Teacher modelling: Its impact on an extensive reading programme

Loh, J.K.K. (2009). Teacher Modeling: Its impact on an extensive reading program. Reading in a Foreign Language, 21(2), 93-118.

Background

Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Reading or USSR is one of the names given to individualized extensive reading. In Singapore, USSR has become part of the extensive reading programme in most schools. It is done during a blocked-out period, either during the English curriculum time or before school curriculum hours. Both teachers and students are supposed to read materials of their choice. The research seeks to investigate teachers’ practices during the USSR period and to what extent teacher modelling is done.

Aims

With the immense amount of research on the benefits of reading and teacher modelling, a case study with a primary school was done to confirm this hypothesis. The aim of the case study was firstly, to investigate to what extent teachers model the act of reading and, secondly, to what extent they believe in the importance of modelling.

Sample

The sample comprised 50 teachers, of which three were heads of department (HOD) and nine were level heads (LH). They taught classes of Primary 2, 4 and 6. Purposeful sampling was used for six teachers which comprised an HOD, two LHs and three form teachers from the weakest classes. There was also systematic sampling done with the remaining 44 teachers.

Method

A mixed design was used for this study. The tools included a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview, both pilot tested first with five other teachers, and an observation log. The teachers in the actual study attended and participated in the USSR programme at the start of the day for 15 minutes. They were observed four times at five-minute intervals for 10 weeks. All the teachers did the questionnaire and 10 teachers were selected to attend the semi-structured interview.

Findings

The observations revealed that the teachers did not model the act of reading to a large extent. Both the survey and the interviews showed that although the majority of teachers believed in the importance of reading and modelling, they did not model it.

Implications

The Ministry of Education (MOE) acknowledges the importance of reading and teacher modelling. Despite teachers’ pedagogical beliefs that modelling is important for students’ reading, they are evidently not doing it. Although the findings from only one school cannot be generalised, Singapore should continue to place emphasis on the extensive reading programme.

Original article retrieved from EBSCOHost.