Teacher preparation and student course availability in Texas junior high school reading programs

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine teacher preparation and availability of reading instruction in the public junior high schools in Texas. Information for the study was obtained from three sources. School district reading program data were obtained through questionnaires sampling 250 teachers in 104 junior high schools. Teacher-training institution reading course offerings were studied from individual questionnaires directed to 11 Texas institutions and from a study of catalogue course offerings from 20 representative teacher-training institutions. Junior high school teacher respondents indicated the type of reading instruction and the percentage of sample school districts in which it was available as follows: (1) developmental, 96 percent; (2) corrective, 71 percent; (3) remedial, 59 percent. Of 207 teachers responding to questions on formal reading training, a variation from a minimum of 25 percent to a maximum of 51 percent reported earned credit in any one of three types of formal reading training courses. College teachers of reading provided information about college reading courses which teachers could take to prepare them for teaching reading. The respondents unanimously agreed that junior high school reading teachers should take a course in reading while they are undergraduates. The college reading teachers also thought that teacher-preparation institutions could improve the preparation of junior high school reading teachers by adding a course in the teaching of reading at the junior high school level..