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Table of Contents Abstract 11 Role of the Researcher 12 Permission to Conduct Research 13 Ethical Considerations 13 Chapter One: Introduction 14 Chapter Two: Literature Review 21 Chapter Three: Procedures 22 Chapter Four: Findings 32 Chapter Five: Recommendations 33 References 34 Appendix A 37 Appendix B 38

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Overview

The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify the current proficiency rate of reading at Meadowfield Elementary School from the students to the district and to determine how the problem of below-average reading proficiency can be solved. The problem is that students at Meadowfield Elementary School in South Carolina demonstrate a below-average reading proficiency rate of 41%, which falls below the district and state benchmarks for grade-level reading performance (South Carolina Department of Education, 2025). This chapter comprises the Organizational Profile, Introduction to the Problem, Significance of the Research, Purpose Statement, Central Research Question, Definitions, and Summary.

Organizational Profile

Meadowfield Elementary School is a public Title I elementary school located at 525 Galway Lane in Columbia, South Carolina, within Richland County School District One (RCSD 1). The school serves approximately 615 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. The student population is predominantly African American, and 100% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the high-poverty context of the school community. Meadowfield is led by Principal Dr. Timothy Blackwell and is a National Paideia Model School offering gifted and talented programs, STEM, and visual and performing arts (South Carolina Department of Education, 2025).

Overall, the Meadowfield Elementary School population is similar to the South Carolina urban public-school population in terms of concentrated poverty and racial isolation. The school is the state's top 25 most economically disadvantaged elementary schools (Elementary Schools.org, 2024), with 100% of its 610 students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Richland County School District One (RCSD 1), which is home to 50 schools and caters to roughly 24,000 students, is a Title I district, and Meadowfield is a Title I, Part A federally funded school for high-poverty schools designed to help schools meet academic achievement standards (Richland One, 2025). While this type of funding is critical for a school such as Meadowfield, research has shown that funding alone is not a panacea for the instructional difficulties of persistently large classes in low-resourced schools (Opatrny et al., 2023). The school's per-pupil spending is about $22,848, which is 59% higher than the national average per-pupil spending, but this higher expenditure has not resulted in consistently strong academic achievement, as evidenced by below state averages in math proficiency (40%) and reading proficiency (41%) (Public School Review, 2025).

Meadowfield is an institutionally challenged school from a staffing and operational perspective. In the last five school years, the school's teacher population has decreased by about 7%, while the number of students has stayed relatively stable at approximately 610 children, indicating that the teacher-to-student ratio has been deteriorating over time (SchoolDigger, 2025). Chronic absenteeism is also a growing problem: In recent years, the school's chronic absenteeism rate has ranged from 22.3% to 31.1%—well above the national average of 20% in 2023-2024 (SchoolDigger, 2025; Malkus, 2025). High levels of absenteeism and low teacher staffing directly affect class size: when the number of absentees is high, and the number of teachers is low, classroom enrollment patterns are irregular, and instructional consistency is lacking, which can worsen the impact of large classes. Meadowfield faces a structural problem in the form of large class sizes, a problem that is not an independent entity, but rather is part of a larger ecology of inequity that requires targeted and evidence-based intervention (SchoolDigger, 2025; South Carolina Department of Education, 2025).

Introduction to the Problem

Reading proficiency is a fundamental academic skill that serves as the foundation for learning across all content areas. When students fall below grade-level reading benchmarks, they face compounding academic difficulties that can persist throughout their educational careers (Duke & Cartwright, 2021). At Meadowfield Elementary School in South Carolina, data from the South Carolina Department of Education consistently show that students are reading below the proficiency levels expected by the state and district. This persistent gap signals an urgent need to understand the scope of the problem and to identify evidence-based strategies to address it.

Meadowfield Elementary School's classroom size issue needs to be addressed as part of the context of the state of South Carolina's class size legislation. While the General Assembly has mandated student-teacher ratios for the elementary grades, it has historically allowed waivers of those ratios due to budgetary pressures, which individual districts have opted to pursue in response to those pressures (South Carolina Legislature, 2023). The average number of students in each Meadowfield classroom is 24.1, which falls outside the range of the most effective teaching strategies and approaches the tipping point suggested by recent large-scale international research, which indicates that student outcomes decline non-linearly beyond that point (Antoniou et al., 2024). In a recent meta-analysis, Opatrny et al. (2023), released as a CEPR Discussion Paper and subsequently accepted for publication in the Journal of Labor Economics, combined evidence from hundreds of studies and uncovered a significant negative association between class size and achievement, particularly in economically disadvantaged schools, which are the schools served by Meadowfield. Such findings underscore the need to consider class size as more than just an administrative statistic; it is a crucial factor to explore that influences instructional equity and opportunity for students.

In addition to the academic literature, outcome data from the school level support the problem at Meadowfield. For the 2023-2024 school year, Meadowfield's proficiency rate at grade 3 in ELA was 62.5% compared to Richland 01 at 53.9% and the state at 61.8%, while proficiency rates at grade 5 in mathematics ranged from 34.1% to 51.9% and consistently underperformed both district and state benchmarks (SchoolDigger, 2025). The chronic absenteeism rate of 22.3%-31.1% also suggests that a substantial share of the student body is not attending school often enough to reap the benefits of any instructional time provided, and when teachers serve 24 or more students, they are not able to monitor and address each student's individual learning gaps (Malkus, 2025). Instructional responsiveness—the ability of a teacher to adjust instruction as it happens in real time to student needs—is a critical factor in the link between class size and student learning and decreases sharply with class sizes greater than 20 in high-poverty settings (Cartwright et al., 2023). The combination of these contextual and empirical factors makes Meadowfield Elementary School a ripe and appropriate location to explore the effect of large classes on student learning.

Significance of the Research

This research is significant for multiple stakeholders connected to Meadowfield Elementary School. Students are the primary beneficiaries, as identifying the scope of the reading proficiency problem and implementing evidence-based solutions can directly improve their academic outcomes and long-term life chances. Teachers also stand to benefit, as clearer understanding of the barriers to reading proficiency can inform targeted instructional support, professional development, and resource allocation that reduces the burden on classroom educators.

School administrators and district leaders within Richland County School District One will benefit from the actionable recommendations generated by this study. Evidence-based guidance on improving reading proficiency can inform budgeting decisions, program selection, staffing strategies, and policy changes. Additionally, findings from this study can contribute to the broader educational research literature on reading achievement in high-poverty elementary schools, supporting equity-focused reform efforts across South Carolina and beyond.

Nationally, reading proficiency at the elementary level is a recognized indicator of school quality and a predictor of future student success. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) emphasizes the importance of evidence-based interventions for schools that persistently underperform, and Meadowfield qualifies as such a school. This study fills a critical local knowledge gap by providing school- and district-specific data and recommendations, grounded in the Meadowfield context, that can guide evidence-based action to improve reading proficiency outcomes for all students.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify the current proficiency rate of reading at Meadowfield Elementary School from the students to the district and to determine how the problem of below-average reading proficiency can be solved. Data will be gathered using three qualitative methods: (a) qualitative interviews with teachers and school leaders; (b) a qualitative survey using a Likert scale to assess participant perceptions of reading instruction and student proficiency; and (c) qualitative observations of classroom reading instruction across selected grade levels.

Central Research Question

How can the problem of below-average proficiency in reading be solved at Meadowfield Elementary School?

Definitions

1. Below-average proficiency: A reading performance level that falls below the grade-level benchmark established by the South Carolina Department of Education on state reading assessments.

2. Reading proficiency: The ability of a student to read, comprehend, and apply grade-level text with accuracy and understanding, as measured by standardized state assessments.

3. Evidence-based reading instruction: Reading instructional practices that are supported by rigorous scientific research and have been shown to improve student reading outcomes.

4. Reading intervention: Targeted, supplemental instructional support provided to students who are reading below grade level, designed to accelerate growth and close proficiency gaps.

5. Literacy: The integrated set of skills encompassing reading, writing, speaking, and listening that enable students to communicate and comprehend effectively across academic contexts.

6. Proficiency gap: The measurable difference between a student’s current reading performance level and the grade-level proficiency standard set by the state or district.

Summary

The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify the current proficiency rate of reading at Meadowfield Elementary School from the students to the district and to determine how the problem of below-average proficiency rates of reading can be solved. The problem is that students at Meadowfield Elementary School demonstrate a below-average reading proficiency rate of 41%, which falls below the district and state benchmarks for grade-level reading performance (South Carolina Department of Education, 2025) in reading compared to district and state benchmarks (South Carolina Department of Education, 2025). In this chapter, the Organizational Profile, the Introduction to the Problem, the Significance of the Research, the Purpose Statement, the Central Research Question, and the Definitions were discussed.

Overview

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Narrative Review

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Theoretical Framework

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Summary

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Overview

The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify the current proficiency rate of reading at Meadowfield Elementary School from the students to the district and to determine how the problem of below-average reading proficiency can be solved. The problem is that students at Meadowfield Elementary School demonstrate a below-average reading proficiency rate of 41%, which falls below the district and state benchmarks for grade-level reading performance (South Carolina Department of Education, 2025). This chapter outlines the three qualitative data collection methods used in this study: qualitative interviews, a qualitative Likert-scale survey, and qualitative classroom observations.

Interview Procedures

The first qualitative data collection method in this study is a semi-structured interview conducted with classroom teachers, reading specialists, and school leaders at Meadowfield Elementary School. Qualitative interviews were selected because they allow the researcher to gather in-depth, firsthand accounts of participants’ experiences with and perceptions of reading instruction and student proficiency, and to explore contextual factors that quantitative measures cannot capture (Creswell & Guetterman, 2021). Open-ended interview questions will be used to explore teacher perceptions of current reading proficiency levels, instructional strategies in use, barriers to reading achievement, and recommendations for improvement. Interview data will be analyzed thematically to identify patterns and key themes across participant responses (Creswell & Guetterman, 2021).

Purposive sampling will be used to recruit interview participants, selecting classroom teachers, reading coaches, and administrators at Meadowfield Elementary School who have direct experience with reading instruction and student proficiency data. An estimated eight to twelve participants will be recruited across grade levels and roles to ensure diverse perspectives. Recruitment will be conducted via an official request through the school administration with the principal’s written approval. Interviews will be audio-recorded with participant consent and transcribed verbatim for analysis.

Each interview will be conducted individually in a private setting at the school, lasting approximately 30 to 45 minutes. A semi-structured interview protocol will guide each session, allowing for consistent coverage of core topics while permitting follow-up probing questions based on participant responses. Transcribed data will be coded using open and axial coding procedures, and emergent themes will be identified and verified through member checking to enhance credibility and trustworthiness (Creswell & Guetterman, 2021).

Interview Questions and Rationales

The following interview questions are grounded in the research literature on reading proficiency and are designed to gather qualitative insight from educators on the current state of reading at Meadowfield Elementary School and potential solutions.

7. In your experience, what are the primary factors contributing to below-average reading proficiency among students at Meadowfield Elementary School?

It has been consistently demonstrated that the larger the class size, the smaller the ability of teachers to provide differentiated instructions, and the immediate impact it has on student learning outcomes (Antoniou et al., 2024). This item determines if there is a sense of this limitation among Meadowfield teachers in their practice.

8. Academic engagement levels in my class are lower with the increase in the class size to above 20 students.

In larger classes, students’ on-task behaviour and engagement are observed to be significantly lower, especially among low-achieving students (Opatrny et al., 2023). This item measures the extent to which educators in their respective schools notice this relationship.

9. Student behavior in a big classroom means that I will not have much time to interact with the students directly.

Classroom management needs increase with the size of the classroom at the expense of instructional time in correcting student behaviour and overall instruction efficiency (Hattie, 2022). This item represents the perceived trade-off in instruction that teachers feel.

10. I can effectively track the academic development of every student with the current size of my classroom.

In oversized classrooms, formative assessment fidelity is jeopardized, and teachers cannot deliver timely and personalized feedback (López-Martin et al., 2023). This is a reverse-coded item that measures the perceived assessment capacity of the teachers in relation to the class size.

11. Large class sizes negatively affect my students’ performance on standardized tests.

There is research evidence showing that there is a negative correlation between big classes and student academic performance outcomes, such as standardized test scores (Oduwan and Francis, 2023). This item links teacher perception to the recorded performance measures in school.

12. I have high levels of professional stress due to the large class sizes.

Oversized classes are associated with much increased teacher occupational stress, and their adverse consequences on instruction and student achievement are downstream (López-Martin et al., 2023). This item measures the extent to which Meadowfield teachers place stress on large class sizes.

13. Large class sizes limit students’ opportunities to ask questions during lessons.

The decreased teacher-student interaction time in large classes restricts the possibility of academic dialogue and engagement, which is essential in learning (Cartwright et al., 2023). This item captures teacher perceptions of participatory equity with increasing class size.

14. Meadowfield Elementary School should consider reducing class sizes in order to have a significant impact on student academic performance.

The teacher’s beliefs regarding the importance of class-size reduction indicate knowledge of the literature at large and guide the policy implications of the study (DeVellis and Thorpe, 2022). This item reflects general teacher agreement about structural reform as a school improvement strategy.

15. Large class sizes reduce my ability to provide timely feedback to students on their academic work.

Timely academic feedback is an essential component of effective instruction, yet teachers in overcrowded classrooms often struggle to provide prompt and individualized responses to student work because of increased instructional demands (López-Martin et al., 2023). This item measures teacher perceptions regarding the effect of class size on feedback quality and instructional responsiveness.

16. Large class sizes make it difficult to maintain an effective learning environment in the classroom.

Research has shown that overcrowded classrooms create greater classroom-management challenges and reduce overall instructional effectiveness, which can negatively influence the quality of the learning environment (Hattie, 2022). This item evaluates teacher perceptions of how class size affects the overall classroom climate and learning conditions.

Observation Procedures

Structured non-participant classroom observations are the third type of data collection and will be performed in a few grade-level classrooms in Meadowfield Elementary School. An observational methodology was selected due to its ability to enable the researcher to directly and methodically record teacher instructional behaviors, teacher-student interactions, and student engagement indicators in the naturalistic school environment (Creswell & Guetterman, 2021). Direct observation can offer a raw account of classroom dynamics, unlike self-reported data, such as surveys, and therefore is a useful source for triangulating and validating the other two data-collection methods (Creswell & Guetterman, 2021).

The researcher will also seek written permission from the principal before any observations are made and will schedule with each participating teacher. Informed consent will be obtained in writing from all teachers whose classrooms are under observation, and parents or guardians of students in observed classrooms will be informed in writing by the school administration at least two weeks before any scheduled session (Creswell & Guetterman, 2021). These plans are designed to make everything as transparent as possible for all stakeholders and reduce interference with teaching activities.

The observations will be made in six or eight classrooms (at least two grade bands, the primary (kindergarten through second grade) and the intermediate (third through fifth grade)) to ensure that possible differences in the appearance of large class-size effects are captured by developmental level. The two observations in each classroom will be noted, and each session will take one full instruction time (about 45 to 60 minutes) of core instruction in either English Language Arts or Mathematics. The entire observation will be planned between February and April 2026, during regular school hours. The researcher will record the date, time, grade level, classroom identifier, and the number of students present at the beginning of each session.

A standardized observation protocol will be used to gather data through five focal dimensions: (a) frequency and quality of teacher-initiated interactions with students; (b) student on-task and off-task behavior at every 5 minutes using time-sampling; (c) frequency of classroom management occurrences; (d) percentage of students visibly engaged in the assigned academic task at each time; and (e) physical classroom organization compared to the number of students The researcher will be a non-participant observer in the classroom where he will sit in a fixed and peripheral position to reduce observer effects on natural classroom behaviour (Creswell & Guetterman, 2021). Field notes will be taken by hand during every session and elaborated into detailed descriptive text within 24 hours to maintain accuracy and contextual detail.

The analysis of observational data will be conducted within a deductive coding procedure implemented with respect to the extended field notes, based on a framework derived from the main research question that will be the focus of the study (Braun and Clarke, 2022). Interval-based behavioural coding tallies will be converted to percentages to provide a standardized comparison across classrooms and grades. Chapter Four will involve triangulation of the observation findings and survey data to enhance the overall validity and credibility of the study conclusions (Creswell & Guetterman, 2021).

Summary

The purpose of this qualitative study is to identify the current proficiency rate of reading at Meadowfield Elementary School from the students to the district and to determine how the problem of below-average reading proficiency can be solved. The problem is that students at Meadowfield Elementary School demonstrate a below-average reading proficiency rate of 41%, which falls below the district and state benchmarks for grade-level reading performance (South Carolina Department of Education, 2025). This chapter presented the Interview Procedures, Survey Procedures, and Observation Procedures used in this qualitative study.

Overview

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First Data Collection Method Findings

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Second Data Collection Method Findings

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Third Data Collection Method Findings

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Discussion

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Summary

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Overview

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Recommendations

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Roles and Responsibilities of Stakeholders

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Resources Needed

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Timeline

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Summary

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Duke, N. K., & Cartwright, K. B. (2021). Teacher-student ratio and job performance of teachers in government universal secondary education schools in Bukedea town council, Bukedea district, Uganda [Doctoral dissertation, Kampala International University]. KIU Institutional Repository.

Every Student Succeeds Act, Pub. L. No. 114-95, 129 Stat. 1802 (2015). https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/1177

Public School Review. (2025). Meadowfield Elementary School profile. https://www.publicschoolreview.com/meadowfield-elementary-school-profile

SchoolDigger. (2025). Meadowfield Elementary School. https://www.schooldigger.com/go/SC/schools/0336001303/school.aspx

Slater, P., & Hasson, F. (2024). Quantitative research designs, hierarchy of evidence and validity. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, 32(1), 130–139. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpm.13135

Sun, Y., Wang, J., Dong, Y., Zheng, H., Yang, J., Zhao, Y., & Dong, W. (2021). The relationship between reading strategy and reading comprehension: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 635289. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.635289

Pressley, T., Allington, R. L., & Pressley, M. (2023). Reading instruction that works: The case for balanced teaching (5th ed.). Guilford Press.