Date of Award

7-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

First Advisor

Roger Mitch Nasser

Second Advisor

Lynda Leavitt

Third Advisor

Merlyn Johnson

Abstract

Literacy supports all content areas and is crucial to the academic achievement of all students (Birdyshaw et al., 2017). The International Literacy Association (ILA, 2017) posits that teachers are the most crucial factor in content and pedagogical achievement. The ILA (2019) stresses that students have a right to a highly effective and knowledgeable educator who can provide evidence-based reading instruction. Research illustrates that students who do not learn to read by the third grade continue to struggle throughout school (Rickenbrode & Walsh, 2013). Rickenbrode and Walsh (2013) confirm that most of these students will remain poor readers and are more likely not to graduate high school. Given the high stakes of our children, it is imperative that educators are prepared to teach reading effectively. This study aimed to analyze foundational literacy courses in teacher preparation courses and how they teach the components of literacy. This study used conceptualizations of teacher knowledge as a theoretical lens to examine preparation practices that foundational literacy educators use to prepare preservice teachers to teach reading, combined with the theory of Louisa Moats that correcting inadequate teacher preparation is a crucial step in reducing reading problems. In a report by Evens et al. (2018), teacher knowledge is theorized by three domains: content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and content pedagogical knowledge. The researcher analyzed the curriculums of the participating universities using a rubric and collected the perceptions of all participants through questionnaires and interviews. This study held significance as it contributed to the body of research in Missouri and advanced the exploration of instructors' and novice teachers’ perceptions regarding their preparedness to teach reading.

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