How Well Prepared are Australian Final-Year Preservice Teachers to Teach Early Reading and Spelling?
Abstract
Preservice early childhood and primary teachers from teacher preparation institutions across five Australian states were surveyed regarding their perceptions of preparedness and ability to teach early reading and spelling skills, as well as their knowledge of components of early reading, such as phonemic awareness, alphabet knowledge and early spelling patterns. Surveys were conducted in the final year of the teacher training courses and targeted students attending teacher education institutions providing teacher training in the area of early literacy. Although preservice teachers generally rated themselves as prepared to teach early reading, most demonstrated minimal to very poor knowledge of the components of early reading, indicating a substantial discrepancy between the general confidence of preservice teachers to teach, and their limited content knowledge of beginning reading skills. The return rates from institutions (16) and students (160) were low; however the results of this study support previous research findings, suggesting that there may be a need for reform in teacher preparation programs, especially in the area of early reading instruction.
Reference
Meeks, L. J. & Kemp, C. (2017). How Well Prepared are Australian Preservice Teachers to Teach Early Reading Skills? Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 42(11), 1-17.
Journal
Australian Journal of 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
Geographic Setting
- Australia
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- Tasmania
- Victoria
Institutional Context
Certification Level
- early childhood
- primary (Australian term)
Programatic Focus
- early childhood education
- Primary
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
- undergraduate preservice teachers
Preservice Sample Size
178
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
Data Analysis Tools
- Correlation
- Quantitative analysis
Researcher Positionality
- Outside (not directly invested in the program or operations)
Research Questions
"How do preservice teachers rate their preparedness and ability to teach beginning reading and spelling?" (p. 3).
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
"What content knowledge and skills do preservice teachers have regarding early reading and spelling instruction?" (p. 3).
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
"Is there a correlation between preservice teacher rating of preparedness to teach early reading and spelling and their early reading and spelling content knowledge and skills?" (p. 3).
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes