Examining preservice teacher content and pedagogical content knowledge needed to teach reading in elementary school
Abstract
Recently, increased attention has been placed on the importance of having knowledgeable and skilled teachers in order to influence reading achievement. Yet many international reports suggest that large numbers of children are not learning to read. How can we better prepare teachers with the necessary knowledge to teach reading? The current study examined the reading instructional knowledge of elementary education preservice teachers (N = 87) from two teacher education programmes. Programme A required five reading methods courses and Programme B required two methods courses. Findings indicate that the preservice teachers presented fairly robust levels of knowledge in the areas of phonological awareness, phonics, comprehension and vocabulary. However, we found statistically significant differences in knowledge based on the programme attended and the number of courses completed. Suggestions for improving reading teacher education are provided.
Reference
Clark, S.K., Helfrich, S.R., & Hatch, L. (2015). Examining preservice teacher content and pedagogical content knowledge needed to teach reading in elementary school. Journal of Research in Reading.
Journal
Journal of Research in Reading
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
Geographic Setting
- Midwestern USA
- western united states
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
- undergraduate preservice teachers
Preservice Sample Size
87
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Literacy Information Knowledge Scale (LIKS-WS)
Data Analysis Tools
Researcher Positionality
- Outside (not directly invested in the program or operations)
Research Questions
(What is) the instructional knowledge of teacher candidates (who were required to take differing amounts of methods courses)?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Unknown