I had to go out and get myself a book on grammar’: A study of pre-service teachers’ knowledge about language
Abstract
Inquiries into Australian teacher education and literacy have highlighted concerns about the preparedness of teachers to teach literacy effectively. In the international literature, ‘knowledge about language’ has been identified as an important factor in successful literacy teaching. This paper reports on a qualitative study which investigated pre-service teachers ‘knowledge about language’. The purpose of this study was to elicit information about the gaps in students’ knowledge with a view to reviewing our current teacher education program so that students will be able to work effectively with ‘knowledge about language’ in their future teaching careers. Generally the ‘knowledge about language’ of the participants in this study was fragmented and lacked depth. Their views about grammar were highly prescriptive, yet most did not feel adequately prepared to use their knowledge in their future teaching.
Reference
Harper, H. & Rennie, J. (2009). I had to go out and get myself a book on grammar’: A study of pre-service teachers’ knowledge about language. Australian Journal of Language & Literacy, 32(1), 22-37.
Journal
Australian Journal of Language & Literacy
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
- mixed methods
- Qualitiative
- Quantitative
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
- undergraduate preservice teachers
Preservice Sample Size
39
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Focus group interviews
- Questionnaire
Data Analysis Tools
- Constant comparative analysis
Researcher Positionality
Research Questions
What do a group of first year teacher education students know about "knowledge about language" (KAL)?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? No