Fairy tales and students' literacy learning at Amaze elementary school : a case study.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Rochester. Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development, 2018.The purpose of this study is to investigate the meaning of a class of second graders' fairy tale learning experiences. This study is unique four key reasons. First, it focuses on a group of students whose school has been lagging in state English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency tests; second, it provides perspectives on how fairy tales affect the reading and writing of this group of students; third, it contributes to educational theory in terms of how to understand literacy practices by utilizing sociocultural theories; fourth, it implies that when it comes to educational policy, policy makers and educators should call for attention and efforts to tackle the problem of low ELA proficiency instead of putting students on the front line of low ELA test results and having them suffer the consequences of the outcomes. The current study employs a qualitative case study methodology supported by class observation and its fieldnotes, interviews, and materials that document second-grade students' fairy tale learning experiences. Grounded theory was used as analytical tool. The study found that students' fairy tale learning experiences were social practices built up in the community of fairy tale practices learning and expanded the capacities of students' reading and writing