Synthesis of Preservice Teacher Education Research Studies in the Field of Reading
Elementary and Secondary Levels
The Effects of Teacher Training on Preservice Elementary Education Majors' Conceptual Framework of Reading (Shaw, 1994). This study investigated whether an elementary reading methods course and student teaching have an effect on teachers' theoretical models of teaching reading (i.e., top-down, bottom-up, or interactive). The top-down model is a student-to-text model, where the student brings his or her background knowledge to the text to construct meaning. Teachers who postulated this model deem the construct of meaning as primary to the instructional process. They focus the majority of reading and language arts instructional time on meaning-making activities in the areas of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The bottom-up model is a text-to-reader model, where the student must get meaning from the syntactic, semantic, and structural organization of the text. Teachers who practice a bottom-up model place a focus on students decoding letters and words before they are able to construct meaning from text selections. The interactive model sets forth a framework, which indicates that the process of reading is initiated through the integration of constructing meaning by simultaneously decoding letters and words.
The study indicated that the bottom-up theoretical model espoused by teachers translates into instructional practices that require the teacher to become a technician (i.e., using the science of instruction in a systematic manner). The top-down theoretical model translates into instructional practices that require the teacher to be a professional, which in turn necessitates that teachers have the ability and knowledge base to adapt to shifts within the instructional situation. Teachers who espouse the top-down model seem to select among a variety of alternatives and strategies within their reading instruction. They also encourage and teach their students how to choose among alternatives within the reading process. Finally, the top-down theoretical model translates into teachers acquiring natural knowledge and skills that help them become instructional decision-makers.
Reading Coursework Requirements for Middle and High School Content Area Teachers: A United States Survey (Romine, McKenna, & Robinson, 1996). For many decades, middle school and high school content-area teachers have needed to deal directly with reading problems facing their students. However, these teachers have not necessarily received the type of in-depth reading instruction to equip them for this daunting task.
This survey analyzed the status of course requirements in reading for teachers seeking certification at the middle or high school levels for all 50 state departments of education and the District of Columbia. The years analyzed are 1973, 1983, and 1994; the 1994 data has a 100-percent response rate. The certification officers were asked the following questions:
How many courses in developmental reading instruction are required for certification as a middle school teacher?
How many courses in content-area reading are required for certification as a middle school teacher?
How many courses in developmental reading instruction are required for certification as a high school teacher?
How many course in content-area reading are required for certification as a high school teacher?
The study indicated an increase in the number of U.S. middle and secondary teachers exposed to content literacy techniques and methodologies. The number of states requiring at least one content reading course for certification increased.
The study revealed that a total of 37 states, plus the District of Columbia, reported at least one course in reading for middle and/or high school certification in one or more content subjects. The study stressed the need to realize that adding coursework to certification requirements for middle and high school teachers will not solve the problem of how to effectively transfer knowledge, skills, and pedagogical techniques into practice. The courses should be supplemented with ongoing, practical, instructional professional development that encourages the continuous implementation of the knowledge learned from coursework and classroom practice.