Systemic functional linguistics theory
       in practice: A longitudinal study
       of a school-university partnership
       reforming writing instruction in an urban
       elementary school
       Author: Frank Daniello
       Persistent link: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/2591
       This work is posted on eScholarship@BC,
       Boston College University Libraries.
       Boston College Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, 2012
       Copyright is held by the author, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted.
                                                              
              
                                      
                           Boston College 
                     Lynch School of Education 
                                      
                                      
              Department of Teacher Education, Special Education, and Curriculum and Instruction 
                                      
                          Program of Curriculum and Instruction 
                                      
                                      
                                      
                 SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL LINGUISTICS THEORY IN PRACTICE: A 
                LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF A SCHOOL-UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP 
             REFORMING WRITING INSTRUCTION IN AN URBAN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 
                                      
                                      
                                      
                                      
                                 Dissertation 
                                    by 
                                      
                               FRANK DANIELLO 
                                      
                                      
                                      
                                      
                                      
                            Submitted in partial fulfillment 
                           of the requirements for the degree of 
                               Doctor of Philosophy 
                                      
                                      
                                      
                                      
                                      
                                      
                                      
                                      
                                      
                                  May 2012 
                                               
           
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                             
                     © Copyright by Frank Daniello 
                           2012 
                                               
           
                         ABSTRACT 
          Systemic Functional Linguistics Theory in Practice: A Longitudinal Study of a School-
          University Partnership Reforming Writing Instruction in an Urban Elementary School 
                        Frank Daniello 
                    Dissertation Director: Dennis Shirley 
                              
             The ability to express meaning in prose is a foundational skill in our society. 
          Given the importance of being a competent writer, concern with the quality of writing 
          instruction is a recurring theme among American educators (Cutler & Graham, 2008; 
          Gilbert & Graham, 2010; National Commission on Writing, 2003, 2004, 2006).  Research 
          shows that teachers are unprepared to teach writing (Gilbert & Graham, 2010) and devote 
          limited amounts of time to it (Cutler & Graham, 2008; Gilbert & Graham, 2010).  In 
          addition, national assessment data indicates that most students are not proficient writers 
          (Salahu-Din, Persky & Miller, 2008).  
             An embedded case study design (Yin, 2009), using mixed methodology (Greene 
          & Caracelli, 2003a, 2003b; Hesse-Biber, 2010), was employed to determine whether a 
          school-university partnership enacted systemic functional linguistics theory guided 
          writing intervention changed fourth and fifth grade teachers’ writing instruction over the 
          course of three years in an urban elementary school. The study further investigated 
          changes to 41 fourth and 27 fifth graders’ writing performance during the third year of 
          the invention. Examination of the relationship between students’ performance in writing 
          and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test in English