Constructing meaning about literacy difficulties: Preservice teachers beginning to think about pedagogy
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the meanings preservice teachers constructed about students with reading difficulties. Qualitative techniques were employed to develop six case studies to understand better how preservice teachers framed their meanings. Cross-case analysis revealed that each preservice teacher's stance on meaning, while idiosyncratically based on experience, was tied to pedagogy in two distinct ways: (a) most of the participants placed an increasingly important role on the supervising teacher when considering reading difficulties and (b) they situated themselves as a teacher within that context. The findings suggest the importance of designing preservice education course work that is inquiry-oriented and offers opportunities for students to explore systematically their developing stances and self-constructed meanings about reading.
Reference
Mallette, M. H., Kile, R. S., Smith, M. M., McKinney, M., & Readence, J. E. (2000). Constructing meaning about literacy difficulties: Preservice teachers beginning to think about pedagogy. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16(5-6), 593-612.
Journal
Teaching and Teacher Education
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
- cross-case analysis
- Multiple case study
Geographic Setting
- Southwestern United States
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
- field-based methods course
- Reading methods
Preservice Participants
- undergraduates in a Reading Methods course
Preservice Sample Size
6
Other Participant Data
- Quesionnaire
- Students in classrooms
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- fieldnotes
- lesson plans
- pre-service teachers' observations of kids
- Questionnaire
- reflections
Data Analysis Tools
- coding "according to predictive themes and pattern matched"
- Coding (descriptive)
- cross-case analysis
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
- Inside (studying their own programs)
Research Questions
"What do reading difficulties mean to preservice teachers?" (p. 595)
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
"How are these meanings constructed while interacting with a student
who has reading difficulties?" (p. 595)
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
"How do preservice teachers perceive that students will be able to overcome reading difficulties?" (p. 595)
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes