Preservice and beginning teachers’ perceptions of the influence of high stakes tests on their literacy‐related instructional beliefs and decisions
Abstract
This longitudinal study examined preservice and beginning teachers' perceptions of ways their literacy related instructional beliefs and decisions were affected by learning to teach in a high stakes testing environment. Data collection over a three-year period included open-ended survey responses from 64 teacher interns and individual interview responses from 8 former interns during the first and second years of teaching. Responses to the surveys and individual interviews were coded using themes that emerged from the data. Results of the study indicated that the preservice and beginning teachers varied in their perceptions of how high stakes tests influenced their literacy instruction. While many participants described strong influences of these tests on their instructional decisions, others reported only minimal effects. In addition, teachers frequently reported effects on their instructional decisions, but no effect on their instructional beliefs.
Reference
White, C., Sturtevant, E., & Dunlap, K. (2003). Preservice and beginning teachers’ perceptions of the influence of high stakes tests on their literacy‐related instructional beliefs and decisions. Reading Research and Instruction, 42(2), 39-62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19388070309558385
Journal
Reading Research and Instruction
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
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
68
Other Participant Data
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Interviews
- Questionnaires
- Survey
Data Analysis Tools
- coding (emergent categories)
- Likert Scale
- Qualitative Analysis
Researcher Positionality
- Inside (studying their own programs)
Research Questions
1) Did preservice and beginning teachers perceive contradictions between the instructional practices learned in university courses and actual teaching practice in a high stakes testing environment? If so, what were these contradictions?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
2) Did the preservice and beginning teachers perceive that high stakes tests influenced their decisions related to teaching literacy? If so, in what ways?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes