Abstract
After rating their own literacy-related knowledge in three areas (knowledge about reading/reading development, phonemic awareness/phonics, and morpheme awareness/structural analysis), graduate teacher-education students completed five tasks intended to measure their actual disciplinary knowledge in these areas. Teachers with high levels of prior background (i.e., course preparation and experience) rated themselves as significantly more knowledgeable than did low-background teachers in all areas; high-background participants also significantly outperformed low-background participants on all tasks. However, even high-background teachers scored well below ceiling on the tasks. Regression analyses indicated that teachers’ self-perceptions and knowledge were positively influenced by both level of preparation and teaching experience, although the influences on teachers’ knowledge differed by task. Teachers had some accurate perceptions of their own knowledge, especially in the area of phonics. Results suggest that differentiating levels of preparation may be useful in studying teacher knowledge, and also support the notion of a substantial gap between research on reading and teacher preparation in reading.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Adams, M. J. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Adams, M. J. (1998). The three-cueing system. In F. Lehr & J. Osborn (Eds.), Literacy for all: Issues in teaching and learning (pp. 73–99). New York: Guilford Press.
Blachman, B. (1997) Foundations of reading acquisition and dyslexia: Implications for early intervention. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Bos, C., Mather, N., Dickson, S., Podhajski, B., & Chard, D. (2001). Perceptions and knowledge of preservice and inservice educators about early reading instruction. Annals of Dyslexia, 51, 97–120.
Bos, C., Mather, N., Narr, R., & Babur, N. (1999). Interactive, collaborative professional development in early literacy instruction: Supporting the balancing act. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 14, 227–238.
Cunningham, A. E., Perry, K. E., Stanovich, K. E., & Stanovich, P. J. (2004). Disciplinary knowledge of K-3 teachers and their knowledge calibration in the domain of early literacy. Annals of Dyslexia, 54, 139–167.
Ehri, L. C., & Wilce, L. S. (1980). The influence of orthography on readers’ conceptualization of the phonemic structure of words. Applied Psycholinguistics, 1, 371–385.
Fischer, P. E. (1993). The sounds and spelling patterns of English: Phonics for teachers and parents. Morrill, ME: Oxton House.
Fox, J. (1997). Applied regression analysis, linear models, and related methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Gough, P. B., Ehri, L. C., & Treiman, R. (Eds.). (1992). Reading acquisition. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Hoffman, J. V., & Roller, C. M. (2001). The IRA excellence in reading teacher preparation commission’s report: Current practices in reading teacher education at the undergraduate level in the United States. In C. M. Roller (Ed.), Learning to teach reading: Setting the research agenda (pp. 32–79). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
International Reading Association. (2003). Investment in teacher preparation in the United States. Newark, DE: Author.
McCutchen, D., Abbott, R. D., & Green, L. B. (2002). Beginning literacy: Links among teacher knowledge, teacher practice, and student learning. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 35, 69–86.
McCutchen, D., & Berninger, V. (1999). Those who know teach well: Helping teachers master literacy-related content knowledge. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 14, 215–226.
McCutchen, D., Harry, D. R., Cunningham, A. E., Cox, S., Sidman, S., & Covill, A. E. (2002). Reading teachers’ knowledge of children’s literature and English phonology. Annals of Dyslexia, 52, 207–228.
Moats, L. C. (1994). The missing foundation in teacher education: Knowledge of the structure of spoken and written language. Annals of Dyslexia, 44, 81–102.
Moats, L. C. (2000). Speech to print: Language essentials for teachers. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Moats, L. C. (2004). Science, language, and imagination in the professional development of reading teachers. In P. McCardle & V. Chhabra (Eds.), The voice of evidence in reading research (pp. 269–287). Baltimore: Brookes Publishing Co.
Moats, L. C., & Foorman, B. R. (2003). Measuring teachers’ content knowledge of language and reading. Annals of Dyslexia, 53, 23–45.
National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: National Institutes of Health.
National Research Council. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
O’Connor, R. (1999). Teachers’ learning ladders to literacy. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 14, 203–214.
Perfetti, C. A. (1985). Reading ability. New York: Oxford University Press.
Rack, R. P., Snowling, M. J., & Olson, R. K. (1992). The nonword reading deficit in developmental dyslexia: A review. Reading Research Quarterly, 27, 29–53.
Scarborough, H. S., Ehri, L. C., Olson, R. K., & Fowler, A. E. (1998). The fate of phonemic awareness beyond the elementary school years. Scientific Studies of Reading, 2, 115–142.
Spear-Swerling, L., & Brucker, P. (2003). Teachers’ acquisition of knowledge about English word structure. Annals of Dyslexia, 53, 72–103.
Spear-Swerling, L., & Brucker, P. (2004). Preparing novice teachers to develop basic reading and spelling skills in children. Annals of Dyslexia, 54, 332–364.
Spear-Swerling, L., & Brucker, P. (in press). Teacher-education students’ reading abilities and their knowledge about word structure. Teacher Education and Special Education.
Stanovich, K. E. (2000). Progress in understanding reading: Scientific foundations and new frontiers. New York: Guilford Press.
Stanovich, K. E., & Siegel, L. S. (1994). Phenotypic performance profile of children with reading disabilities: A regression-based test of the phonological-core variable-difference model. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86, 24–53.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Spear-Swerling, L., Brucker, P.O. & Alfano, M.P. Teachers’ literacy-related knowledge and self-perceptions in relation to preparation and experience. Ann. of Dyslexia 55, 266–296 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-005-0014-7
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11881-005-0014-7