This research sought to understand how a formative assessment framework created by the researcher (called the Sources of Missed Understanding construct) would be used by teachers to diagnose students’ reading comprehension challenges during authentic reading instruction, and to understand the context and supports teachers needed to use the tool effectively. A design experiment methodology was used to follow the diagnostic processes of five reading specialist candidates, each working one-to-one with an upper elementary or middle school reader during a five week summer university-based tutoring setting, resulting in five case studies and cross case analysis. This study shows that teachers who used the Sources of Missed Understanding construct and received support were successful at formatively assessing causes of student comprehension breakdown and adapting instruction accordingly. It also revealed that teachers needed two levels of support to use the tool effectively. First, teachers needed knowledge building about the common categories of comprehension breakdown and where they fall in the comprehension process illuminated by the construct. It was this knowledge that enabled teachers to analyze what meaning their readers were (or were not) gleaning from a text and hone in on the cause. Second, teachers needed “thinking-partner” support to become aware of their own diagnostic processes. With support, teachers became attentive to what they observed, and how to set up instruction to detect and ultimately address sources of missed understanding.
","abstract_html":"<p>This research sought to understand how a formative assessment framework created by the researcher (called the Sources of Missed Understanding construct) would be used by teachers to diagnose students’ reading comprehension challenges during authentic reading instruction, and to understand the context and supports teachers needed to use the tool effectively. A design experiment methodology was used to follow the diagnostic processes of five reading specialist candidates, each working one-to-one with an upper elementary or middle school reader during a five week summer university-based tutoring setting, resulting in five case studies and cross case analysis. This study shows that teachers who used the Sources of Missed Understanding construct and received support were successful at formatively assessing causes of student comprehension breakdown and adapting instruction accordingly. It also revealed that teachers needed two levels of support to use the tool effectively. First, teachers needed knowledge building about the common categories of comprehension breakdown and where they fall in the comprehension process illuminated by the construct. It was this knowledge that enabled teachers to analyze what meaning their readers were (or were not) gleaning from a text and hone in on the cause. Second, teachers needed “thinking-partner” support to become aware of their own diagnostic processes. With support, teachers became attentive to what they observed, and how to set up instruction to detect and ultimately address sources of missed understanding.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Jennifer, Tarr"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D. Doctor of Education","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Reading, Language and Literacy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Sophie Degener"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:20:44Z","subjects":["formative assessment","reading comprehension","missed understanding","elementary","middle school","adapting instruction","sources of comprehension breakdown","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Elementary Education and Teaching","Language and Literacy Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/402","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Sophie Degener"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Jennifer, Tarr"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2019-07-31T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Reading, Language and Literacy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ed.D. 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A design experiment methodology was used to follow the diagnostic processes of five reading specialist candidates, each working one-to-one with an upper elementary or middle school reader during a five week summer university-based tutoring setting, resulting in five case studies and cross case analysis. This study shows that teachers who used the Sources of Missed Understanding construct and received support were successful at formatively assessing causes of student comprehension breakdown and adapting instruction accordingly. It also revealed that teachers needed two levels of support to use the tool effectively. First, teachers needed knowledge building about the common categories of comprehension breakdown and where they fall in the comprehension process illuminated by the construct. It was this knowledge that enabled teachers to analyze what meaning their readers were (or were not) gleaning from a text and hone in on the cause. Second, teachers needed “thinking-partner” support to become aware of their own diagnostic processes. With support, teachers became attentive to what they observed, and how to set up instruction to detect and ultimately address sources of missed understanding.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Sources Of Missed Understanding: A Framework For Diagnosing Comprehension Breakdown"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Sophie Degener"],"dc:creator":["Jennifer, Tarr"],"dc:date.available":["2019-07-31T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This research sought to understand how a formative assessment framework created by the researcher (called the Sources of Missed Understanding construct) would be used by teachers to diagnose students’ reading comprehension challenges during authentic reading instruction, and to understand the context and supports teachers needed to use the tool effectively. A design experiment methodology was used to follow the diagnostic processes of five reading specialist candidates, each working one-to-one with an upper elementary or middle school reader during a five week summer university-based tutoring setting, resulting in five case studies and cross case analysis. This study shows that teachers who used the Sources of Missed Understanding construct and received support were successful at formatively assessing causes of student comprehension breakdown and adapting instruction accordingly. It also revealed that teachers needed two levels of support to use the tool effectively. First, teachers needed knowledge building about the common categories of comprehension breakdown and where they fall in the comprehension process illuminated by the construct. It was this knowledge that enabled teachers to analyze what meaning their readers were (or were not) gleaning from a text and hone in on the cause. Second, teachers needed “thinking-partner” support to become aware of their own diagnostic processes. With support, teachers became attentive to what they observed, and how to set up instruction to detect and ultimately address sources of missed understanding.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/402"],"dc:subject":["formative assessment","reading comprehension","missed understanding","elementary","middle school","adapting instruction","sources of comprehension breakdown","Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research","Elementary Education and Teaching","Language and Literacy Education"],"dc:title":["Sources Of Missed Understanding: A Framework For Diagnosing Comprehension Breakdown"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Reading, Language and Literacy"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D. Doctor of Education"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:20:44Z"}