Teachers' Beliefs about Reading Instruction

Nasir, S. N. (2004). Preschool teachers’ beliefs and practices about reading instruction: An exploratory study(Master’s thesis). Retrieved from http://libris.nie.edu.sg/

Background

Given the dearth of research in beginning reading instruction in Singapore, the author was interested in investigating preschool teachers’ beliefs and practices about reading instruction.

Aims

The aim of the study was to see if teachers believe in an eclectic approach to reading instruction which combines phonics, sight word and meaning-based approaches. This study focused on four individual approaches: (a) the phonics (code-based) approach, (b) the sight word approach, (c) the meaning-based (whole-language) approach, and (d) the balanced approach, which used a combination of the other three.

Sample

Fifty-five preschool teachers from a variety of preschools completed the questionnaire. To triangulate the data collected through the questionnaires, two teachers from two different centres were selected for classroom observation.

Method

The teachers completed the questionnaire, which comprised statements describing classroom methods and strategies adopted that they agreed or disagreed with. The classroom observations were conducted to observe the classroom climate, pre-reading activities, during reading activities, post-reading activities, and skills and strategy instruction.

Findings

The results from the survey questionnaire showed that the teachers believed in the balanced approach. However, the classroom observations proved that teachers showed bias in their approaches and focused on one or other particular approach when they conducted their activities in the classroom. The author also found that there were no scaffolding strategies used to help the children make sense of the story during the reading. Although these observations cannot be generalized to the teaching population, they indicate that there may be a gap between beliefs and practices since these teachers did not combine nor conduct activities that reflected the balanced approach during their reading lessons.

Implications

As a follow-up to the study, courses that aim to raise teachers’ awareness of the nature of reading processes and of teaching pupils to become fluent readers can be conducted. The author suggests that one possible avenue would be to provide teachers with a network of support, professional exchange and learning through a more collaborative, action-oriented approach to educational and professional development.

Original article retrieved from NIE Digital Repository.