03/03/2026
By Zakkiyya Witherspoon

The School of Education invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Emily Moore “The Impact of Lesson Study on Teacher Self-Efficacy for Literacy Instruction in Classrooms Serving High-Needs Students."

Candidate: Emily Moore
Degree: Doctoral- Ed.D. Leadership in Schooling
Defense Date: March 16, 2026
Time: 11:30 a.m.
Location: Via Zoom
Thesis/Dissertation Title: The Impact of Lesson Study on Teacher Self-Efficacy for Literacy Instruction in Classrooms Serving High-Needs Students

Dissertation Committee

  • Chair: Linda Riley, Ed.D., Visiting Professor, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Member: Marjeta Bejdo, Ed.D, Course Support Specialist, School of Education, University of Massachusetts Lowell

ABSTRACT
National, state, and local data reveal persistent literacy achievement gaps between high-needs students and their non-high-needs peers, driven in part by limited access to grade-level texts and variability in educators’ sense of self-efficacy for literacy instruction. This Dissertation-in-Practice employed a case study design and utilized an improvement science approach, specifically a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle, to address inequities impacting high-needs students at Moore Middle School (MMS), a large suburban school. The study asked (1) How does participation in a five-week lesson study professional learning community (PLC) centered on sentence-level comprehension affect teachers’ sense of self-efficacy for literacy instruction? (2) Which component of the cycle do teachers perceive as most effective? Improvement was assessed using mixed methods, including pre- and post-surveys, reflective journals, and semi-structured interviews. Findings indicated that the lesson study PLC deepened professional collaboration through collaborative planning and reduced deficit-based language. The overall mean on the Teacher Sense of Self-Efficacy for Literacy Instruction (TSELI) scale increased by 14.46%, exceeding the study’s aim. The study’s limitations include a small sample size (n=5), a short implementation period, and potential bias due to the researcher’s administrative role. Recommendations include prioritizing inclusive PLCs and instructional coaching to provide practice-based professional development experiences, such as lesson study, in order to strengthen educator self-efficacy, expand access to grade-level complex texts, and improve outcomes for high-needs students.
Keywords: high-needs students, self-efficacy, literacy, lesson study, professional learning community