Factors contributing to teachers' decision-making policies associated with effective reading instruction

Abstract

This investigation was structured to examine relationships between variables of effective engagement and questioning techniques with teachers' knowledge of reading content, theoretical reading orientation and rank-ordering of reading behavior outcomes. A sample of one hundred elementary classroom reading teachers (Primary, N = 60; Intermediate, N = 40) from West Virginia, Texas, Virginia, and Indiana volunteered to participate in the study. Data were collected from four instruments: (1) Knowledge Test of Reading for Elementary School Teachers; (2) Propositions About Reading Instruction Inventory; (3) Rank-ordering reading behavior outcomes; and (4) Reading Classroom Instruction Simulations. The study focused on four major research questions featuring associations of these variables: (1) knowledge of reading content; (2) theoretical reading orientation; (3) effective engagement techniques; (4) effective questioning techniques; and (5) rank-ordering reading behavior outcomes. Five prediction variables on demographic information were used in this investigation to examine their effect on knowledge of reading content. The five predictor variables included: (1) educational background; (2) total number of reading courses taken; (3) years since last enrolled in a reading course; (4) grade level taught; and (5) number of years teaching experience. Stepwise regression analysis was used to rank order the predictor variables' importance to the model. Results of this study supported findings of research on teachers' theoretical reading orientations. Teachers who were pupil-centered were negatively related to effective engagement techniques. Educational background and grade level taught was found to influence teachers' knowledge of reading content. Primary teachers' were found to be more knowledgeable about reading content than were intermediate grade level teachers. Overall rank-ordering of reading behavior outcomes by all teachers in the sample indicated that teaching of consonant sounds, vowel sounds, and literal level comprehension were ranked highest in order of prioritizing seven reading behavior outcomes. Primary teachers significantly ranked the teaching of consonant sounds higher than did intermediate grade level teachers. In contrast, intermediate grade level teachers ranked the teaching of vowel sounds higher than did primary grade level teachers.