The Effect of Office Discipline Referrals, Race, Gender, and Beginning of the Year Fluency Scores on Reading Comprehension for Fifth Grade Students

This study examined the effect of office discipline referrals (ODR), race, gender, and beginning of the year fluency scores on reading comprehension for fifth grade students at four rural elementary schools in southwest Georgia. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine if the research variables significantly predicted the end of year reading scores. The fifth grade students (N = 517) were classified by race and gender; a beginning of the year oral reading fluency score (BOYORF) and an end of the year oral reading fluency score (EOYORF) were obtained from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy program (DIBELS). The number of ODRs recorded for each student during the data collection period was retrieved from the student information system (SIS) from each school. BOYORF was a significant predictor of EOYORF scores. When the raw BOYORF and EOYORF scores were coded into the three commonly used DIBELS categories (intensive, strategic, and benchmark) and ODRs were coded into three levels (no ODRs, 1-2 ODRS, and 3 or more ODRs), the Chi-square results showed that ODR level did not have a significant effect on end of year oral reading fluency category for intensive and strategic students.TABLE OF CONTENTS | Chapter I: INTRODUCTION 1 | Statement of the Problem 4 | Purpose of the Study 4 | Research Questions 6 | Significance of the Study 6 | Definition of Terms 7 | Research Design 9 | Methodology 10 | Potential Limitations 11 | Summary and Overview of Dissertation 12 | Chapter II: LITERATURE REVIEW 14 | Reading Difficulties and Behavior Problems 14 | The Exclusionary Nature of Discipline 17 | Behavior Problems in Schools and Future Negative Outcomes 19 | Reading Difficulties, Behavior Problems, and Gender 20 | Disproportionate Discipline and the Achievement Gap 21 | Validity of using ODRs to Measure Discipline 24 | DIBELS ORF as an Indicator of Reading Ability 25 | Summary 26 | | Chapter III: METHODOLOGY 28 | Research Questions 28 | Research Design 29 | Sample 32 | Instrumentation 32 | Procedure 34 | Data Analysis 35 | Ethical Considerations 36 | Summary 37 | Chapter IV: RESULTS 38 | Research Questions 40 | Data Screening 41 | Missing Data and Outliers 41 | Homoscedasticity and Normality 42 | Descriptive Statistics 43 | Results of Multiple Regression Analysis 45 | Findings Related to Research Questions 1 and 2 53 | Findings Related to Research Question 3 54 | Chi-square Results 54 | Summary 56 | Chapter V: DISCUSSION 58 | Summary of the Dissertation 58 | Findings Related to the Literature 61 | Unanticipated Results 62 | Implications for Action 66 | Recommendations for Further Study 69 | Conclusion 70 | REFERENCES 72 | Appendix A: Institutional Review Board Oversight Screening Form for Graduate| Student Research 88 | Appendix B: Sample Principal Letter 90 | Appendix C: Figures 1-9 93 |Siegrist, Gerald R.Fiester, Herbert R.Gibson, Nicole M.Wiley, Ellen W.Ed.D.Educatio