Exploring the impact of literacy teacher education programs on student teachers’ instructional practices

Abstract

This research emanates from the second phase of a longitudinal study. The purposes of this multiple case study were to determine the extent to which student teachers in eight teacher preparation programs across the United States enacted the International Reading Association's Standards for Reading Professionals (2010) and to examine how their enactment aligned with the priorities revealed by the content of their program courses. Findings indicate that student teachers are able to enact some of the Standards, but struggle with others. Implications for teacher educators and teacher preparation programs are made in light of the Standards and the findings.

Reference

Scales, R. Q., Ganske, K., Grisham, D. L., Yoder, K. K., Lenski, S., Wolsey, T. D., ... & Smetana, L. (2014). Exploring the Impact of Literacy Teacher Education Programs on Student Teachers' Instructional Practices. Journal of Reading Education, 39(3), 3-13.

Journal

Journal of Reading Education

Analysis

Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?

yes

Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?

Research Approach

"longitudinal": across varying classes over time
Case study
Exploratory study

Geographic Setting

Central United States
Eastern United States
Southern US
western united states

Institutional Context

University based

Certification Level

Not stated

Programatic Focus

Literacy Education

Research Location Context

student teaching placement schools
University

Preservice Participants

Post bachs (university based program)
Undergraduates (university based program)
University Professors (teacher educators)

Preservice Sample Size

Other Participant Data

Teacher Educators

Duration of Data Collection

Not clear

Data Sources

Interviews
Observations

Data Analysis Tools

Case study analysis

Researcher Positionality

Outside (not directly invested in the program or operations)

Research Questions

To what extent do student teachers enact Inter- national Reading Association (IRA) Standards for Reading Professionals (2010) in their class- rooms?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes

How do the student teachers enactments of the IRA Standards compare with the IRA Standards prioritized by the teacher preparation programs during Phase 1?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes