Synthesis of Preservice Teacher Education Research Studies in the Field of Reading
An Analysis of the Past
The Torch Lighters: Tomorrow's Teachers of Reading (Austin & Morrison, 1961). A reflection on the history of any system or culture is often a great teacher. This research study provided a light indeed for educators to begin to take a comprehensive look at the nature and quality of preservice teacher education in reading. As of 2001, the reading field is still addressing some of the same problems analyzed during this study. This research study had two major purposes: (1) to learn how the colleges and universities in the United States were preparing future teachers of reading, and (2) to suggest major recommendations for improving teacher preparation in reading instruction. The study carefully analyzed the admission, curriculum, and certification practices for preservice teachers at 74 universities. The study also analyzed the content and the manner in which courses were conducted, causes of reading problems, reading research needs, and anticipated changes needed in reading instruction.
The lessons learned from this study are broad in scope and critical to summarize as points of reflection and guidance for preservice education, state departments of education, policymakers, and schools. Austin and Morrison (1961) list 22 recommendations:
All preservice teachers must make formal application to teacher education programs. At the end of their second year, they must be reviewed for their level of academic proficiency, mental and emotional maturity, aptitude for teaching effectiveness, and competency in elementary grade skills.
Preservice teachers should be permitted and encouraged to elect a field of concentration other than elementary education. However, they also should complete their reading methods coursework and student teaching.
Faculty members responsible for training preservice teachers should make every effort to inculcate in their students a sense of pride in their chosen profession.
Senior faculty, who are prominent in the field of reading research, should take an active role in the instruction of undergraduates. They should at least teach one undergraduate reading course per semester.
Class time allocated to reading instruction, whether taught as a separate course or integrated with language arts, must be the equivalent to at least three semester-hour credits.
Basic reading instruction offered to preservice elementary teachers should be expanded to include content and instructional techniques for the intermediate and upper grades.
The faculty must continue to emphasize that no one method of word recognition, such as phonetic analysis, should be used to the exclusion of other word-attack techniques. The preservice teachers must be exposed to a variety of opinions related to other significant issues in reading, such as grouping policies, prereading materials, techniques of beginning reading instruction, and teaching machines.
The faculty must take greater responsibility in making certain that their students have mastered essential principles of phonetic and structural analysis.
A course in basic reading instruction should be required for all preservice secondary teachers.
Universities need to offer a course or inservice training in reading instruction that is specifically designed for principals, supervisors, and cooperating teachers.
The case-study or problem-centered approach needs to be implemented to provide preservice teachers with the opportunity to relate theory to practice and to analyze, interpret, and solve practical instructional concerns.
Every preservice teacher must be abreast of techniques, interpretation, and evaluation of current and past research. Preservice teachers also should have access to a variety of professional reading journals.
All faculty members responsible for teaching reading or language arts courses must have sufficient time to observe and confer with their students during the practical teaching experience. They also must have sufficient time to consult with the cooperating teacher and administrative staff (i.e., principal).
Additional experimental research should be conducted in the areas of critical reading, study skills, and grouping practices.
Universities need to recruit, train, and certify cooperating teachers. After the cooperating teachers undergo certification, they could serve as university associates. They could participate in the formulation of practice teaching programs, preservice teacher seminars, and in the final evaluation of preservice teachers' performance. Cooperating teachers at this level should receive financial remuneration for their role in preservice teacher education.
Universities need to appoint a community liaison to the local school system to achieve a closer collaboration between schools and the university to support the schools in enhancing reading and other academic instruction.
Universities should encourage preserve teachers to remain in their cooperating school sites for a full day during the practice teaching program to help them gain a greater understanding of the continuity of the reading program.
Universities must ensure that no more than two students be assigned to practice-teach within one cooperating classroom.
Students assigned to one classroom during their practice teaching experience also must have time allocated to participate in an observational program that allows them to gain experience with children at different grade levels.
When preservice teachers are found to have specific deficiencies in their understanding of the reading program, the preservice teacher must be required to return to the university for additional coursework following his or her practice teaching. If the preservice teacher is deficient in his or her instructional techniques, the apprenticeship program must be prolonged until the necessary level of competency is demonstrated.
Universities need to reexamine the criteria they use to evaluate students during the practice teaching experience to ensure that a passing grade in practice teaching or student teaching is in fact a passing grade where the student has completely demonstrated a level of competency in teaching reading and other elementary grade skills.
Universities need to establish a follow-up program to ascertain their graduates' views concerning the impact and usefulness of the preservice teacher-education program on their teaching. The major questions for investigation would be:
- Was the teacher education program in reading adequate in its preparation of teachers?
- What were the strengths of the teacher education program?
- What were the weaknesses of the teacher education program?
The Torch Lighters Revisited (Morrison & Austin, 1977). This analysis is a follow-up to the first report, The Torch Lighters: Tomorrow's Teachers of Reading (Austin & Morrison, 1961). The authors wanted to determine the extent to which their recommendations were adopted or modified. They also wanted to ascertain what additional changes had taken place within teacher preparatory programs. The Torch Lighters Revisited study consisted of a three-part questionnaire, which covered the following areas:
The extent of adoption of the original 22 recommendations made in The Torch Lighters. (The result indicators were: in effect, modified or strengthened, not in effect, not applicable, no response.)
Significant changes that had taken place in recent years in colleges and universities where preservice teachers of reading were being prepared.
Suggested recommendations for the future, as indicated by respondents to the questionnaire.
The lessons learned from this study show that for each one of the 22 recommendations there were percentage points for the in effect category ranging from 24 percent to 84 percent. The modified or strengthened category had percentage points ranging from 11 percent to 28 percent. The not in effect category had percentage points ranging from 1.2 percent to 57.8 percent. The highest areas that showed no effect or change were the following:
Universities need to recruit, train, and certify cooperating teachers. After the cooperating teachers undergo certification, they could serve as university associates. They could participate in the formulation of practice teaching programs and preservice teacher seminars, and in the final evaluation of preservice teachers' performance. Cooperating teachers at this level should receive financial remuneration for their role in preservice teacher education (57.8 percent).
Additional experimental research should be conducted in the areas of critical reading, study skills, and grouping practices (50 percent).
When preservice teachers are found to have specific deficiencies in their understanding of the reading program, the preservice teacher must be required to return to the university for additional coursework following his or her practice teaching. If the preservice teacher is deficient in his or her instructional techniques, the apprenticeship program must be prolonged until the necessary level of competency is demonstrated (49.7 percent).
There should be a required course in basic reading instruction for all secondary preservice teachers (48.4 percent).
There is a need for course offerings or inservice training in reading instruction designed specifically for principals, supervisors, and cooperating teachers (42.2 percent).
The recommendations for the future indicated by the respondents on the questionnaire revealed a concern for the increased number of required courses, the need for an earlier introduction of the preservice teacher to realistic reading settings and interaction with children, the quality of faculty responsible for teaching reading courses, and the need for federal funding to support preservice teachers and preservice teacher-education programs.
Considering the multidimensional factors in teacher education that should be examined, educators can no longer postulate that preservice teachers will teach effectively once they have subject-matter knowledge, understand models of curriculum, and have some type of practice in the field. All of these are important; however, the investigation of preservice teacher education in the field of reading needs to expand to provide in-depth insights as the field moves forward.
According to Anders, Hoffman, and Duffy (2000), 19,457 studies have been conducted in reading during the past 30 years. Of that number, only 140 focused on preservice reading education. These studies varied in their methodological investigation and research rigor, leaving questions and concerns about the nature of preservice reading education. As a result of the findings from the studies, seven key thesis statements were identified, providing supportive reflections that could prove useful as educators look at adding value to preservice teacher education in reading.
This synthesis of preservice teacher-education research studies in the field of reading provides a review of the research taken from core categories in the field of preservice teacher education in reading research. These categories are: an analysis of the past, preservice teachers' perspectives, elementary and secondary levels, teaching experiences, and diagnostic training.