ limited time and not having a clear sense of the purpose, it was not worth putting
too much time and energy into the process. Teachers generally associated this process with
subjects other than Guided Reading. Only math and writing were specifically mentioned. Since
the outcomes addressed in Guided Reading were taught all year and not necessarily in a
standalone unit, they were not analyzed using this process. When asked about how reading
related data was used, many teachers mentioned the Kidwatching notes that were taken during
Guided Reading regularly informed their planning and instructional decisions for each small
group.
Organizational silence. In discussing organizational silence, most frequently mentioned
was the lack of clarity from administration and not feeling comfortable asking for clarification or
explanation. Organizational silence acts as barrier to communication, (Morrison, 2015). In the
context of Al Shamkha School, the presence of organizational silence meant teachers were not
feeling able to voice concerns about hinderances to their Guided Reading programs or share
suggestions for removing those hinderances. Teachers shared they were uncomfortable
approaching administration, specifically the principal, even for minor, job-related concerns. One
teacher explained:
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I wanted to know from Mudeera [Arabic for principal], are we gonna’ have the clubs on
the fog day and not getting any kind of response with that. Or just not feeling like you
can call or like you're gonna’ receive a WhatsApp message back. Or if you go in her
office, what kind of mood is she gonna’ be in? You don't want to be the one to ask, but
it's a simple question about scheduling that you should be able to ask. So instead of
asking, what do I do? I just kind of sit back and even though I know what's best for the
students is to not have clubs when we're starting an hour later, but I don't feel comfortable
in being the one to go talk to her about that (Teacher #11, n.d.).
This idea that an employee will refrain from sharing information or insight that may help the
organization better reach its goals is consistent with the research on organizational silence
(Morrison, 2015). Several teachers noted they felt the need to tread carefully when approaching
certain administrators.
If you don’t agree with something it’s safe not to share it, that is I mean we know that
loud and clear you…if you’re in disagreement with the principal you should not share it
on a forum, you should rather do it one to one with her, because of the culture, so you
know, so that is off limits, you don’t voice your opinion in a big forum like a meeting and
that kind of thing, especially if you disagree… (Teacher #8, n.d.).
This notion that disagreeing with a supervisor in a group setting is in line with the culturally-
influenced notion of power distance, which is higher in the U.A.E. than in most Western
countries, such as the U.S. (2015, itim International & The Hofstede Centre). Employees who
are culturally different form their managers was associated with higher likelihood of
organizational silence (Morrison, 2015).
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Four teachers noted feeling like the differences in expectations of English and Arabic
staff was a topic that was off-limits. “There is a massive double standard at our school with
regards to English and Arabic teachers. English teachers can never do anything right, everything
is our fault, etc. This could NEVER be brought up” (Teacher #4, n.d.). This teacher was
referring to a meeting for English staff regarding Irtiqua’a feedback, were teachers were told the
school scored a B (an increase from the previous evaluation of C) but that English teachers
needed to start submitting individual plans for English, Math and Science, instead of planning in
grade level teams as they had been doing.
At the time, all English staff were required to teach 30 of 35 periods per week and Arabic
teachers were scheduled to teach 20 to 24 of the 35 periods per week. This is company policy,
not one implemented only at Al Shamkha. The teachers that brought this up noted that the
imbalance of expectations and variations of policy enforcement from one group to the next
sometimes resulted in frustration, resentment and reduced motivation.
I know they have their reasons for it, but it definitely doesn't help the staff and my work
ethic. Really, I have to fight myself sometimes. It really bothers me. When there's two
classes shoved into here, because they're both supposed to be in substitution and their
both shoved into a room with a teaching assistant and then there's three people sleeping,
it makes me ... I can't teach because there's so much noise [out]side my classroom, then it
makes me crazy. You can't talk about that (Teacher #5, n.d.).
Most teachers who discussed the double standard also shared an awareness that the lack of job
security and powerlessness to change the circumstances kept people from speaking up about
circumstances they felt were unduly impacting their ability to implement Guided Reading.
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Critical conversations & growth suppressed by organizational silence. The existence of
organizational issues that staff were explicitly or implicitly forbidden to discuss on a regular
basis caused organizational silence. Some issues that met this criteria at Al Shamkha included
hesitancy to question or disagree with senior administration and the perception of a double
standard of responsibility and expectations for English and Arabic teachers. The presence of
organizational silence had resulted in communication problems, as well as frustration,
resentment and dissonance in some members of the English staff. This may have impacted
teachers’ motivation to consistently implement a Guided Reading program or report issues, such
as classroom interruptions, which may have, if resolved, facilitated more consistent
implementation of Guided Reading.
Summary and Implications
The knowledge, motivational, and organizational influences that may have interfered
with teachers’ ability to consistently implement Guided Reading included a weak understanding
of specific strategies for supporting English Learners and developing reading fluency when
meeting with small groups, lack of high quality feedback to encourage development of such
instructional knowledge, the presence of organizational silence which made teachers reluctant to
request help or share identified barriers to Guided Reading implementation in their classrooms
and the attribution of student academic performance to inherent characteristics, specifically
language proficiency.
The knowledge deficiencies identified through this study, specific instructional strategies
for reading development and strategies for scaffolding English Learners, are hinderances to
effective implementation of differentiated instruction via Guided Reading in English medium
classrooms. The motivational influence of attribution was also validated as a barrier to Guided
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Reading implementation, as some teachers felt student language proficiency was primarily
responsible for student success or failure. This attribution could be challenged by training and
opportunity to implement appropriate strategies for supporting English Learners, which would
allow teachers to see the agency they could have in helping these students be successful. The
emotional climate on campus was influenced by a lack of professional safety and teacher
contributions being perceived as welcome, but not necessarily recognized or appreciated.
Although this motivational element impacted teachers’ feelings about the school, several noted
that they still conducted Guided Reading due to its benefits for students and the observational
evidence supported this notion. The organizational influence of organizational silence deterred
teachers from bringing attention to or requesting help with factors that prevent them from
consistently implementing Guided Reading in their classrooms. Similarly, the organizational
influence of feedback hindered Guided Reading implementation by keeping the school from
helping teachers identify and develop key strategies for making their Guided Reading programs
more effective. Suggestions for addressing each of the barriers identified herein are detailed in
Chapter Five.
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CHAPTER FIVE: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE TO ADDRESS KMO
INFLUENCES
This study examined the knowledge, motivation and organizational (KMO) influences
that proved to be a barrier to Al Shamkha English medium teachers’ ability to consistently
implement a Guided Reading program. Chapter four presented the evidence from observations,
interviews and document analysis to determine which KMO influences were validated.
Validated influences included knowledge deficiencies regarding specific instructional strategies
for reading development and strategies for scaffolding English Learners, the motivational
influences of attribution, and organizational influences of organizational silence and paucity of
constructive feedback. Chapter five addresses the second research question:
● What are the recommended knowledge, motivation, and organizational solutions?
This chapter provides suggestions for helping teachers develop the knowledge and
motivational perspective needed to encourage consistent implementation of guided reading.
Furthermore, chapter five provides recommendations to help school leadership counteract the
cultural characteristics on campus that have led to organizational silence and provide the
substantive formative feedback teachers need to refine their guided reading programs. Finally, a
comprehensive implementation and evaluation plan for the given recommendations is described,
based on the New World Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). Applying the
recommendations should increase teachers’ consistency in implementing guided reading and
facilitate the desired organizational outcomes around increasing student reading levels in
English.

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Knowledge Recommendations
Introduction
Table 7 lists the assumed knowledge influences and whether they were validated by the
evidence collected during observations, interviews, and document analysis. These knowledge
influences include awareness of the components of Guided Reading and how to implement them
in addition to other strategies needed to ensure successful instruction in this context. All
influences included in Table 7 are based on the conceptual framework and, therefore, all have a
high probability of validation. However, some of the declarative knowledge components were
consistently articulated during interviews of the target stakeholder group, so were determined to
not be a priority. Although the vast majority of the stakeholder group could articulate much of
the declarative knowledge outlined in the study, observations and student outcomes suggested
that the procedural knowledge may be missing for many, so all of those areas were determined to
be high priority. Recommendations based on theoretical principles have been provided for all
knowledge influences validated and determined a priority.

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Table 7
Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Knowledge
Influence: Cause

Validated
Yes or No
(V, N)
Priority
Yes, No
(Y, N)
Principle and Citation Context-Specific
Recommendation
Teachers do not fully
understand what Guided
Reading entails. (D)
N N Not a priority.
Teachers do not know
strategies for effectively
scaffolding instruction for
English Learners. (D)
V Y Information learned
meaningfully and
connected with prior
knowledge is stored
more quickly and
remembered more
accurately because it is
elaborated with prior
learning (Schraw &
McCrudden, 2006).
Help individuals identify
and understand
important points
(Schraw & McCrudden,
2006).
Provide experiences that
help people make sense
of the material rather
than just focus on
memorization (Schraw &
McCrudden, 2006).
Help individuals connect
new knowledge to prior
knowledge and to
construct meaning
(Schraw & McCrudden,
2006).
Have teachers
brainstorm
strategies they find
most effective with
our students who
are all English
Learners.
Provide a toolkit of
suggested strategies
proven to be highly
effective for English
Learners. (Offer
teachers
opportunity to
receive training in
selected strategies.)
Teachers do not regularly
collect formative
assessment data to
inform instruction. (D)
N N Not a priority.
Teachers do not know V Y Procedural knowledge Provide training in
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how to implement
strategies for effectively
scaffolding instruction for
English Learners. (P)
increases when
declarative knowledge
required to perform the
skill is available or
known. (Clark et al.,
2008).

Modeling to-be-learned
strategies or
behaviors improves self-
efficacy, learning,
and performance
(Denler, Wolters, &
Benzon, 2006).
selected high
impact strategies.
(To be determined
by needs
assessment.)

Model selected
strategies.

Observe
implementation and
provide specific
feedback to coach
improvement.
Teachers do not know
how to implement
Guided Reading into their
regular classroom
practice. (P)
V Y Procedural knowledge
increases when
declarative knowledge
required to perform the
skill is available or
known. (Clark et al.,
2008).

Modeling to-be-learned
strategies or behaviors
improves self-efficacy,
learning, and
performance (Denler,
Wolters, & Benzon,
2009).

Provide a job aid
that lists required
components of
Guided Reading and
suggestions for
implementation.

Ask teachers who
successfully
implement Guided
Reading regularly to
share their
strategies for
including all
required outcomes.
Teachers do not know
how to use formative
assessment data in
instruction. (P)
V Y Acquiring skills for
expertise frequently
begins with learning
declarative knowledge
about individual
procedural steps (Clark
et al., 2008).

Learning is highly
dependent on “goal-
directed practice” and
“targeted feedback”
(Ambrose, 2010).
Provide Job Aid that
includes a decision
flow chart for
formative
assessment.

Provide training on
ways to utilize
formative
assessment data
into instruction.

Observe
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implementation and
provide feedback.
Teachers do not know
how to actively involve
students in their own
learning – implementing
gradual release of
responsibility. (P)
V Y Procedural knowledge
includes strategic
knowledge (Anderson &
Krathwohl, 2001).

Modeling to-be-learned
strategies or
behaviors improves self-
efficacy, learning,
and performance
(Denler, Wolters, &
Benzon, 2006).

Provide a reference
sheet with
strategies needed at
each level of
reading
development.

Provide training on
ways to teach
suggested strategies
for reading
development in a
Guided Reading
lesson.

Provide modeling of
teacher moves for
communicating
strategies needed
for reading
development.

Declarative Knowledge Solutions
Declarative knowledge includes information which is factual – basic parts of an idea,
such as terminology and components of the concept – as well as that which is conceptual – how
the parts of an idea relate to one another. Information learned meaningfully and connected with
prior knowledge is stored more quickly and remembered more accurately because it is elaborated
with prior learning (Schraw & McCrudden, 2006). English Medium Teachers at Al Shamkha
and in all Abu Dhabi public schools need to know which instructional strategies have been
demonstrated by research to be most effective for supporting ELs in academic settings. A
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recommendation for implementation of this principle is to provide a Professional Development
session that stresses the importance of providing scaffolding needed by ELs to facilitate access to
the content. Encourage teachers to share what strategies they are currently using before sharing a
job aid that highlights high impact strategies for supporting ELs. Encourage small groups of
teachers to identify what strategies they are already using and one strategy they would like to
learn more about. Encouraging instructional staff to identify and share which strategies they feel
they implement successfully and consistently will help the administration identify which teachers
to suggest a staff member observe when wanting to see a particular strategy in action.
Additional professional development could be provided for specific strategies that multiple
teachers express an interest in and coaching could be offered for those who request it.
Helping individuals connect new knowledge to prior knowledge, to make sense of the
two, and to understand important points will facilitate integration of new knowledge
(Schraw & McCrudden, 2006). Giving teachers the opportunity to reflect on which strategies
they are already using successfully and connecting those with this idea of high impact instruction
for ELs will allow teachers to easily incorporate suggested strategies into their understanding of
what should be effective in this context.
Procedural Knowledge Solutions, or Description of Needs or Assets
Procedural knowledge encompasses all the information needed to accomplish a specific
task – required steps or subject-specific skills, necessary techniques or methods, and criteria for
when to apply a particular technique. To accomplish their stated goal, EMTs need to know how
to implement Guided Reading into their regular classroom practice – specifically, how to build in
strategies and procedures that allow for regular meetings with guided reading groups while still
fully addressing writing, listening and speaking outcomes, as well as the one-on-one testing
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required to appropriately provide all students with a balanced literacy experience. Clark et al.
(2008) assert that procedural knowledge increases when declarative knowledge required to
perform the skill is available or known. This suggests the use of a job aid that lists all that can be
included in an exemplary guided reading lesson would be a help to teachers. Finally, Denler,
Wolters, & Benzon (2006) found that modeling to-be-learned strategies improves self-efficacy,
learning, and performance, signifying that having teachers or HOFs who are successfully
addressing all of the English learning outcomes while still seeing their guided reading groups
regularly model the most useful strategies for other teachers is an appropriate response to the
assumed need.
Many researchers have addressed the concerns around making all expectations fit.
Walpole & McKenna (2007) provide practical suggestions for developing a differentiated
literacy plan based on assessment. Their book also includes sample differentiation plans for each
of the lower grades. A few researchers address the difficulties faced by teachers in incorporating
differentiation and provide practical strategies for overcoming them (Helfrich & Bosh, 2011;
Tomlinson & Imbeau, 2010). Sutiah’s (2011) Participatory Action Research in a third grade
EFL class in Indonesia yielded evidence that the incorporation of interactive communicative
learning tasks positively impacted student behavior and overall academic achievement. These
findings suggest the need for practical guidance about implementation of the necessary
strategies.
Motivation Recommendations
Introduction
Table 8 lists the assumed motivation influences and tells whether they were validated by
the evidence collected during observations, interviews, and document analysis. All influences
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included in Table 8 are based on the conceptual framework and, therefore, all have a high
probability of validation. However, EMTs consistently articulated the high value they placed on
Guided Reading and its positive impact on student reading development during interviews, so the
motivation element of value was determined to not be a priority. Although most of the
stakeholder group indicated awareness of the value of Guided Reading, there was evidence that
attribution and emotional climate were issues. Teachers support of one another suggested that
the community built amongst staff acted as a buffer to the difficult emotional climate, so the
influence was determined to not be a priority. Recommendations based on theoretical principles
have been provided for all motivation influences validated and determined a priority.
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Table 8
Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Motivation
Influence: Cause
Validated
Yes, No
(V, N)
Priority
Yes, No
(Y, N)
Principle and
Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
Utility Value – Teachers
need to see the value in
using Guided Reading to
differentiate reading
instruction for students.
N N Not a priority
Attributions – Teachers
should feel that low
academic proficiency is
due to their own efforts
at instruction rather
than students’ lack of
ability, site level
organization, available
resources, or student
home culture.
V Y Learning and
motivation are
enhanced when
individuals attribute
success or failures to
effort rather than
ability. (Anderman &
Anderman, 2009).

Encourage job-alike
groups of teachers
to select a shared
problem in student
learning to
collaboratively
address and monitor
progress.

Emotional Climate –
Teachers are unlikely to
persist in environments
where their contribution
is perceived as
unwelcome,
unrecognized or
unappreciated.
V N Positive emotional
environments
support motivation
(Clark & Estes,
2008).

Support learners’
need for autonomy
and choice (Bono et
al., 2007).
Not a priority.

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Attributions
Attribution Theory states that the cause to which people attribute their success or failure
in an endeavor will impact their future motivation for similar endeavors (Anderman &
Anderman, 2006). The type of feedback given for performance will help determine whether
causality is attributed to internal or external factors (Anderman & Anderman, 2006). According
to attribution theory, teachers can be encouraged to view student success as within their control
through feedback which recognizes factors within the teacher’s control that impact student
success. Data suggest that teachers at Al Shamkha School do not attribute student success or
failure to their instructional efforts. To encourage a change in attributions, it is recommended
that administration encourage grade-level teams to collaboratively focus on solving a shared,
self-selected problem regarding student learning.
Lee and Smith (1996) found that students learn more in schools where teachers take
collective responsibility for their learning. Teachers’ collective responsibility for student
learning is also associated with school environments with less internal stratification and high
levels of cooperation and support among staff (Lee & Smith, 1996). Weinstein, Madison, and
Kuklinski (1995) conducted one of few studies addressing how to help teachers develop
collective responsibility for student learning. They concluded that teachers who participated in a
collaboration and team teaching program over several years began to own “responsibility to
reframe obstacles so that positive changes were made in practices and policies that increased
learning opportunities for students” (Weinstein et al., 1995, 121). Gallimore, Ermeling,
Saunders and Goldenberg (2009) researched the 5-year implementation of an inquiry-based
framework for teacher development in which teacher workgroups met regularly to evaluate and
adapt instructional plans to solve a shared problem related to a specific student learning need.
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They found teacher attribution changes shifted from external factors to internal factors within
teachers’ control when groups started to focus on concrete learning goals, track progress
indicators, and see tangible results in learning (Gallimore et al., 2009). The inquiry process was
only sustainable when teachers were in job-alike teams, were led trained peer-facilitators,
followed the inquiry-focused protocols which encouraged teachers to work together to refine
their practice without dictating which outcomes to focus on or strategies to be used. Gallimore et
al., 2009 note that “the detailed recursive planning and analysis of individual lessons – related to
specific goals – yields specific cause-effect insights (internal attributions) about addressing a
specific area of student need” (p. 549).
Organization Recommendations
Introduction
Table 9 lists all assume organizational influences and whether they were validated by the
evidence collected during observations, interviews, and document analysis. Clark and Estes
(2008) note that organizational influences can act as barriers that prevent the conditions needed
to ensure successful completion of organization and stakeholder goals. To more clearly define
aspects of the organizational culture that may influence goal completion, two constructs about
culture defined by Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001) - cultural models and cultural settings -
have been used. Cultural models are described as the values and beliefs articulated by the
organization via mission and vision statements and observed through actions of groups and
individuals within the organization. Cultural settings are the physical spaces and functional
contexts in which behaviors by groups and individuals within the organization occur (Gallimore
and Goldenberg, 2001). All influences included in Table 9 are based on the cultural models and
settings outlined in the conceptual framework and, thus, all had a high probability of validation.
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Analysis of the data collected from the target stakeholder group was used to determine which
organizational influences were validated and those which should not be a priority. As a result,
recommendations based on theoretical principles have been provided in Table 9 for all
organizational influences validated and determined a priority.
Table 9
Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations
Assumed Organization
Influence: Need

Validated

Yes, No

(V, N)

Priority

Yes, No

(Y, N)

Principle and Citation

Context-Specific
Recommendation

Cultural Model Influence:
Dynamics between
administration and staff
have resulted in the
development of
organizational silence.
V Y Organizational effectiveness
increases when leaders
encourage open lines of
communication (Clark &
Estes, 2008).

Effective leaders know how
to build strong
communication skills among
members of an organization
in order to build capacity
(Fix & Sias, 2006).
Create more
opportunities for
teacher leaders to
have input into
schoolwide
systems.

Develop a system
for collecting
formal and
informal
“organizational
intelligence” –
know what
stakeholder
concerns are at
any given point.

Adapt your
message to focus
on what different
stakeholder groups
want and need to
hear.

Develop high
“situational
awareness;” know
the undercurrents
of your
organization and
use this
information to
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anticipate and
address potential
problems.

Use effective
communication
strategies to build
and maintain
positive
relationships with
employees.
Cultural Setting Influence 1:
Organizational policies and
procedures are not aligned
with goals and expectations.
N N Not a priority.
Cultural Setting Influence 2:
Teachers are not receiving
effective feedback with
manageable suggestions or
follow-up.
V Y Effective leaders are aware
of the influence of
motivation as it relates to
communication and its role
in organizational change
(Gilley, Gilley & McMillan,
2009).

Provide feedback that
stresses the process of
learning, including the
important of effort,
strategies, and potential
self-control of learning.
(Anderman & Anderman,
2009).
Identify metrics to
be used to
determine
progress and
clearly
communicate this
to teachers
upfront. Feedback
should identify
where teacher
performance is in
terms of the
predetermined
metrics and
practical
recommendations
for improvement
should be
provided.

Professional
Learning
Communities
(PLCs) should be
encouraged to
identify a problem
in student learning
on which to focus,
determine how
progress will be
measured and plan
ways to address
the identified
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problem together.

Administrators will
follow up all
walkthroughs with
feedback that
acknowledges the
preparation, key
strategies and/or
apparent effort put
in by the teacher.

High quality
feedback should be
based on
observable data,
provide applicable
characteristics of
effective teaching,
and promote
reflection.

Cultural Model Influence
Organizational silence. Employees in an organization which implicitly sends the
message that voicing concerns is unwise experience organizational silence (Morrison, See &
Pan, 2015). Teachers at Al Shamkha School consistently alluded to any questioning of
administrative policy as an area that is clearly off-limits, suggesting organizational silence is an
issue worth addressing. Clark & Estes (2008) asserted that organizational effectiveness increases
when leaders encourage open lines of communication. Additionally, Fix and Sias (2006) argued
that building communication skills in staff increases their capacity, an ability indicative of
effective leadership. It is recommended that administration develop ways to formally and
informally identify various stakeholder concerns and tailor messaging to address identified
concerns. Incorporating teacher leaders into decision-making groups is another method for
encouraging input from this stakeholder group and ensuring that concerns around decisions and
policy changes are addressed upfront.
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In their meta-analysis on the impact of leadership on student achievement, Waters,
Marzano and McNulty (2003) found that a principal’s ability to use knowledge of informal
groups, relationships and not-yet surfaced issues to anticipate and address potential problems
was correlated with student learning outcomes in schools. They identified this “situational
awareness” as having the largest effect size on student academic success. This correlation
between principal awareness and student achievement may be due to the relationship between
clear communication and commitment to change. Dixon’s (1994) research on organizations that
successfully managed change initiatives concluded that clear and candid communication built
confidence in staff, allowed for adaptation to complications, and resulted in greater staff
commitment to the change. These findings suggest the importance utilizing administrative
awareness of campus politics to ensure the best environment for students and staff.
Cultural Setting Influences
Feedback. Organizations must have systems in place to provide employees with regular
feedback to ensure their employees develop new skills needed for successful completion of their
goals. Few teachers at Al Shamkha could identify a time when they received feedback which
helped improve their instructional practice. Effective leaders are aware of the influence of
motivation as it relates to communication and its role in organizational change (Gilley, Gilley &
McMillan, 2009). It is recommended that administrators identify the indicators of progress,
clearly communicate expectations to teachers before going into classrooms and provide some
formative feedback after each walkthrough. Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) should
be encouraged to examine their common formative assessment data and other evidence of
student learning, as it can also provide feedback regarding the effectiveness of teaching
practices.
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Formative feedback is a critical component to learning (Shute, 2008). To be most
effective in improving performance, feedback should be specific, timely, and given in private
(Shute, 2008). Feedback, along with successful completion and modeling, is also associated
with self-efficacy when attempting tasks that are challenging (Borgogni et al., 2011). The
findings of these studies suggest that providing teachers with regular feedback about their
progress toward performance goals will positively impact teacher motivation and help improve
the quality of instruction.
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan
Implementation and Evaluation Framework
The framework on which this implementation and evaluation plan is based on is the New
World Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016), which evolved from the original
Kirkpatrick Four Level Model of Evaluation (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2006). The New World
model advocates a backwards mapping process which requires the organization to use their goals
to determine “critical behaviors” needed to achieve stated goals and identify “leading indicators”
which serve as an early warning system regarding progress towards the goals. This backwards
mapping process allows for the development of solutions focused on developing desirable
behaviors, identification of ways to assess learning, and the determination of indicators of
successful implementation of suggested strategies. Planning the implementation and evaluation
plan this way requires solutions to be firmly rooted in organizational and stakeholder goals while
facilitating support from relevant stakeholders needed for success (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick,
2016).
Organizational Purpose, Need and Expectations
Al Shamkha School’s organizational goal is to grow External Measure of Student
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 117

Achievement (EMSA) scores in English reading, English writing, mathematics, and science by
15%. English Medium Teachers (EMTs) are expected to contribute to this goal by regularly
implementing differentiation in English reading instruction using guided reading weekly. The
proposed solution should result in consistent implementation of guided reading in EMT
classrooms and an increase in student reading levels and, thus, the desired increase in EMSA
English Reading scores.
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
Table 10 shows the proposed Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators in the form of
outcomes, metrics and methods for both external and internal outcomes for EMTs at Al Shamkha
School. If the internal outcomes are met as expected because of the training and organizational
support for regular implementation of Guided Reading and the Common Formative Assessment
Reflection Process, then the external outcomes should also be realized.

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Table 10
Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes
Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
External Outcomes

Communication between
administrators and teachers
will improve.

Teacher surveys

Expanded Site Leadership Team
gives insight to on multiple
stakeholder perspectives

Positive change in school
emotional climate.

Teacher, parent and student surveys

Site Leadership Team facilitates
communication; Administration
increases effective feedback

Internal Outcomes

All teachers will implement
Guided Reading regularly.

Walkthrough notes; Kidwatching notes

Guided Reading job aid, training,
peer mentoring, coaching and
feedback, as needed.

Teachers attribute student
academic performance
primarily to instruction.

Common Formative Assessment
Reflection documentation

Revised Grade Level Formative
Assessment Reflection process

Student reading levels will
improve.

External Measure of Student
Achievement (EMSA) Test scores

Guided Reading

Student engagement will
increase.

% of students actively engaged in
academic tasks, as measured via
walkthroughs, peer observations, and
teacher self-evaluation

Teachers will be using current
student data to prepare
appropriately leveled activities for
each student and incorporate high-
impact strategies for gradual
release of responsibility and
English Learners

Level 3: Behavior
Critical behaviors. Table 11 shows critical behaviors needed to ensure Level 4 goals
are met, the metrics to be used to measure progress, the methods to be employed and the timing
in which these behaviors are expected to occur.
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Table 11
Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for English Medium Teachers
Critical Behavior Metric(s)
Method(s)
Timing

1. Teachers implement
Guided Reading with
leveled groups weekly

Student engagement
during Guided Reading
(Peer observation
feedback); Kidwatching
notes; Walkthrough notes
Administrative team sets the
expectation clearly before
students start; All teachers
are given Guided Reading
job aid with training; peer
mentors are organized, as
needed; Monitoring &
Feedback will start once
Administrative walkthroughs
begin; Grade levels
encouraged to do peer
observations, paying close
attention to student
engagement

Weekly

2. Teachers implementing
strategies to support
English Learners

Student engagement
(Peer observation
feedback); Student
outcome performance;
Walkthrough notes;
Teacher Attribution
Survey before training,
after 1 term, and again at
the end of the year
All teachers will be provided
with a job aid and training in
strategies to support ELs;
Administrators will look for
evidence of strategy use
once walkthroughs begin;
Grade levels encouraged to
do peer observations, paying
close attention to student
engagement

Termly

3. Administration provides
formative feedback to
teachers regarding Guided
Reading

Walkthrough notes &
feedback

Administrators review
properties of effective
feedback and strive to
provide some sort of written
or verbal feedback with each
walkthrough & observation;
copies of walkthrough
checklists & rubrics will be
distributed to teachers
before walkthroughs begin

Termly

Required drivers. To implement the critical behaviors detailed above, EMTs will need
the support of the school and the school’s administrative team to ensure application of the skills
and knowledge gained in training. These required drivers should act as external motivators, as
well as create the conditions necessary to encourage internal motivation for meeting the
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expectations around Guided Reading. Table 12 lists the drivers recommended to support the
necessary critical behaviors of EMTs.
Table 12
Required Drivers to Support New Reviewers’ Critical Behaviors
Method(s) Timing
Critical Behaviors Supported
1, 2, 3 Etc.
Reinforcing

Job Aid for Guided Reading with
expected components and
suggested implementation
strategies

Ongoing

1

Copies of walkthrough checklists
and rubrics are given to
teachers.

Before walkthroughs begin

1, 3

Job Aid with Strategies for
Supporting English Learners
provided to all teachers

Ongoing

2

Suggested forms for self-
evaluation & peer observation
of student engagement

Early in school year

1, 2
Encouraging

Peer mentoring setup for
teachers needing support
implementing Guided Reading

Ongoing, as needed

1

Coaching provided for teachers
needing support implementing
Guided Reading

Ongoing, as needed

1, 2, 3

Rewarding

Recognition of “great teaching”

Monthly

1, 2
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or consistent use of Guided
Reading at a staff meeting

Time for kudos to administrators
or colleagues for helpful
feedback or assistance at a staff
meeting

Monthly

1, 2, 3
Monitoring

Administrative walkthroughs

Ongoing (Weekly or monthly)

1, 2

Suggested forms for self-
evaluation & peer observation
of student engagement
monitored for completion

Once per term

1, 2

Organizational support. The school will provide resources to prepare teachers for
implementation of Guided Reading in the form of job aids in Guided Reading and Formative
Assessment and suggested forms for the Common Formative Assessment Process. Teachers will
be offered training in the new aspects of the formative assessment process and given the option
to participate in professional development or receive additional support (via peer mentoring or
coaching) on any strategies included in the job aids. Teachers will also receive copies of the
rubrics and checklists to be used for walkthroughs and evaluation before both processes
commence for the school year. Additionally, the organization should be supporting the use of
critical behaviors by periodically monitoring the recording forms completed by grade levels,
noting implementation of noted strategies during walkthroughs, and recognizing those who are
meeting the expectations defined at the start of the year.
The organization will be held accountable for its role in supporting the implementation of
the critical behaviors through documentation of the promised professional development and
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support resources, all of which can be used in the Irtiqa’a school review process scheduled to
occur sometime this year.
Level 2: Learning
Learning goals. Following completion of the recommended solutions, the stakeholders
will be able to:
1. Teachers will be able to identify strategies for effectively scaffolding instruction
for English Learners. (D)
2. Teachers will implement strategies for effectively scaffolding instruction for
English Learners. (P)
3. Teachers will be able to accurately execute all elements required for an effective
Guided Reading program (P), including:
a. Score a Running Record (RR) (P)
b. Group students using RR scores
c. Plan which skills to focus on and in what order to teach them, given RRs
for a group of students
d. Select the most appropriate text for a group of students, given their RRs
e. Decide which skills to address using a given text
f. Select appropriate independent activities to engage learners in reading-
centered pursuits with minimal teacher interaction
g. Select strategies for preparing students to work independently for 20-30
min periods
h. Select strategies for sharpening one’s skills as a practitioner of Guided
Reading
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 123

4. Teachers will model ways to ensure Guided Reading is a regular component of
their English instruction. (P)
5. Teachers will actively involve students in their own learning – implementing
gradual release of responsibility and increasing student engagement. (P)
6. Teachers will attribute student success and failure with their instruction.
(Attribution)
7. Feel confident to set-up and maintain a guided reading program in the upcoming
academic year. (Self-efficacy)
8. Feel comfortable making a commitment to implement Guided Reading regularly.
(Commitment)

Program. The learning goals listed above, as well as the Reaction component of their
evaluation, will be achieved through a training program which will consist of three, 1 hour long,
face-to-face workshops to be delivered during afterschool professional development time. The
first workshop will be held before school starts and will provide teachers the job aids with
strategies for implementing formative assessment in the classroom and strategies for effectively
scaffolding instruction for English Learners, provide opportunities for teams to brainstorm ways
to incorporate some of the identified strategies into their instruction and introduce the revised
common formative assessment process workgroups will be expected to engage in throughout the
year. Teachers will be given time to meet with their teams to determine the outcomes on which
their team will focus and which metrics they will use to measure progress. The second workshop
will encourage teams to share their self-determined goals and how they will measure them, share
the job aid with strategies for implementing gradual release, reinforce the expectations around
regular use of Guided Reading, and encourage teams to develop ways to implement gradual
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 124

release strategies to ensure Guided Reading is occurring regularly during their English
instructional periods. The remainder of the term, teachers will be given time to work together to
implement their common formative assessment process and Guided Reading. A third workshop
will be delivered at the start of term 2 and will allow teams time to share their common formative
assessment process, challenges and successes they experienced throughout term 1, encourage
teams to share suggestions for other teams and have teams articulate and document how they will
continue the common formative assessment reflection process and identify what support they
may need to be more successful. The total time for completion is 180 minutes (3 hours).
Components of learning. Table 13 details the components of learning relevant to the
training program described above and the methods to be utilized for evaluating each. These
components include declarative and procedural knowledge, as well as motivational elements
such as value, confidence and commitment. Before one can apply new knowledge in context,
one must first demonstrate grasp of declarative knowledge. Due to this, both declarative and
procedural knowledge presented must be evaluated. Another important aspect influencing
whether participants will apply the knowledge addressed in training is motivation. Learners
must see value in the content taught, as well as feel enough self-efficacy to successfully apply
the knowledge and skills in addition to being committed to utilizing them in the workplace.

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Table 13
Components of Learning for the Program.
Method(s) or Activity(ies) Timing
Declarative Knowledge “I know it.”
Teachers will be able to identify strategies for
effectively scaffolding instruction for English
Learners. (D)
During the workshops.
Procedural Skills “I can do it right now.”
Teachers will model ways to implement strategies
for effectively scaffolding instruction for English
Learners. (P)
During the workshops.
Teachers will describe ways to ensure Guided
Reading is a regular component of their English
instruction. (P)
During the workshops.
Teachers will model ways to actively involve
students in their own learning – implementing
gradual release of responsibility and increasing
student engagement. (P)
During the workshops.
Attitude “I believe this is worthwhile.”
Instructor’s observation of participants’ statements
and actions demonstrating that they see the benefit
of what they are being asked to do on the job.
During the workshop.
Teachers will attribute student success and failure
with their instruction.
After the course.
Confidence “I think I can do it on the job.”
Discussions following practice and feedback.

During the workshop.
Post-workshop survey item. After the course.
Commitment “I will do it on the job.”
Discussions following practice and feedback.

During the workshop.
Create an individual action plan.

During the workshop.
Post-workshop survey item. After the course.

Level 1: Reaction
Table 14 lists the methods and tools to be used to determine participants’ reaction to the
workshops.

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Table 14
Components to Measure Reactions to the Program.
Method(s) or Tool(s) Timing
Engagement
Participation in discussions and other activities During the workshops
Observation by instructor/facilitator During the workshops
Attendance During the workshops
Course evaluation At the end of each workshop
Relevance
Brief pulse-check with participants via information
discussion (ongoing)
After every workshop & at the end of each term
Course evaluation Two weeks after the course
Customer Satisfaction
Brief pulse-check with participants via information
discussion (ongoing)
After every workshop
Course evaluation After the course

Evaluation Tools
Immediately following the program implementation. For Level 1, During the in-
person workshop, the instructor will take note of participants level of engagement in order to
adjust delivery and learning environment, as needed. After each workshop, a post workshop
survey (see Appendix C, Post Workshop Survey) will be administered in order to assess
engagement, relevance and satisfaction (Level 1) and the motivational aspects that will impact
Level 3 - value, confidence, and commitment. Level 2 will include checks for understanding
using games and small group activities to elicit responses to questions and scenarios drawn from
the content, as well as role plays that require participants to demonstrate understanding and
ability to apply procedures needed for successfully meeting stakeholder goals. Appendix A,
Within Workshop Assessment Activities, lists activities participants will need to demonstrate
understanding of in order to be fully prepared for successful implementation of Guided Reading
and Formative Assessment. A survey of participants confidence level before and after the
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trainings (see Appendix B, Before & After Workshop Survey) will be administered at the start of
the first workshop, at the end of the second workshop, and again at the end of the third
workshop.
Delayed for a period after the program implementation. At the end of Term 2 and at
the end of the school year, a Post Course Survey (See Appendix D) will be administered to
training participants to assess relevance and satisfaction (Level 1), value and the extent to which
required drivers are being implemented (Level 3), and participant perception of impact (Level 4).
Data Analysis and Reporting
The stakeholder goal (Level 4) of full implementation of Guided Reading occurring as
scheduled in all EMT classrooms will be measured by consistency recorded in walkthrough
notes and change in student reading levels via running records. Administrators already provide
teachers updates each term on the % of classes in which Guided Reading was occurring as
expected, so this practice should continue. Changes in student reading levels will also be
tracked.
Reactions (Level 1), Learning (Level 2), and Required Drivers/Critical Behaviors (Level
3) will be measured using Pre- and Post-workshop surveys. Charts & graphs will be used to
show the data collected via surveys. A leading indicator of student learning is student
engagement. This can be measured through quick, dedicated walkthroughs once per month in
which peer observers or administrators stop in, scan the room, and determine the % of students
engaged. These can be shared with individual teachers and the average compiled to figure the
average % of students engaged during Guided Reading time. The schoolwide average % of
students engaged (see Figure 5) could be posted each month, using a laminated poster of 10
students in desks, that is colored in green to represent the percentage of students engaged and the
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 128

remaining percentage of the image is colored in red.
Figure 5. Student Engagement Chart

Summary
The implementation and evaluation plan proposed in this chapter is based on the New
World Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). This framework has been utilized
to identify critical behaviors (and leading indicators of them) needed to achieve stakeholder
goals, determine the required drivers essential to encourage stakeholders to begin and maintain
those non-negotiable behaviors, and develop a means for communicating the expectations,
preparing participants for success, and assessing the impact of the implementation plan.
Consistent implementation of Guided Reading, signed by increases in student engagement and
student reading levels, is expected outcome from executing this implementation and evaluation
plan. Survey results indicating predictors of Levels 3, 2, and 1 should provide early
opportunities to adjust the implementation plan as needed to ensure goals are still met.

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 129

Limitations and Delimitations
This qualitative study used one-on-one interviews, observations, and lesson plan analysis
to better understand the barriers to consistent use of Guided Reading in English classes at Al
Shamkha School. As the principal researcher and a member of the English medium faculty at
the school, I had easy access to the teachers and the campus. Also, the school administration
graciously allowed me time to conduct observations. Still, time was a major limitation. Due to
the timing of research approval, all observations had to be conducted in the final couple of weeks
that students were expected to attend classes. Additionally, working around the various class
schedules and times I was able to get coverage for my classes meant there was a very small
window of time which I was available to visit each teacher’s class.
Delimitations placed on the study to ensure manageability included keeping data
collection to one school site and narrowing the focus to Guided Reading in English classes.
Although Guided Reading had been instituted at many primary schools in the region, Al
Shamkha had been training teachers in Guided Reading, using running records and incorporating
strategies to differentiate for student needs for the prior two years, so the school had a clear focus
on the topic. Although Guided Reading was the focus in all English and Arabic classes at Al
Shamkha, keeping the focus to English classes allowed data collection to commence without the
need for translation or additional personnel, as the principal researcher is a monolingual English-
speaker, and all of the possible errors introduced by multiple researchers. Initially, the study
proposal was to examine differentiation in all English medium subjects (English, math, and
science), but narrowing the focus to Guided Reading help ensure a thorough analysis could be
done within the limited time frame.

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 130

Recommendations for Future Study
Given the limitations and delimitations of this study, a few areas have emerged as targets
for future research. First, time and resources made it necessary for this study to focus on guided
reading implementation in English literacy classes. Since guided reading is now required in both
English and Arabic each week, research should be conducted to identify barriers to guided
reading implementation in English and Arabic classes at multiple schools in the region. Such a
study could help the school system identify systemic issues which are hindering student progress
in reading development in both languages and inform similar educational reform efforts in the
region.
Time limitations meant that the period data collection for this study was reduced to a few
weeks. Another recommendation for possible research would remove that limitation and utilize
a longitudinal study which would follow students KG1 through Grade 12 and beyond to identify
the long-term impact of guided reading on student progress and, ultimately, college readiness.
Finally, this study’s findings indicated a need for teachers to develop specialized strategies for
supporting their Arabic-speaking students in English literacy development. A research project
examining the effectiveness of teachers who have received training for supporting English
learners to determine whether that preparation translates into teachers who are better prepared to
support student needs and, in turn, improve student learning outcomes. Such research could
inform future professional development in the region.
Conclusion
This study identified knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences that acted as
barriers to consistent implementation of guided reading in English classrooms at Al Shamkha
School. English medium teachers, who are primarily responsible for English, math and science
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 131

instruction in English at Al Shamkha, were the target stakeholder. All participating teachers
were observed conducting a Guided Reading lesson, shared a written lesson plan for the week of
the observation, and took part in a one-on-one interview. The findings identified that some
teachers lacked specific strategies to ensure student reading development, as well as strategies
for adequately supporting the unique needs of English Learners. Some teachers attributed
student performance to student characteristics, rather than teacher actions. Most teachers felt the
feedback they received was not sufficient to help ensure their Guided Reading program was
being implemented correctly and the presence of organizational silence may be preventing
critical conversations and, thus, further opportunities for refinement of the Guided Reading
program. Al Shamkha School has clearly made an effort to prioritize student reading fluency by
making Guided Reading a focus. For the last couple years, the emphasis has been on ensuring
the basic components of Guided Reading are in place in all classrooms and the increased
consistency has resulted in improved test scores and student confidence in reading. The next
steps will require teachers and administrators to develop a more refined understanding of Guided
Reading and a willingness to look more critically at those areas that are barriers to consistent
implementation of the program.

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 132

APPENDIX A
Interview Protocol
Thank you for agreeing to sit down with me.
I will be asking a series of questions to help me get some insight into those factors that influence
your ability to support each of your student’s unique academic needs. Please remember that your
participation in this process is voluntary. As such, you have the right to stop at any time. This
should take approximately 40-45 minutes.
I will make every effort to keep your responses confidential by removing your name and any
identifying features from the interview transcripts and notes before including them into my
dissertation and keeping all records associated with this interview in a secure off-campus
location. Finally, I will check back with you at some point to go over any direct quotes and
ensure that I am taking away the ideas that you intended to communicate during this interview.
At that time, you will be given the opportunity to add anything or revise an answer.
My I have your permission to record this interview? (If yes, Thank you! Let’s get started! If no,
No problem! I will be taking notes as you respond. Let’s get started!)
We will start with a few Demographic questions:
1. In which country were you trained for teaching?
2. How long have you been teaching?
3. How long have you taught in UAE?
4. What is your highest level of education?
5. Have many hours of training have you received specifically on how to differentiate
instruction more effectively?
6. Approximately how many hours of training have you received specifically on guided
reading?
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 133

Now, we will move into the meatier questions. Feel free to take your time in formulating your
responses or ask for clarification if I use any unclear wording.
1. What factors would you say contribute most heavily to your students’
success/failures in your classroom?
2. How do you define differentiation? What does differentiation entail? Give examples
of instructional strategies that support students’ individualized needs.
3. What strategies do you use to incorporate differentiated instructional activities,
such as guided reading, into your regular classroom practice? (If needed, Examples:
classroom management, flexible grouping, small leveled groups, plan differently for
different groups or individual students, as needed; system for providing specific, feedback
regularly; active involvement of students in leveled tasks).
4. What information do you collect that is relevant to student reading development?
How often do you collect each of these? Why do you collect each of these?
5. Describe a time when you incorporated information collected about student reading
skills into your instruction. How representative is this incident of your typically use
student data relevant to reading?
6. Grade levels are currently expected to submit an analysis of the data collected at the
end of each instructional unit. How does this data analysis affect subsequent instructional
decisions?
7. Describe a time when you found differentiated instructional activities (like guided
reading), useful for helping the students in your class learn?
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 134

8. Are the goals and expectations regarding the use of differentiated instruction, such
as guided reading, clearly defined at your school? Can you articulate how those goals and
expectations align with your school’s mission and goals?
9. Guided reading is now required twice a week in all English classes. What sorts of
school-wide supports are in place to help you pull guided reading groups? What could the
school do to better support your ability to conduct guided reading regularly?
a. How useful do you find structural helps [such as blocked time, minimized
interruptions (think the “NO INTERRUPTIONS” sign), and easy access to leveled books] in
making guided reading more manageable?
10. To what extent is the feedback you receive effective in helping improve your ability
to differentiate instruction through guided reading? Give an example of a time when you
received feedback regarding your teaching practice that was helpful. Give an example of a
time when you received feedback regarding your teaching practice that was not helpful.
[Effective feedback is timely, specific, accurate, constructive, and incorporates manageable
suggestions for improvement.]
11. To what extent are your contributions to the school community welcome? To what
extent are your contributions to the school community recognized? To what extent are
your contributions to the school community appreciated?

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 135

12. Professional safety can be explained as job security or the extent to which one is
seen and treated as a professional. Gauge the level of professional safety on your campus?
How do you feel about trying out new strategies? How do your feelings about your
professional safety impact your ability to grow professionally?
13. Are there any topics or areas regarding the workplace that are considered “off-
limits?” What, if any? (If applicable) Does the fact that there are prohibited subjects ever
impede communication with your coworkers or superiors? Can you give a specific example
where this occurred? How comfortable do you feel asking for assistance at work? Are
there others at work that help you grow as a professional? Who? Give an example of a time
when they have helped in your professional growth.
14. What are the greatest challenges to consistent implementation of guided reading in
your classroom?
15. Is there anything else you would like to add?
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 136

APPENDIX B
Observation Protocol
The COS-R (VanTassel-Baska, 2012), designed to focus on differentiation, has been combined
with the Guided Reading Self-Assessment (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996) to create the following
observation tool for use in this study.

Teacher______________________________________________ Date_______________
Grade Level: ________ Timing: __________________________________________
3=Effective 2=Somewhat Effective 1=Ineffective N/O
The teacher evidenced
careful planning and
classroom flexibility in
implementation of the
behavior, eliciting many
appropriate student
responses. The teacher
was clear and sustained
focus on the purposes of
learning.
The teacher evidenced
some planning and/or
classroom flexibility in
implementation of the
behavior, eliciting some
appropriate student
responses. The teacher
was sometimes clear and
focused on the purposes
of learning.
The teacher evidenced
little or no planning
and/or classroom
flexibility in
implementation of the
behavior, eliciting
minimum appropriate
student responses. The
teacher was unclear and
unfocused regarding the
purpose.
The listed behavior was
not demonstrated during
the time of the
observation.

(NOTE: There must be an
obvious attempt made
for the certain behavior
to be rated “Emergent”
instead of “Not
Observed”.)
Guided Reading: Logistics
Indicators 3 2 1 N/O Notes
Materials: The teacher had all necessary material
present, organized, and accessible for use during the
lesson – particularly the leveled set of books, multiple
copies.

Classroom Management: The teacher engaged all
children in independent activities that are related to
reading and writing so that she can work without
interruption with small groups.

Groupings: The teacher formed small groups of
children who are similar in their development of
strategies and in the level of the text they can read and
to regroup these children through ongoing assessment.

Documentation: The teacher took notes or had a
system in place to record observations of individual
students and/or other forms of formative assessments.

Guided Reading: Strategic Instruction Indicators
Indicators
The teacher…
3 2 1 N/O Notes
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 137

Lesson Management: The teacher managed the lesson
well with children demonstrating that they know the
routines and all teaching procedures in place, in the
appropriate order.

Text Selection: The teacher selected a text at students’
instructional level, which provides an appropriate
challenge and is appropriate for the strategies that
children are demonstrating.

Introduction: The teacher provided access for children
to the meaning, language, and print of the story, to
support strategic reading, and to leave work that will
build students’ ability to problem solve ways to manage
difficult sections of text.

Teaching Decisions During First Reading and
Afterwards: The teacher selected powerful teaching
points that illustrate the reading process and help
children learn to solve unknown words while
maintaining a focus on meaning.

Other Differentiation Indicators
Indicators
The teacher…
3 2 1 N/O Notes
Uses formative assessment in determining next steps
for student groups.

Demonstrated high expectations for student
performance.

Encouraged student reflection.
Provided scaffolding or supports to help all students
access the content.

Provided opportunities for independent or group
learning to promote depth in understanding content

Accommodated individual or subgroup differences (ex.
Through individual conferencing, student or teacher
choice in material selection and task assignments)

Encouraged students to solve own problems
Used high-level questioning
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 138

APPENDIX C
Informed Consent/Information Sheet
University of Southern California
Rossier School of Education
3470 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA 90089

INFORMATION SHEET FOR EXEMPT NON-MEDICAL RESEARCH

Differentiation for English Medium Instruction

You are invited to participate in a research study. Research studies include only people who
voluntarily choose to take part. This document explains information about this study. You should
ask questions about anything that is unclear to you.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
This research study aims to understand how knowledge, motivation, and organizational
factors influence English medium teachers’ ability to effectively accommodate the needs of
individual learners via guided reading in a multi-level classroom.

PARTICIPANT INVOLVEMENT
If you agree to take part in this study, you will be asked to participate in a 40-45-minute
audio-taped interview. You do not have to answer any questions you do not want to; if you
don’t want to be recorded, handwritten notes will be taken. You will also be asked to
schedule a 30-minute observation on a day and time that is convenient for you and provide
a copy of the lesson plans for the observed lesson.

PAYMENT/COMPENSATION FOR PARTICIPATION
You will not be compensated for your participation; however, a modest thank-you gift will
be provided to all research participants after primary data collection has concluded.

CONFIDENTIALITY
The information collected for this study will be kept confidential. Any identifiable
information obtained in connection with this study will remain confidential. Your
responses will be coded with a false name (pseudonym) and maintained separately. The
audio-files will be deleted once they have been transcribed. If you agree to allow audio
recording of your interview, you will have the right to review the transcripts. Only I, and
possibly a paid transcriber, will have access to the original files. Any pictures or notes
taken during the observation will be coded and maintained separately to protect your
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 139

confidentiality. Finally, any lesson plans collected will have names and class sections
blacked out and only be used in general discussion, so identifying information will be not
disclosed.

All data collected will be stored on a password protected computer in the researcher’s
office for a maximum of three years after the study has been completed and then destroyed.

The members of the research team and the University of Southern California’s Human Subjects
Protection Program (HSPP) may access the data. The HSPP reviews and monitors research
studies to protect the rights and welfare of research subjects.

When the results of the research are published or discussed in conferences, no identifiable
information will be used.

INVESTIGATOR CONTACT INFORMATION
Principal Investigator Nina Thomas via email at nithomas@usc.edu or phone at +971-50-
1841528 (UAE) or 01-(909)-545-6490 (USA) or Faculty Advisor Dr. Kathy Stowe at
kstowe@rossier.usc.edu or (213) 740-0224

IRB CONTACT INFORMATION
University Park Institutional Review Board (UPIRB), 3720 South Flower Street #301, Los
Angeles, CA 90089-0702, (213) 821-5272 or upirb@usc.edu

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 140

APPENDIX D
Recruitment Letter
Dear Teacher Name:
I am interested in better understanding what impacts how the English medium teachers at our
support their students through guided reading in addition to any supports or challenges that
impact the process. Your input is needed for me to gain an accurate picture of teachers’
experiences here at Al Shamkha and for me to make appropriate recommendations. Please read
the attached information sheet for more detailed information about my study and what
participation entails. Feel free to reply to this email if you have any questions.

Let me know via email (you may reply or use the email address below) or WhatsApp if you are
willing to help.

Thanks in advance for your consideration,

Nina Thomas
Doctoral Student
University of Southern California
Rossier School of Education
nina@thomasden.com
USA Home 01-562-790-8077
UAE Mobile/WhatsApp +971-50-184-1528
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 141

APPENDIX E
Observation Summary
3=Effective, 2=Somewhat Effective, 1=Ineffective, 0=Not Observed
GR Logistics Indicators
# Effective # Somewhat
Effective
# Ineffective # Not
Observed

Materials: The teacher had all necessary
material present, organized, and accessible
for use during the lesson – particularly the
leveled set of books, multiple copies.
11 3 0 0

Classroom Management: The teacher
engaged all children in independent
activities that are related to reading and
writing so that she can work without
interruption with small groups.
9 5 0 0

Groupings: The teacher formed small
groups of children who are similar in their
development of strategies and in the level
of the text they can read and to regroup
these children through ongoing
assessment.
9 0 0 5

Documentation: The teacher took notes or
had a system in place to record
observations of individual students and/or
other forms of formative assessments.
8 0 0 6

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 142

GR Strategic Instruction Indicators
# Effective # Somewhat
Effective
# Ineffective # Not
Observed

Lesson Management: The teacher
managed the lesson well with children
demonstrating that they know the routines
and all teaching procedures in place, in the
appropriate order.
12 2 0 0

Text Selection: The teacher selected a text
at students’ instructional level, which
provides an appropriate challenge and is
appropriate for the strategies that children
are demonstrating.
14 0 0 0

Introduction: The teacher provided access
for children to the meaning, language, and
print of the story, to support strategic
reading, and to leave work that will build
students’ ability to problem solve ways to
manage difficult sections of text.
9 2 0 3

Teaching Decisions During First Reading
and Afterwards: The teacher selected
powerful teaching points that illustrate the
reading process and help children learn to
solve unknown words while maintaining a
focus on meaning.
7 5 0 2

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 143

Other Differentiation Indicators
# Effective # Somewhat
Effective
# Ineffective # Not
Observed

Uses formative assessment in determining
next steps for student groups.
5 0 0 9

Demonstrated high expectations for
student performance.
12 2 0 0

Encouraged student reflection. 6 1 0 7
Provided scaffolding or supports to help all
students access the content.
12 2 0 0

Provided opportunities for independent or
group learning to promote depth in
understanding content
11 1 0 2

Accommodated individual or subgroup
differences (ex. Through individual
conferencing, student or teacher choice in
material selection and task assignments)
5 0 0 9

Encouraged students to solve own problems
6 4 0 4

Used high-level questioning 3 7 1 3
DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 144

APPENDIX F
Within Workshop Assessment Activities
a.

Score a Running Record (RR) (P)
b.

Group students using RR scores (P)
c.

Plan which skills to focus on and in what order to teach them, given RRs for a group of
students (P)
d.

Select the most appropriate text for a group of students, given their RRs (P)
e.

Decide which skills to address using a given text (P)
f.

Select appropriate independent activities to engage learners in reading-centered pursuits
with minimal teacher interaction (P)
g.

Select strategies for preparing students to work independently for 20-30 min periods (P)
h.

Select strategies for sharpening one’s skills as a practitioner of Guided Reading (P)
i.

Identify strategies for effectively scaffolding instruction for English Learners. (D)

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 145

APPENDIX G
Before & After Workshop Survey
Rate your confidence in your ability to do each of the following using the scale below:
0 Cannot do
1 Unsure/Have not tried
2 Can do with support
3 Can do with minimal or occasional support
4 Can do consistently without support

Before
#1

After
#2
After
#3
Identify strategies for effectively scaffolding instruction for English
Learners.

Select strategies for preparing students to work independently for 15-
30-minute periods.

Accurately score a Running Record (RR).
Group students using RR scores.
Plan which skills to focus on and in what order to teach them, given
RRs for a group of students.

Select the most appropriate text for a group of students, given their
RRs.

Decide which skills to address using a given text.
Select appropriate independent activities to engage learners in
reading-centered pursuits with minimal teacher interaction.

Select strategies for sharpening one’s skills as a practitioner of Guided
Reading.

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 146

APPENDIX H
Post Workshop Survey

Strongly
Agree
ةدشب قفاوم
Agree
قفاوم
Not Sure
دكأتم تسل
Disagree
قفاوا لا
Strongly
Disagree
قفاوأ لا
ةدشبو

This program held my interest. (Engagement)

What I learned from this training will help me in my
job. (Relevance)

I am clear about what is expected of me when I get
back to my job. (Relevance)

I received helpful information through this training.
(Customer Satisfaction)

It will be worthwhile for me to apply what I learned
in this training. (Value)

I feel confident about applying what I learned in
this training. (Confidence)

I anticipate that I will receive the necessary support
to successfully apply what I learned. (Confidence)

I am committed to applying what I learned to my
work. (Committed)

I believe I will see a positive impact if I consistently
apply what I learned. (Results)

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 147

APPENDIX I
Delayed Post Workshop Survey
Strongly
Agree
ةدشب قفاوم
Agree
قفاوم
Not Sure
دكأتم تسل
Disagree
قفاوا لا
Strongly
Disagree
ةدشبو قفاوأ لا

I have had occasion in my job to use what I
learned from this training. (Relevance)

The information provided in this course is
applicable to my job. (Relevance)

Looking back, taking this course was a good use
of my time. (Customer Satisfaction)

It will be worthwhile for me to apply what I
learned in this training. (Value)

I feel confident about applying what I learned in
this training. (Confidence)

I have received the necessary support to apply
what I learned successfully. (Required Drivers)

I have received the resources I need to apply
what I learned successfully. (Required Drivers)

I have received the feedback I need to apply
what I learned successfully. (Required Drivers)

Applying what I have learned in this training has
positively impacted my students. (Results)

DIFFERENTIATION FOR ENGLISH MEDIUM INSTRUCTION 148

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Asset Metadata

Creator Thomas, Nina I. (author)

Core Title The use of differentiation in English medium instruction in Middle Eastern primary schools: a gap analysis

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)

Publication Date 02/13/2018

Defense Date 12/08/2017

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Abu Dhabi,differentiation,English as a Foreign Language,English learners,English medium instruction,English medium teachers,gap analysis,guided reading,knowledge influences,Middle-eastern public education,motivation influences,OAI-PMH Harvest,organizational influences,primary school

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Stowe, Kathy (committee chair), Ferrario, Kimberly (committee member), Robles, Darline (committee member)

Creator Email nina@thomasden.com,nisabellathomas@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-473439

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Legacy Identifier etd-ThomasNina-6030.pdf

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