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1958

A Survey of Beginning Intermediate Grade TeacherNeeds in Teaching ReadingVictor Royce BolonCentral Washington University

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Recommended CitationBolon, Victor Royce, "A Survey of Beginning Intermediate Grade Teacher Needs in Teaching Reading" (1958). Electronic Theses. Paper183.

A SURVEY OF BEGINNING INTERMEDIATE GRADE ~ .,

TEACHER NEEDS IN TEACHING READING

A Thesis

Presented to

the Graduate Faculty

Central Washington College of Education

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Degree

Master of Education

by

Victor Royce Bolon

June 1958

89341

APPROVED FOR THE GRADUATE FACULTY _________________________________ Emil E. Samuelson, COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN _________________________________ Maurice L. Pettit _________________________________ Amanda Hebeler

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

With sincere appreciation and a heartfelt thanks

the author wishes to acknowledge the help, guidance, and

boundless patience of Dr. Emil E. Samuelson.

For their contribution to this study, to Dr. Maurice

Pettit and Miss Amanda Hebeler are extended an unreserved

II thanks e II

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. INTRODUCTION • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE • • • • • • • • • • •

III. STATEMENT OF MATERIAL, METHOD, AND DATA. • • •

PAGE

1

6

10

General Background of Experience • • • • • • 10

Analysis of Professional Preparation • • • • 15

Analysis of Teaching Needs and College

IV.

Preparation. • • • •

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.

• • • •

• • • •

BIBLIOGRAPHY • • • . . . . . . .

• • • • • • •

• • • • • • •

. . . . . . . APPENDIX •••• . . . . . • • • • • • • • • • • • •

24

59

66

68

TABLE

I.

LIST OF TABLES

Analysis of Professional Preparation and

Certification of First-Year Intermediate

Grade Teachers • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

II. A Comparison of the Frequency of Selection

of a Professionalized Subjects Minor by

Teaching Specializations • • • • • • • • •

III. Comparison of Required Method Courses

Taken by First-Year Intermediate Grade

v

PAGE

17

19

Teachers With Elected Reading Courses. • • 23

IV. Comparison of Reading Skills With Teaching

Needs and College Preparation of Beginning

Intermediate Grade Teachers. . . • • • • • 26

V. Comparison of Teacher Needs in Teaching

Reading With Amount of Reading Preparation 38

VI. Degree of Inadequacy Felt by First-Year

Intermediate Grade Teachers in Teaching

Reading, Based on College Preparation. • • 43

VII. Comparison of Self-Evaluation in Teaching

Competence With Number of Reading and

Method Courses Taken • • • • • • • • • • •

VIII. Recommendations for Professional Preparation

52

Based on First-Year Teaching Performance • 54

vi

TABLE PAGE

IX. Write-In Suggestions of First-Year

Intermediate Grade Teachers for Better

Professional Preparation • • • • • • • • • 56

vii

LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURES PAGE

1. Comparison of Reading Skills, Teaching Needs,

and College Preparation • • • • • • • . • • • 30

2. Comparison of Reading Skills, Teaching Needs,

and College Preparation • • • • • • . • • • • 32

3. Comparison of Reading Skills, Teaching Needs,

and College Preparation • • • • • • • • • • • 34

4. Comparison of Teacher Preparation in Teaching

Reading With Number of Reading Courses Taken. 45

5. Comparison of Teacher Preparation in Teaching

Reading With Number of Reading Courses Taken. 47

6. Comparison of Teacher Preparation in Teaching

Reading With Number of Reading Courses Taken. 48

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

In recent years there has been an increased inter­

est on the part of the public in the school program. Much

concern has been expressed over whether or not the schools

are doing an adequate job of teaching reading. Rudolph

Flesch, in his book~ Johnny Can't Read1 , expressed the

opinion that the schools were not doing an adequate job in

teaching reading; this book precipitated a flood of public

criticism and investigation of school programs.

Granted the fact that reading is being taught better

today than ever before; it should be. Nevertheless teachers

must not rest on their laurels. If anything, an even more

concerted effort should be made to obtain the best possible

reading program. This program should be based, of course,

on individual needs and in light of existing research.

In view of the f aet that more children attend school

today than in the past and because of the existence of more

teachers, more materials, better buildings, etc., evidence

such as, "surveys indicate that in typical elementary

schools •••• about one third of the children are retarded

1Rudolph Flesch, ~~ Johnny Can't~ (New York: Harper and Brothers, 19 •

2

in reading one or more years112 should be due cause for

alarm. With evidence of this nature is it any wonder that

reading programs are challenged? Is it not logical that

possible reasons for this unfortunate situation should be

found and altered?

This problem can best be attacked in one of two ways.

It can be approached through a study of the teacher or of

the pupil. Since a multitude of studies have been made

concerning student needs and inadequacies in reading this

study will concern itself with the teacher, his needs and

his inadequacies in teaching reading.

To place the blame of student reading disabilities

entirely on the teacher is unjust. As Harris3 has said,

"there is no one cause of reading disability." Nevertheless

a certain amount of the responsibility for student failures

in reading can be traced to inadequate teaching. In keeping

with this statement Harris4 suggests that "although many

children are handicapped by personal inadequacies, teachers

are by no means blameless in the causation of reading

disabilities."

(New 2Albert J. Harris, How to

York: Longmans, Green-ailci

3rbid., p. 15. 4Ibid., p. 18.

Increase Reading Ability Company, 1947), p. 14.

3

What are the inadequacies evidenced by teachers that

have led to these student reading disabilities? Harris

suggests five shortcomings in teaching procedure that

have contributed to reading retardation:

1. Failure to develop a good background for reading comprehension through a program rich in first-hand and vicarious experiences which form a basis for a creative and stimulating program of discussion, writing, and reading.

2. Failure to adjust instructional procedures to the capacities and maturity levels of pupils.

3. Failure to provide a rich variety of reading materials that are both appropriate in difficulty and interesting to the children.

4. Failure to develop a classroom atmosphere in which children feel that they are appreciated and in which praise, encouragement, and recognition of effort create a favorable attitude toward learning.

5. Failure to notice difficulties while they are recent and minor, a~lowing them to grow into severe and persistent defects.

In further support of teacher inadequacy in teaching

reading, McKee6 has this to say about intermediate grade

teachers:

Instruction in the fundamentals of reading in the intermediate grades is poorly defined. Few teachers in any one of those grades are aware of the reading abili­ties which could and should be taught to pupils at that level, and except for variation in the reading selections used, the teaching done at any one of the three grade levels is almost identical with that done at any one of the other two levels.

5~., pp. 18-19. 6Paul McKee, The Teaching of Reading in the Elementar~

School (New Yor~ Houghton Hrfflin ComP-an"Y;-1948), p.50.

4

Tinker7 summed up the problem of teacher inadequacy

quite well when he said "there is a marked lag between the

type of reading instruction considered desirable in terms

of current needs and that which we get in actual practice."

In view of the accumulation of evidence that has

been set forth indicating teacher inadequacy in teaching

reading, the question that comes to mind is what can be

done to better prepare teachers to teach reading? Huggett

and Stinnett have suggested a most logical and practical

method of answering this question. They say:

Teachers themselves are frequently very critical of the preparation they had for their work. They are able from practical experience to point out the courses and experiences which they found helpful and those which proved to be without much value. Here is the prime reason why experienced teachers should have the opportun­ity to advise with colleges8concerning the content of teacher education programs.

With the above quotation in mind and with a sincere

desire to help teachers in teaching reading this study has

been undertaken. Because of the immensity of the problem,

the desire to do a thorough study, and the short time

available, this study will have the following limitations:

7Miles A. Tinker, Teaching Elementar~ Reading (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., 1952 , p. 8.

8Albert J. Huggett and T. M. Stinnett, Professional Problems of Teachers (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1956), p.-zj'.3.

5

1. It will be concerned with beginning intermediate grade teachers of reading.

2. All teachers involved received their teacher education at Central Washington College of Education.

3. Only those teachers who did their initial teaching during the school , years 1955-56 and 1956-57 are involved.

4. Eighty-nine teachers were contacted in the study, eighty-one and eight-tenths per cent participated actively.

5. The questionnaire was used for gathering data.

The specific purpose of this research is to deter­

mine if beginning intermediate grade teachers from Central

Washington College of Education are experiencing undue

need and feelings of inadequacy in teaching reading. If

they are experiencing need and inadequacy, a secondary

purpose of this study is to identify those needs and inade­

quacies and using their suggestions and comments to pro­

pose changes in the teacher education program that will

better prepare teachers to teach reading at the intermed­

iate grade level. To these ends this study is dedicated.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

An exhaustive search of the literature indicates

that little or no research has been done in the area of

beginning intermediate grade teacher needs in teaching

reading. Monroe1 indicates that of the published studies

relating to the education of teachers the number of impor­

tant studies has been small. On the other hand, Hester2

points out that there has been a growing concern for the

teaching of reading in the regular classroom developing

in the past few years.

Although much research has been done in recent years

in reading most of the studies seem to be concerned with

the student, his needs, and his problems. In conjunction

with these studies some light has been thrown on the teacher

of reading, his needs, and inadequacies. Several studies

have been conducted in which student reading disabilities

have been partly attributed to teacher inadequacy in

1walter S. Monroe, Encycloledia of Educational Research (New York: The Maemil an Company, 1950), P• 1396.

2Kathleen B. Hester, "Classroom Problems in the Teaching of Reading," Elementary School Journal, LIV (September, 1953, May, 1954), p. 86.

7

teaching reading. Among others, Gates3 points out, "among

investigators who believe that many difficulties in read­

ing are due to failure to acquire the essential techni­

ques are some who tend to locate the cause in inadequate

teaching."

In spite of the emphasis placed on the student and

his reading needs there is a growing feeling, on the part

of many educators as well as laymen, that the student's

needs are not being met. Knipp suggests that possibly

"the teacher's background, professional preparation and

knowledge about children may not be sufficient to further

reading progress among pupils. 114 This statement, plus the

research done by Dallman5 in which she analyzed the pre-

service preparation in reading of intermediate grade

teachers in light of their teaching problems, strengthens

3Arthur I. Gates, The Imlrovement of Reading (New York: The Macmillan Company, 94?), p. II.

4Helen B. Knipp, "Causes of Retardation Attribut­able to Faulty Basal Reading Instruction," A Re~ort of the Ninth Annual Conference on Reading, University o-r­Pittsburg (Pittsburg, PennsYivania: University of-Pitts­burg Press, 1953), p. 65.

5Martha Dallman, 11 Is the Pre-Service Preparation in Reading of Intermediate-Grade Teachers Adequate?" Elemen­tary School Journal, IVL (September, 1943, June, 1944), pp. 152-56.

the argument of McKee6 in which he contends that 11most of

the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade pupils in our schools

are not acquiring adequate control of the fundamentals of

reading."

8

Is ineffectual teaching of reading a common occur­

rence? Some people feel that it is. Smith? says, "since

reading is such a complex, intricate, and fundamental

skill • • .many teachers are failing in teaching it

effectively." This is a disastrous situation and it calls

for a look at the possible reasons for this predicament.

Dallman8 suggests that the root of the problem might lie

in the college preparation afforded the intermediate grade

teachers. She further suggests that 11 the college teachers

might have been unaware of the chief problems of inter­

mediate grade teachers, they might have failed to furnish

satisfactory assistance to their students in the solution

of problems that both recognized, and they might have

lacked a critical attitude in the analysis of their

6Paul McKee, The Teaching of Reading in the Elemen­~ School (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1948), P• 349.

7Nila B. Smith, "What Shall We Do About Reading Today?" Elementary English Review, (February, 1943), p. 28.

8nallman, £1?.· cit., p. 155.

9

offerings."

It is apparent from the evidence presented here

that much research needs to be done in the area of teacher

needs in teaching reading at all levels. Reading programs

in the public schools are currently undergoing a good deal

of criticism. The public feels that reading is not being

taught as well as it should be taught and that the teachers

are partly to blame for the disabilities that are evident.

It is hoped that the unveiling of these inadequacies

and needs and the constructive criticism that can be

offered will lead to improvement of the teacher education

program and better future teachers of reading.

To answer these questions, then, is the purpose of

this study: (1) What are the needs and inadequacies being

experienced by beginning intermediate grade teachers that

are graduates of Central Washington College of Education

and (2) What recommendations can be made to insure that

future intermediate grade teachers of Central Washington

College of Education are better prepared to teach reading?

CHAPTER III

STATEMENT OF MATERIAL, METHOD, AND DATA

The purpose of this study, as stated in Chapters

I and II, is to survey the needs of beginning intermediate

grade teachers in teaching reading. It has been the objec­

tive of this study to find out if first-year teachers from

Central Washington College of Education have definite

feelings of inadequacy and needs in the teaching of read­

ing; if so, to point out what these inadequacies and needs

are and suggest possible methods of eliminating them.

GENERAL BACKGROUND OF EXPERIENCE

The data with which this study is concerned has

been obtained with the use of a questionnaire and by the

co-operation of first-year intermediate grade teachers

from Central Washington College of Education who had their

initial teaching experience during the school years 1955-

1956 and 1956-195?. These teachers were chosen as repre­

sentatives of the intermediate grade level, the level with

which this study is concerned, because: (1) their teaching

experience was recent; (2) their college experience should

be fresh in their minds; and (3) recent information about

them was obtainable.

11

Questionnaires were sent to ninety-two first-year

teachers. Of these, four were unable to participate be­

cause their initial teaching experience had been at levels

other than the intermediate grade level. The remaining

eighty-eight people represent, with few exceptions, the

total of all the beginning intermediate grade teachers

that began teaching from Central Washington College of

Education in the years 1955 and 1956. Of the eighty-eight

teachers polled seventy-two participated in the study or

a total of 81.8 per cent.

The questionnaire used in this study was designed

to fulfill three purposes. Its primary function was to

discover the feelings of inadequacy and need as expressed

by first-year intermediate grade teachers of reading; (2)

determine their background of preparation, and (3) find

out what they thought were ways of improving the present

college reading program.

The first section of the questionnaire dealt with

the general background of the beginning teacher. Questions

were asked such as "Was your initial teaching experience

at the intermediate grade level?" nwhat type of teaching

certificate did you hold with your first teaching exper­

ience?" "On what level or levels did you do your student

teaching?" "What were your major and minor or what were

12

your minors if you chose three minors?"

The teachers were also asked to list the courses

they had taken that dealt in some way with the teaching of

reading, whether it be a method course, a specific reading

course, or a related course. To conserve time and effort,

the courses offered at Central Washington College of Edu-

cation which give emphasis in reading to some degree were

given to be checked if taken. Additional space for list-

ing other courses was also offered.

The second section of the questionnaire deals with

the reading program for the intermediate grades. The Read­

ing Program, as expressed by McKee1 in his book The Teach­

ing of Reading in ~ Elementary School, includes four

jobs for the intermediate grade teacher: the Instructional

Jobs, the Study Jobs, the Teaching of Children's Litera­

ture, and Oral Reading. These jobs were reproduced from

the text of McKee's book and placed in the questionnaire to

form a framework for evaluating each individual's exper­

ience in terms of needs and preparations. The teacher was

called upon to evaluate his needs and preparations for

each of the several teaching activities included under the

1Paul McKee, The Teaching of Reading in the Elemen­~ School (New York: Houghto!lMifflin Company, 1948), ~--r32.

13

headings of Instructional Jobs, Study Jobs, Children's

Literature, and Oral Reading. The teacher was asked to

check his needs in handling each activity in terms of no

need, occasional need, and frequent need. In preparation,

he was asked to check the degree of preparation he felt he

had received for directing each of the activities as fol­

lows: no preparation, little preparation, and adequate

preparation. The Reading Program, as used for the evalua­

tion, is as follows:

I. Instructional Jobs

A. Teaching selections in the reader

1. Introducing the selection; stimulating pupils to think using pictures, comments, questions, identifying strange words, giving purpose for reading the lesson.

2. Discussing ideas read; helping pupils to analyze and interpret their thoughts.

3. Making use of ideas gained; activities to be considered in making further use of ideas gained.

B. Providing training in reading for various pur­poses; includes reading for general import, details, critical analysis, etc.

C. Establishing pupil independence in identifying strange printed words; includes the teaching of phonetic analysis, structural analysis, verbal context, dictionary, etc.

D. Improving reading through various school sub­jects; includes injection of reading skills into the study of subject matter content.

14

E. Developing pupil independence in copying with word meaning difficulties; includes using con­text clues and punctuation marks as indicators of meaning, use of figures of speech, words and phrases which may have several meanings.

F. Locating and removing pupil's reading deficien­cies; includes analysis of word recognition skills, independent word identification, and other specific skills involved in oral and silent reading.

G. Measuring pupil achievement includes selecting and using standardized tests, teacher-made tests, and observation of individual abilities during reading.

II. Study Jobs

A. Teaching location of information that is pertin­ent to the problem; includes uses of parts of ordinary books (index, table of contents, glos­sary, etc.), special aids and sources, and selection of pertinent information.

B. Teaching evaluation of pertinent information according to its validity and importance to the problem in mind; differences between fact and opinion, etc.

C. Teaching the organization of important and valid information according to the purpose in mind; includes outlining of topics, sub-topics, details, and how to take notes.

D. Directing pupils to decide what parts of impor­tant and valid information should be retained and securing the retention of that information.

III. Children's Literature

A. Helping children to build an interest in reading a wide variety of choice material and developing a taste for it.

B. Selecting the reading materials to be used at your grade level.

C. Relating the content of Children's Literature to other areas of reading.

IV. Oral Reading

15

A. Teaching the skills required in Oral Reading; includes use of voice intonation, pitch, rate, conveying the meaning intended by the writer, good posture, etc.

The teaching activities listed above were not in­

tended to be all inclusive but rather representative of

the most important aspects of the Reading Program as

envisioned by McKee.

The third section of the questionnaire was devoted

to teacher opinions. The teachers were asked to give

their opinions as to whether or not they felt they had

done an adequate job of teaching reading and the recom­

mendations they would make to insure better college prepara­

tion for teachers of reading.

A copy of the questionnaire is included in the

appendix.

ANALYSIS OF PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION

To fully understand the feelings of inadequacy and

need that have been expressed by these beginning teachers

of reading it is necessary to inspect their background of

experience. For this reason the first section of the

questionnaire was designed. A compilation of this section

16

has resulted in Tables I, II, and III.

Table I, page 17, indicates that of the seventy-two

teachers involved in the study and teaching at the inter­

mediate grade level fifty-eight (eighty-one per cent) did

their student teaching in the intermediate grades. The

remaining nineteen per cent did their student teaching at

one of the other two levels, secondary or primary, with

one person doing student teaching on both secondary and

primary levels.

Table I also indicates that these intermediate grade

teachers chose the major-minor fields of specialization in

almost two out of three cases. Of those teachers who did

their student teaching in the intermediate grades exclus­

ively, indicating that they were preparing specifically

for teaching at this level, slightly more than one half

(fifty-nine per cent) selected the major-minor field com­

bination. Of the teachers who did some or all of their

student teaching at the intermediate grade level thirty­

five of the fifty-eight (sixty per cent) selected the

major-minor field of specialization.

Table I also points out that eighty-six per cent of

these beginning intermediate grade teachers held Provi­

sional General Certificates in their initial year of

teaching. The data also suggests that of these teachers

that hold Provisional Certificates sixty-three per cent

TABLE I

ANALYSIS OF PRO:FESSIONAL PREPARATION AND CERI'IFICATION OF FIBST YEAR INTERMEDIATE

Student Teaching Assigment

Intermediate Level

Secondaey Level

GRADE TEACHERS

Major­Minor

JO

9

Secondary-Intermediate Level 5

Primacy Level l

Secorrlaey-Primary Level l

Totals 46

Prorlsional Certificate 39

Emergeney- Certificate 7

Minors (three

or more)

3

0

0

0

3

Totals

53

12

5

l

1

72

10

17

preferred the major-minor field of specialization to the

three minor field.

In summarizing Table I it can be said that most of

the participating teachers did their student teaching on

18

the intermediate grade level; nineteen per cent did not.

Those teachers that prepared specifically for teaching in

the intermediate grades by doing their student teaching on

this level preferred the major-minor field of specialization

to the three minor field by a ratio of almost two to one.

It can also be said of these first-year teachers that

eighty-six per cent have a four year college education with

a Provisional General Certificate.

Table II, page 19, gives an indication of the fre­

quency with which Professionalized Subjects was selected

as a minor field. Slightly less than one half of the par­

ticipating teachers selected Professionalized Subjects as

a minor field and of that number almost twice as many were

reported in the three minor field of specialization as in

the major-minor field. It is further indicated that of

the teachers who did all of their student teaching in the

intermediate grades (fifty-three), more than one out of

two (fifty-five per cent) had taken a Professionalized

Subjects minor. Table II also reveals that eighty-seven

per cent of the teachers who had done their student teaching

TABLE II

A OOMPARISON OF THE FREQUENCY OF SEIECTION OF A PROFE&>lONALlZED SUBJEG'IS MINOR

BY TEACHING SPEClAL.t.ZATlO!'ti

Areas of Specialization

Student Teaching Major-Minor Minors (three or more) Assigment

Professionalized Subjects

i Professionalized Subjects

Yes No Yes No ~

Intermediate level • • • • • • • • • 9 21 30 20 3

Secondary Leval. • • • • • • • • •• 1 8 9 1 2

Secondary-Intermediate Level • • • • 2 3 5 0 0

Pr1mary Level. • • • • • • • • • • • 0 l 1 0 0

Secondar,r-Primary Level ••••••• 0 1 1 0 0

Totals 12 34 46 21 5

OJ

'aJ 1) ~

23

3

0

0

0

26

!O

20

at the intermediate grade level and had selected three

minors specified Professionalized Subjects as one of

their minors. On the other hand, those who chose the

major-minor specialization selected Professionalized Sub­

jects as a minor in only nine of the thirty cases.

To recapitulate Table II, it should be stated that

when teachers prepare for teaching in the intermediate

grades they elect to include Professionalized Subjects as

a minor more than one half of the time. However, those

who chose the three-minor specialization selected Prof es­

sionalized Subjects as one of their minors almost nine

times out of ten.

To analyze the college preparation of these first­

year teachers for teaching reading at the intermediate

grade level, Table III, page 23, has been constructed.

Table III classifies the intermediate grade teachers by

curriculum and method courses taken and indicates the num­

ber and kind of reading courses elected by each methods

group. The courses listed have been given the name read­

ing courses for the purposes of this study. The last five

courses mentioned in Table III were write-in courses. The

courses are taken from many fields but were indicated as

having been helpful in the teaching of reading and for

this reason have been includedo

Table III suggests anything but uniformity of pre­

paration in these intermediate grade teachers. It is

clearly indicated that only sixty-six per cent of the

21

entire group had taken a curriculum and methods course

dealing with the intermediate grade level. Of the remaining

teachers the majority had taken the secondary methods

course. There is also a clear indication that only one

out of two (forty-nine per cent) had prepared specifically

for teaching at the intermediate grade level. An inter­

esting note is that fifteen teachers out of the seventy-

two had taken methods courses for more than one level of

teaching.

Further inspection of Table III discloses the fact

that these intermediate grade teachers had taken one hun­

dred fourteen courses that aided them in teaching reading,

an average of only one and five tenths reading courses per

person. The most frequently selected course was The Teach­

ing of Reading; fifty-eight per cent of the teachers had

taken it. Thirty-eight per cent of the teachers had taken

Teaching Procedures in the Language Arts and fourteen per

cent had taken Children's Literature. Less than ten per

cent had taken The Modern Reading Program, Intermediate.

Other courses show a scatter of frequencies.

The forty-eight teachers who had taken the inter­

mediate methods course took eighty-seven reading courses

22

between them for an over-all average of one and eight tenths

reading courses per person. In contrast, the individuals

who have had only the intermediate methods course (thirty­

five) indicate that they have taken sixty-nine reading

courses or an average of one and nine tenths reading courses

per person. This group of thirty-five teachers also show

a wider variety of courses having elected every reading

course except five more often than any other group. Seventy­

one per cent of this group elected the course The Teaching

of Reading while sixty per cent of the group elected Teach­

ing Procedures in the Language Arts. Only four persons or

eleven per cent of the group had taken The Modern Reading

Program, Intermediate.

Twenty-five per cent of the study group had not had

a course of any kind in reading. One half of this total

had specifically prepared to teach at the secondary level.

Of those preparing specifically for the intermediate level,

four or eleven per cent of the group failed to take a

course in reading.

A resume of Table III indicates that one out of

three of the teachers participating in the study had not

taken a course in intermediate methods or curriculum. Of

the entire group there is the indication that only one out

of two had specifically prepared for teaching at the

TABLE III

COMPARISON OF REQtJimD METHOD COURh'ES TAKEN BY FIRST YEAR INTERMEDIATE GRADE 1tiOHERS WITH ELECTED BEADING COURSES

Elected Reading Courses

Total number of teachers involved • • • • ••

Reading Readiness • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Teaching of Reading • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Remedial Reading • • • • • • • • • • • • ••

Teaching Procedures, Language Arts •• • • • •

Modern Reading Program, Primary • • • • • • •

Modern Reading Program, Intermediate •• • • •

Reading Problems, Secondary School •• • • • •

Developmental Reading in Content Field. • • •

Studies and Problems in Reading • • • • • • •

Children's Literature • • • • • • • • • • • •

Oral Reading. • • • •••• • • • • • • • • •

Critical. Reading ••• • • • • • • • • ••••

Remedial Reading (graduate course) ••• •••

Others. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Total.a

Average number of courses per individual. • •

Number not electing aey reading courses • • •

35

1

25

4

2l

1

4

0

0

0

5

2

0

2

4

69

4

19

0

8

1

2

1

1

4

0

0

1

0

l

0

2

21

1.2

9

Method Courses Taken

10

1

5

0

3

0

0

0

0

1

3

0

1

0

l

15

2

0

1

0

1

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

3

1.,5 1.5

2 1

3

0

2

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

3

1

1

3

1

1

0

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

3

1

1.

72

3

42

5

'21

2

7

4

0

1

10

2

2

2

7

1l4

1.5

18

24

intermediate grade level. One fourth of the research

study group had not taken a reading course of any kind in

the teaching of reading. When they elect a reading course,

however, The Teaching of Reading and Teaching Procedures

in the Language Arts are their overwhelming choices.

ANALYSIS OF TEACHING NEEDS AND COLLEGE PREPARATION

The data to be examined in this part of the study

has been taken largely from the section of the question­

naire dealing with the reading program. Later in the study

information concerning the number of reading method courses

taken and their relation to need and preparation is exam­

ined. This data has been obtained from the first section

of the questionnaire.

The basic purpose of Chapter III is to analyze the

needs and preparation of these beginning intermediate grade

teachers in handling the reading program. Before the

tables and charts that have been prepared for this analy­

sis are discussed, identification of terms is necessary.

Need, as used here and in the questionnaire, is an expres­

sion of the difficulty met in coping with the teacher

activities. It is possible but unlikely, that some teachers

thought the words occasional and frequent, as used in the

questionnaire, meant how often the teacher's activities

25

were employed in the classroom. Regardless of how the

teachers have interpreted the meaning, they have indicated

a sensitivity to the teacher activities listed. Prepara­

tion, as used here and in the questionnaire, is an expres­

sion of the feeling of adequacy or inadequacy, as the case

may be. To aid discussion, none or no preparation and

little preparation have been combined and are spoken of as

inadequate preparation.

A cursory look at Table IV, pages 26, 27, and 28,

reveals several outstanding things. It indicates, in most

activities, that the majority of the teachers have a fre­

quent need in dealing with the activities presented. Of

equal significance is the small number of teachers that

express no need in the teaching activities described. In

no case did the expression of no need ever equal or surpass

the expressions of occasional or frequent need in the teach­

ing activities.

The participating teachers, as a group, imply a

feeling of inadequacy of preparation for the activities

as stated. (By combining no preparation and little pre­

paration a statement of ttinadequate preparation" can be

made to best express and describe the area of the study

concerned with preparation.) They testify that in every

activity but one, that activity being teaching location

TABIE XV

COMPARISON UF I:tEADING SKILLS WITH TEACHI:OO NEEOO AND COLI.EGE P.HEPAHATION

OF BOOlNNlNG IN'Mft.MEDIATE GRADE TEACHERS

1"ead

r-f CD (Q

lnstruotional Jobs II § ~ s::i 0 A

""" ~ Ill m & a Q'S

0 <D

~ 0 H 0 0 ~ z

Introducing selections; stimulating pupils to think using various techniques • • • • • • • • 2 20 50 0

Discussing ideas read; helping pupils to analyze and interpret their thoughts ••••••• 2 12 58 0

Making use or ideas gained; activities to be considered in making use of ideas gained • • • 3 35 34 0

Providing training in reading for various purposes ••••••••••••••••••••• 3 22 47 1

Establishing pupil independence in identifying strange printed words • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 3 10 59 0

Improving reading through various school subjects. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• 3 19 50 0

Developing pupil independence in coping with word meaning difficultieso ••••••••• 3 23 46 0

Locating and removing pupil's reading deficiencies •••••••••••••••• • • • 0 2l 51 0

Measuring pupil achievement; includes selecting and using standardized tests. • • • • • 3 29 36 5

Preparation

CD (Q ~ , 0 A

~ cu (Q

& & B +:> ..., Q) 0 -.-! :i 0 z H z

11 32 29 0

14 38 20 0

17 41 14 0

17 36 19 0

16 J.D 16 0

16 35 21 0

25 31 15 1

39 28 5 0

20 30 17 5

~

TABLE IV (Continued)

I Need I Preparation

Study Jobs - CD CD r-1 ID ~ n s::i

~ 8. .$ 0 0 Pt -rt ~ I'll

~ "' I'll f8 ~ g. &

J "' tr ! 0 t ~

~ 0 0 0 0 ..... 0 z ;Zj ...:! z

Teaching location of information that is pertinent to the problem • • • • • • • • • 5 17 50 0 7 26 38 0

Teaching evaluation of pertinent information according to its validity and importance • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 5 42 25 0 20 30 21 0

Teaching the organization of important and valid information. • • • • • • • • • • 9 40 23 0 17 27 27 0

Directing pupils to decide what parts of important and valid information should be retained and securing its retention •• 9 25 38 0 19 36 16 0

~

TABI.E IV (Continued)

Need

I Preparation

Children's Literature and Oral Reading ,.... a> CD

i l 8 ~ ' 0 or! g. a> ! m Ill &!

,.... ~ J "" § .... "' 0 a> ~ a>

0 ~ 0 '" ~ 0 0 z z ...::i z

I

Children's Literature

Helping children to build an interest in reading a wide variety of choice material • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 4 13 53 2 19 31 21 1

Selecting the reading materials to be used at your grade level • • • • • • • • 5 lS JJ3 l 31 26 18 1

Relating the content or Children's Literature to other areas or reading •• 5 36 31 0 26 2S 17 1

Oral Reading

Teaching the skills required in Oral Reading • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 2 17 53 0 21 30 21 0

~

29

of information that is pertinent to the problem, they felt

inadequate. In eight of the seventeen activities no pre­

paration is expressed as often or more often than adequate

preparation.

To further illustrate the frequency of need and

adequacy of preparation expressed by these first-year

teachers, Figure 1, page 30, Figure 2, page 32, and Figure

3, page 34, have been assembled. Considered together, the

three figures communicate the same information revealed in

Table IV. They depict by graph and percentage the frequeney

and adequacy of need and preparation expressed by these

intermediate grade teachers. Taken singly they reveal

much more.

Figure 1 deals with the Instructional Jobs of the

Reading Program. The teachers state a frequency of need

for the Instructional Jobs ranging from forty-seven per

cent in making ~ of ideas gained (activities to be con­

sidered in making ~ of ideas gained) to eighty-two per

cent in establishing pupil independence in identifying

strange printed words. Participating teachers indicate a

frequent need exceeding sixty-four per cent for seven of

the nine Instructional Jobs. By combining occasional need

and frequent need a frequency of need ranging from ninety

to one hundred per cent for the nine jobs is obtained. An

average of only three per cent of the teachers specify no

3

4

69 ••• ••• ••• ....

••• 28 ••••

• •• -- . • ••• • • .... •••• •• •

81

Instructional Jobs

Introducing selections; stimulating pupils to think using various techniques • • • • • • •

Discussing ideas read; helping pupils to anal1ze and interpret their thoughts • • . . "

Making use or ideas gained; activities to be considered in making use or ideas gained • •

53

28

57

65 •••• 50 ' .. , ••• •••• 1··

31 ····1 ,.. ' I 126 :-• •••• ••• 41 1~=-~ 1

Providing training in reading for various - ... purposes • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

82 ... •• •••• 56 i•····.1 ••• •••• •••• . \•• •.•:1 221 I 22 ••••

14 1·.·· ·~ Establishing pupil independence in identifying :- ... •• • strange printed words • • • • • • • • • • • • •

.. '

69 ~ •

49

I 29

• . ··~· -:• Improving reading through various school .. :) subjects • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• ••••

64

••• ••• .... ••

32 '· •• ••• •• ·.1 41 ,:_,~

• !.

71

50

40

Need

None

Cl Occasional

Frequent

~ No Response

Developing pupil independence in coping with word meaning difficulties •••••••••••

Locating and removing pupil's reading deficiencies • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Measuring pupil achievement; includes selecting and using standardized tests • • • •

FIGURE 1

COMPARISON OF READING SKILI.S, TEACHING NEEDS, AND COLI.EGE PREPARATION

(percentage)

1

54

42

7

Preparation

None

D LitUe

Adequate

~ No Response

\..) 0

31

need in each of the Instructional Jobs. It appears that

the discussion of ideas read (helping pupils to analyze

~ interpret their thoughts) and establishing pupil inde­

pendence in identifying strange printed words are the two

most troublesome activities of the Instructional Jobs as

both items have been checked by over eighty per cent of

the teachers in the frequent need column.

A feeling of inadequacy of preparation is expressed

by these beginning teachers in all of the nine Instructional

Jobs, ranging from fifty-nine per cent in introducing ~­

lections .!!! the reader (stimulating pupils to think using

various techniques) to ninety-three per cent in locating

and removing pupil's reading deficiencies. Indications of

no preparation for each of the activities ranged from fif­

teen per cent to fifty-four per cent in locating and .!:,!­

moving pupil's reading deficiencies. In contrast, feelings

of adequacy ranging from seven per cent to forty per cent

were stated for handling the teacher activities.

The Study Jobs exhibit much the same pattern as that

found in the Instructional Jobs. Frequent need ranging

from thirty-two per cent in teaching the organization of

important and valid information to sixty-nine per cent in

teaching location of information that is pertinent iQ. the

problem is expressed by beginning teachers. In two of the

7

13

22

69 ••• . .... ••• ~· ••• "' .. · -.:.• • • ••• ---1 •• ... .

58

Need

••• ... •••

35

.... ••• ••• .....

32 •••• ... . .... ••• ••• ••• , .,,.,._ --

••• ••• ••• ·=· ••• --None

r===J Occasional

~ Frequent

~ No Response

Study Jobs

Teaching location of information that is pertinent to the problem • • • • • • • • • • •

Teaching evaluation or pertinent information according to its validity and importance •••

Teaching the organization or important and valid information • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Directing pupils to decide what parts of important and valid information should be retained and securing its retention • • • • •

FIGURE 2

COMPARISON OF READING SIULLS, TEACHING NE!DS, AND COLLmE PREPARATION

(percentage)

10

53 .. .. 8 -·· 3 ..... ••• " .. ... ,

43

:.: .. •• . .. • •••

••• : .... • •• •••••

• •••

39 38 ......... • •••

51

• ••• ••• !·· .:.• •••

22

Preparation

None

D Little

Adequate

~ :tfo Response

:..--";:

33

Study Jobs, teaching the organization of important ~

valid information and directing pupils to decide what

parts of important and valid information should be ~­

tained !!!9: securing ~ retention, thirteen per cent of

the teachers felt no need in dealing with them. This is

the highest percentage of no need indicated in the entire

study.

Feelings of inadequacy of preparation for the Study

Jobs range from forty-eight per cent in teaching location

of information that ~ pertinent to the problem to seventy­

seven per cent in directing pupils to decide what parts

of important and valid information should be retained and

securing its retention. A higher percentage of adequacy

of preparation is felt by the group polled for teaching

the Study Jobs than for teaching the other areas of activity.

A high frequency of need is expressed for the three

activities in Children's Literature. The highest frequency

of need is found in helping children build !:!!: interest in

reading ~ ~ variety of choice material. The lowest

frequency of need is found in relating ~ content of

Children's Literature to other areas of reading. An aver­

age of seven per cent of the teachers indicate no need in

dealing with this area of the reading program.

Inadequacy of preparation was expressed by sixty-nine

per cent or more of the study group in handling the

74

18

67

1

50

74

3

Need

None

~ Occasional

~ Frequent

No Response

Children's Literature

Helping children build an interest in reading a wide variety of choice material • • • • • • • •

Selecting the reading materials to be used at your grade level • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Relating the content of Children's Literature to other areas of reading • • • • • • • • • •

Oral Reading

. ' .. -. ~ ....

• •

... ; . Teaching the skills req~red.in Oral ·Reading •.••

FIGURE 3

COMPARISON OF READING SKILLS, TEACHING NEEIS, AND OOLUnE PREPWTION

(percentage)

1

1

36 39

22

1

42

Preparation

None

D Little

Adequate

No Response

Children 1 s Literature Program. No more than twenty-nine

per cent of the group expressed adequacy of preparation

for teaching in any one of the activities.

35

Ninety-six per cent of the study group indicated a

need in teaching Oral Reading. Seventy-four per cent

indicated frequent need in this task. (Those expressing

need also profess a feeling of inadequacy of preparation

to the amount of seventy-one per cent.) Only twenty-nine

per cent of the teachers feel adequate in teaching Oral

Reading.

To summarize Table IV it should be pointed out that

for the most part a very frequent need is expressed in

handling or teaching the reading program as set forth in

this study. It is also shown that certain of the teaching

jobs indicate more need than others. A feeling of inade­

quacy of preparation is revealed for most of the teaching

activities.

Table V, pages 38 and 39, has been constructed to

determine the relationship, if any, that exists between

the number of reading method courses taken and the fre­

quency of need expressed in the teaching activities as

listed. Reading method courses, as used here in Table V

and in the following tables, includes not only actual

reading method courses but also any write-in course that

36

might contribute to the teaching of the reading program.

To better understand the following table it must be kept

in mind that a total of seventy-two teachers participated

in the study. Of these teachers eighteen had not taken

any course that dealt with reading, a like number had

taken one course, twenty-six had taken two courses in

reading, seven had taken three courses, and three had

taken four or more courses in reading method. For the

most part the discussion of Tables V and VI will deal pri­

marily with the teachers who have had no courses in reading,

one course in reading, or two courses in reading. Teachers

who have taken three or more courses in reading will be

omitted from the discussion as they are not sufficiently

represented.

Here again it might be well to point out that fre­

quency of need could possibly have been misinterpreted by

some of the teachers in the research group. This is to

say that some of the teachers might have felt that fre­

quency of need meant how many times were they called upon

to handle each of the listed activities. This is opposed

to the intended meaning of how much difficulty did they

encounter in dealing with the teaching activities in the

reading program.

An examination of Table V seems to indicate a high

37

frequency of need in most of the teaching activities

regardless of the number of reading courses taken. The

four exceptions to this pattern are making ~ of ideas

gained (activities to be considered in making ~ .2.f ideas

gained), teaching evaluation of pertinent information

according to its validity and importance, teaching ~

organization of important ~ valid information, and rela­

ting~ content of Children's Literature to other areas

of reading. If need is thought of as "difficulty" the

preceding statement seems to imply that the frequency of

need does not decrease appreciably by taking more courses

in reading.

A definite pattern is exhibited in eleven of the

seventeen teaching activities. In these eleven activities

a higher percentage of frequency of need was expressed by

those teachers who had taken one course in reading than by

any other group. A higher frequency of need is expressed

in most of the teacher activities by teachers who have

had two reading courses than by teachers who have not had

any courses in reading. In only four activities, those

included in the areas of Children's Literature and Oral

Reading, did the teachers who had not taken a single course

in reading express a higher frequency of need. A lower

frequency of need is indicated by the teachers who have

had one course in reading for teaching two of the teacher

Instructional Jobe

Introducing selections; stimulating pupils to think using various techniques • • • • • • •

Discussing ideas read; helping pupils to analyze and interpret their thoughts. • • • • •

Making use of ideas gained; activities to be considered in making use or ideas gained • •

Providing training in reading for various purposes • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Establishing pupil independence in identifying strange printed words • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Improving reading through various school subjects • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Developing pupil independence in coping with word meaning difficulties. • • • • • • • •

Locating and removing pupil's reading deficiencies ••••••••••••••••••

Measuring pupil achievement; includes selecting and using standardized tests. • • ••

TABLE V

COMPARISON OF TEACHER NEEDS I.N TEACHING READING WITH AK>UNT OF READING PREPARATION

Number of Beading Oouraea Taken

0 1 2

Need :Need ,·~--

~ z

0 7 11 0 I o ' 15 0 11· 8 1'1 o I 1

1 6 11 0 0 l 17 0 1 ' . 2' 2'J o I o

0 11 7 0 1 9 8 0 0. 11 15 o I 2

1 8 8 l I i 5 12 0 I i 4 a o I o

1 3 14 o I o 3 15 0 I i 3 22 o I 1

0 8 10 o I o 3 15 0 I 2 5 19 o I 1

0 9 9 o I o 4 14 0 I 2 g 16 o I 1

0 7 11 o I o 3 15 0 I o 6 20 o I o

1 7 9 i I 1 9 7 1 I i 8 15 2 I o

38

.3 4 er more

Heed ... ,

1 5 0 I o 0 .3 G

.3 4 0 I o 0 .3 0

2 3 0 I o 2 1 0

3 4 0 I o 0 3 0

1 5 0 I o 0 .3 0

3 .3 0 I o 0 .3 0

2 4 0 I o 1 2 0

3 4 0 I o l 2 0

3 3 1 I o 0 .3 0

39

TAfil.E V (Gontinued)

Number of Reading Courses Taken

0 1 2 3 4 or more

Study Jobs, Children's Literature and Oral Reading lieed Need Need Need Need

CD

i i Q) Q)

1-f Vl r-1

i ! 11 r-1 i ~ ~ ~ t1 ~ 0

~ ~ +:> 8. ~ p.. 8. 0 ~

0 g} tll 0 s:i. •r-1 ! fO .... i fO

·rl ti! or-I

~ Ul '" ! IO ID Jj '° & § tJl tr tQ & • ~ § "' gt

J I "' rt ~ &U

J Cl 0 ~ ~ () 0 0 J! ~ ~ 0 0 0 ~ z 0 :~ ~ ~ z 0 fzt -9 ~ 0 .... ~ 0

$tudy Jobs

Teaching location of information that is perti.nent to the problem •••••••••• 1 6 ll 0 0 4 14 0 3 5 18 0 l 2 4 0 0 l 2 0

Teaching evaluation of pertinent information according to its validity and J.mportance •• 2 1.3 3 0 l 8 9 0 2 14 10 0 0 4 3 0 0 3 0 0

Teaching the organizat1on of important and valid information. • • • • • • • • • • • • • 3 12 3 0 2 7 9 0 3 13 10 0 1 5 1 0 0 2 l 0

Directing pupils to decide what parts of important and valid information should be retained and securing its retention. • • • • 4 8 6 0 0 4 14 0 4 10 12 0 l 3 3 0 0 l 2 0

Children's Literature

Helping children build an interest in reading a 'Wide variety of choice materiel • • • • • 1 l 16 0 0 1 17 0 2 9 13 2 l 2 4 0 0 0 3 0

$electing the reading materials to be used at your grade level. • • • • • • • • • • • • 1 5 12 0 1 4 12 1 2 6 18 0 l 2 4 0 0 l 2 0

Relating the content of Children's Literature to other areas of reading. • • • • • • • •• l 9 8 0 0 9 9 0 3 l4 9 0 l 3 3 0 0 l 2 0

Oral Reading

Teaching the skills required in Oral Beading l 2 15 0 0 6 12 0 1 7 18 0 0 1 6 0 0 1 2 0

40

activities than by either of the other groups. A steady

rise in frequency of need is indicated in four of the

teaching activities when teachers take more reading

courses. A very small percentage of teachers indicate no

need in directing the various teaching activities.

Frequencies of need ranging from thirty-six to

ninety-two per cent in coping with the teaching activities

are indicated by teachers who have had two reading courses.

This group of teachers imply a higher frequency of need in

the Instructional Jobs than in any other area of the

reading program. Teachers who have had one reading course

state a frequency of need ranging from seventy-eight to

ninety-four per cent in conducting nine of the suggested

teaching activities. Those teachers who have had no

courses in reading profess frequencies of need ranging from

seventy-eight to eighty-nine per cent in handling three of

the recorded activities.

Table VI, page 43, has been assembled to determine

the relationship that exists between the number of reading

courses taken and the degree of preparation expressed by

these first-year intermediate grade teachers. The percen­

tages indicated on Table VI are the result of combining

no preparation and little preparation as exhibited in

Table IV, pages 26, 27, and 28. As expressed earlier in

the study no preparation and little preparation will be

considered as inadequate preparation in discussing Table

VI and the accompanying figures.

41

An examination of Table VI reveals some significant

and contradictory evidence. A prevalent feeling of inade­

quacy of preparation is expressed, on the whole, for all

of the teaching activities listed. This feeling of inade­

quacy seems to persist even in those teachers who have had

up to three courses in reading method. (It should be re­

emphasized that only seven of the participating teachers

had taken three courses in reading and an additional three

teachers had taken four or more courses in reading. The

validity of these two areas in 'Table VI is justifiably

questionable under the circumstances.) In handling the

teaching activities, feelings of inadequacy of preparation

ranging from fifty-five to one hundred per cent, with a

median of seventy-nine per cent, are expressed by first­

year teachers who have not had a course of any kind in

reading. Teachers who have had one course in reading

indicate feelings of inadequacy of preparation ranging

from forty-five to one hundred per cent, with a median of

seventy-nine per cent, in dealing with the teacher activi­

ties listed. Those teachers who have had two courses in

reading connote feelings of inadequacy of preparation

42

ranging from forty-three to ninety-two per cent in direct­

ing the teacher activities. The median for this group is

sixty-eight per cent.

In nine of the seventeen teacher activities the

data indicates a gradual feeling of more adequacy of pre­

paration as more reading courses are elected. However, in

four of the teaching activities, feelings of inadequacy of

preparation actually increase as more reading courses are

taken. An interesting observation in Table VI is that the

individuals who have taken one course in reading do not

follow any pattern that is recognizable. In two cases this

group indicates more adequacy of preparation than do those

people who have had two courses in reading; in two other

cases they indicate more inadequacy of preparation than do

the teachers who have not had a single course in reading.

This situation might arise as a result of the random

selection of the reading courses elected.

Figures 4, 5, and 6 on pages 45, 47, and 48 are here

introduced to further illustrate the data found in Table VI.

Figure 4 deals with the Instructional Jobs of the reading

program. In only five of the nine activities do expressions

of no preparation decrease. However, teachers imply a

gradual increase in adequacy of preparation as more read­

ing courses are elected. In the teaching activity

TABIE 6

DEGREE OF INADEQUACY FELT BY FI.li.b'T YEAR I.N'IERMEDIA'l'E GRADE TE!CHERS, lN TEACHING READING, l:lASED ON COLLEGE PREPARATION

Number of Teachers Involved

18 18 7 3

The Heading Program Number of Reading Courses Taken

0 1 2 3 4 or more

Percent Experiencing Inadequacy

INSTRUCTIONAL JOBS

Introducing selections; stimulating pupils to think using various techniques • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Discussing ideas read; helping pupils to analyze and interpret their thoughts • • • • • • • • • • • • • •••

Making use or ideas gained; activities to be considered in making use of ideas gained • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Providing training in reading for various purposes • • • •

Establishing pupil independence in identifying strange printed words ••••••••••••••••••••••

Improving reading through various school subjects ••• • •

Developing pupil independence in coping with word meaning difficulties • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ••••

Locating and removing pupil's reading deficiencies ••••

Measuring pupil achie'V9Jllent; includes seleotllg and uail:Jg standardized tests • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

STUDY JOBS

Teaching location of information that is pertinent to the

83

95

89

83

78

89

100

56

problem. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 55

Teaching evaluation of pertinent information according to its validity and importance. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 72

Teaching the organization of important and valid information 67

Directing pupils to decide what parts of important and valid information should be retained and securing its retention •••••••••••••••••••• • • •

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

Helping children build an interest in reading a wide variety of choice material • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Selecting the reading materials to be used at your grade level. • . . • • . . • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Relating the content of Children's Literature to other areas of reading • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

ORAL READING

Teaching the skills required in Oral Reading • • • • • • •

Medians

89

78

78

66

66

79

45

73

89

77

72

84

83

100

45

78

72

89

72

78

95

83

79

58

66

81

61

77

58

73

92

66

43

73

58

65

65

66

69

68

58

58

86

86

72

72

72

71

71

72

72

72

57

72

86

71

72

67

33

33

33

.33

66

33

67

67

0

0

0

67

33

67

67

.3.3

4l

44

introducing selections (stimulating pupils .t.Q think: using

various techniques), teachers who have had one course in

reading indicate a feeling of adequacy of preparation that

is higher than that indicated by those teachers who have

had two courses in reading. On the other hand, in three

of the Instructional Jobs teachers who have had two reading

courses express a higher percentage of no preparation than

do those teachers who have had only one course. Attention

must also be called to the last two of the Instructional

Jobs; locating and removing pupil's reading deficiencies

and measuring pupil achievement (includes selecting and

using standardized tests.) In the former, the entire group

of teachers expressed feelings of no preparation ranging

from fifty-four to sixty-seven per cent. In the latter,

teachers who have not had a single course in reading

indicate a higher percentage of adequacy of preparation

than do those teachers who have had two courses in reading

method.

Teachers seem to feel that they have had more ade­

quate preparation in coping with the Study Jobs than with

the rest of the reading program. A feeling of increased

adequacy of preparation is indicated as more reading

courses are taken. On the other hand, in three of the

four Study Jobs teachers who have had one course in reading

44

6

50

56

17

50

Instructional Jobs

56 58

42

lntroducing selections; stimulating pupils to think using various techniques • • • • • • • •

67 58

28 35

Discussing ideas read; helping pupils to analyze and interpret their thoughts • •

72

58

23

• • •

Making use of ideas gained; activities to be considered in making use of ideas gained • • •

61 57 46

28 29

Providing training in reading for various purposes • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

71 67

33

67

43 33

67

43

67

33

.39 .39

50

67

.39

.None

g?range printed words • • • • • • • • • • • •

46 42 4.3

17 17

44

67

Improving reading through various school subjects

4.3

27

Developing pupil independence in coping 'With word meaning difficulties • • • • • • • • •

54

Locating and removing pupil's reading deficiencies • • • • • • • • • • • • •

50

4

4.3

• •

57

14 14 14

Measuring pupil achievement; includes selecting and using standardized tests • • • • • • •

Number of Reading Courses Taken

FIGURE 4

COMPARI~ON OF TEACHER PREPARATION IN TEACHING READING WITH NUMBER OF READlNG COURSES TAKEN

(percentage)

.3.3 .3.3 .33

67

67

3.3

67

.3.3

D Little ~ No Response

46

profess a higher percentage of no preparation than do the

teachers that have not had any course in reading. A higher

percentage of the teachers polled express feelings of ade­

quacy of preparation for teaching location of information

that is pertinent to the problem than for any of the other

teaching activities.

A high percentage of all the teachers in the re­

search group indicate that they had no preparation at all

in the teaching activities of Children's Literature.

Fifty per cent of the teachers who have had no courses in

reading and one course in reading testify to no prepara­

tion in the teaching activity selecting the reading mater­

ials to be used .2!! your grade level. Twenty-eight per cent

of the teachers who have not had a course in reading declare

adequacy of preparation in relating the content of Child­

ren's Literature to other areas of reading; while only six

per cent of the teachers who have taken one course in

reading denote adequacy of preparation for that activity.

Thirty-three per cent of the first-year teachers

who have not had a single course in reading indicate that

they feel adequately prepared in teaching the skills re­

quired in Oral Reading. Only seventeen per cent of those

teachers who have had one course in reading and thirty­

one per cent of those that have had two courses in reading

17

44

50

61

0

No Preparation

~'!'UDY JUJS.>

71 56 58

Teaching location of information that is pertinent' to the problem • • • • • • • • • • • •

50 42 43

Teaching evaluation of pertinent information according to its validity and importance ••••

Teaching the organization of important and valid information • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Directing pupils to decide what parts or important and valid information should be retained and securing its retention •• ~ •••

1 2 3

Number of If.eading Courses Taken

FIGURS 5

COMPARISON OF TEACHER PREPARATION IN TEACHING READING WITH NUMBER OF READING COURSES TAKEN

D Little Preparation

(percentage) .

§j Adequate Preparation

67

100

100

100 -•• -· -••• •• • !'. •• ••• .... ••• ••• ••• ••• 1 ••• •••• •• • • • •• •4:· "·· ••• ::.-. ::

4

~ No R8sponse

39 39

50

44

44

0

No Preparation

50

56

1

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

43 43

Helping children build an interest in reading a wide variety of choice material • • • • • •

43

. .

Selecting the reading materials to be used at your grade level • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

57

Relating the content of Children's Literature to other areas of reading • • • • • • • • • • •

ORAL .HEADING

50

31

Teaching the skills required in Oral Reading • •

Number of Reading Courses Taken

FIGURE 6

COMPARISON OF TEACHER Pl:<EPARATION lN TEACHING READlM:i WITH NUMBER OF READING COURSES TAKBN

(percentage)

67

67

33

67

33

67

D Little Preparation

Adequate Preparation ~ No H.esponse

49

express an adequacy of preparation in that activity. A

high percentage of the first-year teachers indicate that

they had had no preparation in dealing with this teacher

activity.

To summarize the data in Tables V and VI it must be

said that first-year intermediate grade teachers indicate

a high frequent need in handling the Reading Program as

outlined by McKee. Teachers who have had no courses in

reading tend to express less frequency of need in dealing

with the teacher activities than do either of the other

groups. In over half of the teaching activities teachers

who have taken one course in reading denote a more f re­

quent need than those that have taken no courses or those

that have taken two courses. The data seems to infer that

the teachers who have not had a course in reading do not

know enough about the teaching activities to recognize

their needs. It also implies that the teachers who have

taken one course in reading are more sensitive to their

needs than are either of the other two groups.

First-year intermediate grade teachers of reading

indicate a prevalent reeling of inadequacy of preparation

for the reading program as proposed. Although the feeling

of inadequacy of preparation declines as more reading

courses are taken it still remains high. There is a strong

50

indication that many of the teachers polled have never been

exposed to some of the activities that are included in the

study.

Table VII, page 52, has been compiled to find out

how well the teachers in the sample felt they were doing

in teaching the Reading Program as described in the ques­

tionnaire. Only one teacher failed to reply to the pro­

posed question. Thirty-two per cent of the teachers who

replied answered "yes" to the question, 11 Would you say you

had done an adequate job of teaching reading at the inter­

mediate level?" Twenty-one per cent of the teachers an­

swered "no 11 to the same question and an additional forty­

seven per cent indicated that they were not sure.

Only thirty-three per cent of the teachers who have

taken the intermediate methods course say that they did

an adequate job of teaching reading. Twenty-three per

cent of the participating teachers in the same group indi­

cate that they felt inadequate and forty-five per cent

indicate that they are not sure whether or not they did an

adequate job of teaching reading at the intermediate grade

level. Twenty-two of the forty-eight teachers in this

intermediate method group have had at least two courses

in teaching reading. Seven of the group (fifteen per cent)

have not taken a single course in reading method.

51

Twenty-three or thirty-two per cent of the reporting

group of seventy-one teachers indicate that they have not

even had an intermediate methods course. Of this group,

seven individuals or ten per cent felt that they had done

an adequate job of teaching reading in their initial

teaching experience. Eighteen per cent of the group felt

inadequate in teaching reading and fifty-two per cent were

not sure of their teaching competence. Of the seven

teachers expressing adequacy in teaching reading during

their first year of teaching four had not taken a single

course in reading method. A total of eleven (forty-eight

per cent) teachers in the research group had not taken a

single course in reading method.

Table VIII, page 54, exhibits the responses of parti­

cipating teachers to suggested practices for improving the

training of reading teachers at Central Yashington College

of Education. The teacher responses have been classified

according to their expressions of adequacy in teaching

reading. A high percentage of the teachers in the study

group indicated they would like to see much emphasis £.!!

how reading should be taught. Seventy-eight per cent of

the participants in the study would like to see practical

demonstrations of reading techniques which may be used in

regular classroom situations. Fifty-three of the teachers

52

'l'ABIE VlI

OOMl'ARlSON OF S&LF-E"VALUATION IN TEACHING COMPETENCE WITH NUMBER OF READING AND METHOD

OOURSEtS TAKEN

Expressions of Adequacy in Method Courses Teaching .Reading

Taken

.Not Yes No Sure Total

Intermediate Methods

Reading Courses 'l'aken (o) 0 0 7 7

(1) 2 3 7 12

(2) 10 6 6 22

(3) 3 1 1 5

(4) 1 1 0 2

sub-total 16 11 21 4B

Other Method Courses

Reading Courses Taken Co) 4 2 5 11

(1) 1 2 3 6

(2) 1 0 2 3

(3) 1 0 1 2

(4) 0 0 1 1

sub-total 7 4 12 23

total 23 15 33 71 missing (1)

53

taking part in the study assert that ~ course in the

teaching of reading should be required of all elementary

teacherso Some of the first-year teachers wrote that a

course in reading should be required of all teachers.

Others remarked that if a course in reading were to be

required it should be a practical course and not one that

deals in theory.

Teachers who expressed an adequacy in teaching

reading felt ~ course in the teaching of reading should

be reguired of all elementary teachers, that practical demon­

strations of reading techniques which may be used in ~­

lar classroom situations should be given, and also that

~ emphasis £!! how reading should be taught needed to be

stressed. The suggested practices of placing much emphasis

£!! how reading should be taught, giving practical demon­

strations of reading techniques which may be ~ in ~­

~ classroom situations, and additional student teaching

with reading groups were indicated by those teachers who

did not express adequacy in their teaching of reading.

Teachers who were not sure of their competency in teaching

reading indicated the suggested practices of placing much

emphasis £!! how reading should be taught, of requiring ~

course .!!! the teaching of reading for all elementary teach­

~' and the giving of practical demonstrations of reading

TABLE VIII

RECOMMENDATlONS FOR PROF.ESSlONAL PREPARATION BAb'ED ON F lHST-YEAR TEACHING l'Efil'ORMANCE

Suggested Practices for

Teaching Reading

Much emphasis on how reading should be taught ••••••••••••

.Much emphasis on what should be taught in reading • • • • • • • •

A course in the teaching of reading should be required of all elementary teachers • • • • • • •

• •

• •

• •

Practical demonstrations of reading techniques which may be used in regular classroom situations. • • • •

Observations in actual classroom situations (visitations) ••••

Observations of actual classroom situations by television ••••

Additional student teaching with reading groups. • • • • • • • •

. . . • • •

• • •

Expressions of Adequacy in

Teaching Reading

Yes

16

12

18

18

14

4

12

No

14

8

9

13

7

6

13

Not Sure

27

25

18

54

57

53

56

41

43

techniques which may be used in regular classroom situa­

tions.

55

The data in Table IX, pages 56 and 57, has been com­

piled from the write-in suggestions of first-year inter­

mediate grade teachers. Suggestions of more training in

the grouping of children, more training in phonics, more

demonstrations on how to teach specific things, and more

training in what to teach and how to teach it are only a

few of the proposals. Such things as more contact with

reading texts, how to select, give, and use standardized

reading tests, and the selection of other reading mater­

ials are also suggested. Recommended alterations for the

present program of reading at Central Washington College of

Education ran from more actual teaching experience, making

available a course in remedial reading, a more practical

reading course, and less contact with theory and more work

in real situations, to lengthening the period of student

teaching and additional training after the first year of

teaching in the field.

Tables VII, VIII, and IX when evaluated indicate

that three out of ten of the teachers participating in the

study have not had a course in intermediate methods.

Twenty-five per cent of the teachers have not had a single

course in reading method. Nearly one half of the teachers

TABLE J.X

WRJ.TE IN SUGGESTIONS OF FIRST YEAR INTERMEDIATE GRADE TEACHERS FOR BE'I'I'ER PROFES.'>IONAL PREPARATlON

More comprehensive work in method, skills, and techniques of teaching reading

1. More ~1 aining in grouping • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

2. ¥.i0re training in phonics. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

3. More demonstrations on how to teach specific things • • • •

4. More intense study of what to teach and how to teach it • •

5. More observations of actual situations •••••• •••••

6. More training in how to deal with slow readers. •••• • •

7. More training in recognizing reading difficulties • • • • •

8. More training in presentation of good literature. • • • • •

9. More training in reading skills • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

More attention to the matter of instructional materials

1. More contact with reading texts ••••• • • • • • • • • •

7

3

2

2

2

2

1

1

1

2

2. How to select, give, and use standardized reading tests • • 2

3. How to select workbooks • • • • • • • • • •

4. More contact With other reading materials •

• • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • •

1

1

5. How to select books for the various reading groups. • • • • 1

6. How to select reading texts • • • • • • • •

Recommended alterations for the present program or reading instruction

• • • • • • • • 1

1. More actual teaching experience, learn by doing • • • • • • 4

56

2.

J.

4.

5.

6.

7.

s. 9.

TABLE lX (Continued)

Make available a course in remedial reading • • • • • • • •

Require a course in the teaching of reading • • • • • • • •

More practical teaching of reading course • • • • • • • • •

Less theory and more contact with real situations ••• • •

Lengthen student teaching to include actual practice under direction of supervisor • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Minimum of two quarters student teaching. • • • • • • • • •

More class participation and active work ••• • • • • • • •

More visitations without pupil knowledge •• • • • • • • • •

10. A good course in the teaching of reading. • • • • • •

ll. Student teaching on all three levels, three hour course on three levels • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

12. General reading course to be followed by intensive course

57

J

J

2

2

2

1

1

1

1

l

after student teaching. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • l

lJ. Additional training after the first year of teaching in the field • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1

14. A course that includes work on secondary and elementary levels. • • . • • • • • • • • . • . . . . . • . • • . • • 1

15. More emphasis on reading during student teaching. • • • • • 1

Other Suggestions

1. Advisors should give better direction • • • • • • • • • • • 1

2. Teachers should not hire out except in level of preparation • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • l

58

in the study are not sure of whether or not they did an

adequate job of teaching reading in their initial teaching

experience. Only thirty-two per cent of the participating

teachers felt they had done an adequate job in teaching

reading; of these, seventeen per cent had not taken any

courses in reading.

Teachers taking part in the study also indicated by

check marks general suggestions for improving the present

teacher education program. Some of the more strongly rec­

ommended suggestions were placing much emphasis .Q!! how

reading should be taught, practical demonstrations of

reading technigues which may be used in regular classroom

situations, and the requiring of ~ course in the teaching

.2f reading for all elementary teachers. These teachers

also indicated by their write-in comments such things as

more actual teaching experience, a course in remedial

reading, more training in grouping, more training in

phonics and how to select, give, and use standardized

tests in reading. The teachers participating in the study

imply that what they want in their reading courses is

practical knowledge and more practice in applying this

knowledge to real situations.

CHAPTER IV

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The summary and conclusions contained in this

chapter are a result of the compilation of data obtained

from first-year intermediate grade teachers of reading

who did their initial teaching during the school years

1955-56 and 1956-57. Eighty-nine teachers were contacted.

(This number represents nearly all of the beginning inter­

mediate grade teachers of 1955-56 and 1956-57 from Central

Washington College of Education.) Seventy-two teachers

have participated in the study, a return of 81.8 per cent.

The data that have been supplied by these first­

year intermediate grade teachers and obtained from the

tables and figures included in Chapter III lend themselves

to four natural generalized statements of summary.

(1) Many of the teachers in the research group are

not fully prepared to teach at the intermediate grade level.

In support of this statement it might be said that one out

of five of these teachers did not do their student teaching

at the intermediate grade level, one out of three had not

taken an intermediate curriculum and methods course, and

only one out of two teachers had specifically prepared to

teach at the intermediate grade level.

89341

60

(2) Many of these beginning teachers of reading are

not fully prepared to teach reading at the intermediate

grade level. Evidence supporting this statement is the

fact that one out of four teachers had not taken a course

of any kind in reading method, the average number of cour­

ses taken by the entire group was only one and five-tenths

courses per person, and the feelings of frequent need and

inadequate preparation were not appreciably altered by

taking more reading courses.

(3) A majority of the teachers participating in the

study felt somewhat inadequate in teaching reading at the

intermediate grade level. The fact that a majority of the

teachers indicate a feeling of frequent need in dealing

with the teacher activities, that most of the teachers

express a feeling of inadequate preparation for handling

the teacher activities, and that only one teacher in three

felt adequate in teaching reading in their initial teaching

experience are evidence in support of the original statement.

(4) These first-year intermediate grade teachers

would like to see the present teaching program at Central

Yashington College of Education changed to a program that

includes a more practical training in method, skills, and

techniques to be used in teaching reading. They suggest

more training in what to teach in reading and how to teach

61

it, more demonstrations and reading techniques that may be

used in regular classroom situations, a course in reading

to be required of all elementary teachers, more training

in grouping and phonics, more contact with reading texts,

and how to select, give, and use standardized reading

tests •.

The limitations of this study are mainly of two

kinds. First, the sample of intermediate grade teachers,

although complete for two years, is somewhat limited. (A

study involving more graduate classes would have given more

conclusive data.) Secondly, the very nature of a question­

naire presents inherent limitations such as: limited

coverage of subject due to restricted length, faulty

communication of meaning, and inadequate interpretation

of statements and questions. These, then, are details to

consider in interpreting the data contained in this study,

its summary, and the following conclusions.

One conclusion that can be drawn from the data is

that many teachers are teaching at the intermediate grade

level who should not be teaching there. Certain skills,

techniques, and abilities are necessary for doing an ade­

quate job of teaching at any particular grade level and

these can only be acquired in a very few ways. Curriculum

and method courses, student teaching, and specific subject

62

courses are the only avenues for preparation open to a col­

lege student and these lose their value if not related to

the future level of teaching. It is quite apparent from

an analysis of the data that many of the participating

teachers had not prepared for teaching on the intermediate

grade level and for this reason are experiencing a good

deal' of difficulty in coping with their reading programs.

If allowed to continue the present situation in which

teachers are hired to teach at any grade level from kinder­

garten to senior high school upon graduation from college

presents the teacher training institutions with the res­

ponsibility for meeting the needs and for supplying the

knowledge and accompanying skills that will enable them to

adequately handle any teaching position to which they may

be assigned.

Another conclusion that can be drawn from the data

is that these intermediate grade teachers, as a group,

feel highly inadequate in teaching reading regardless of

the nature of their preparation. That this feeling is

prevalent is to some degree understandable when it is

noted that one-fourth of the group had taken only one course

in reading, and that the average number of courses taken

by all of the teachers was only one and five-tenths reading

courses per person. That pronounced feelings of need and

63

inadequacy of preparation are indicated by the majority

of the teachers polled seems only to substantiate the

former conclusion. Of further significance is the sug­

gestion implied by the data that the feelings of need and

inadequacy of preparation do not appreciably decrease by

taking more courses in reading. It is reasonable to

assume that one-half of these teachers would have some

difficulty in teaching reading when it is realized that

one-fourth of them had not taken a single course in read­

ing and another one-fourth of them had taken only one

course in reading but when teachers who have taken more

than one course in reading indicate no appreciable change

in feelings of need and inadequacy of preparation then

something must be wrong. In view of the above facts it

would seem that these intermediate grade teachers are not

receiving the kind of instruction necessary to meet their

classroom needs in the teaching of reading. If these

teachers are to do an adequate job in teaching reading it

is essential that they receive the right kind and amount

of preparation. It is incumbent on the teacher training

institutions to provide this instruction.

A third and the final conclusion of this study in­

volves the nature of the improvement in the college program

for training teachers in the field of reading. Participating

64

teachers express the desire to see a more practical empha­

sis put on the entire reading methods program. They want

to take reading instruction out of the realm of theory

and replace it with the more concrete. They want to know

what they will need to teach in their classrooms and the

techniques they can use. To this end they suggest among

others, more training in what to teach and how to teach it,

more training in grouping and phonics, more help in the

selection and use of texts and standardized reading tests,

more demonstrations and observations, more actual teaching,

and a course in reading to be required of all elementary

teachers. It is very apparent that these teachers are

well aware of their inadequacies and are earnestly trying

to aid in the preparation of future teachers.

Under the existing General Certificate Program it

is possible and quite often happens, as shown in this study,

that teachers are hired to teach at levels or in areas for

which they have little or no preparation. Existing re­

search by the placement office has shown that from fifteen

to twenty per cent of the teachers from Central Washington

College of Education are placed each year in positions for

which they are not prepared. This, of course, is an unfor­

tunate situation that results in ineffectual teaching and

a poor quality of education for the children in the

65

Washington State public schools.

As long as the existing General Certificate Program

is in effect, it is the duty and responsibility of the

teacher training institutions to provide the best education

possible to its teachers in preparing them to meet any

teaching situation for which they may be hired.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. BOOKS

Flesch, Rudolph. Why Johnny Can't~· New York: Harper and Brothers, 1955.

Gates, Arthur I. The Improvement of Reading. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1947.

Harris, Albert J. How to Increase Readin! Ability. York: Longmans,crreen and Company, 19 7.

New

Huggett, Albert J., and T. M. Stinnett. Professional Problems of Teachers. New York: The Macmillan Com­pany, 195b.

Knipp, Helen B. 11 Causes of Retardation Attributable to Faulty Basal Reading Instruction," ! Report of~ Ninth Annual Conference .2!! Readin~, University of Pittsburg. Pittsburg, Pennsylvania: University of Pittsburg Press, 1953.

McKee, Paul. ~ Teaching of Reading in the Elementary School. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1948.

Monroe, Walter S. Encyclopedia of Educational Research. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1950.

Tinker, Miles A. Teaching Elementar~ Reading. Appleton-Century Crofts, Inc., 19 2.

New York:

B. PERIODICALS

Dallman, Martha. "Is the Pre-Service Preparation in Read­ing of Intermediate-Grade Teachers Adequate?" Elemen­~ School Journal, IVL (September, 1943, June, 1944).

Hester, Kathleen B. 11 Classroom Problems in the Teaching of Reading," Elementary School Journal, LIV (September, 1953, May, 1954).

Smith, Nila B. "What Shall We Do About Reading Today?" Elementary English Review, February, 1943.

APPENDIX

Dear

Box 19 Central Washington College of Education

Ellensburg, Washington January 13, 1958

69

The material. you have in your hand is a questionnaire. As a Master's Degree candidate, I am attempting to analyze the needs of Intermediate Grade Teachers in the field of Reading and I need your help.

Having taught the fifth grade, I fully realize the demands on your time and will therefore take as little of it as possible.

The topic of this study was selected because of the interest in it tha.t has been shown by fellow teachers and a sincere desire on the part of the Education Division of Central Washington College to meet the needs of future teachers.

The purpose of this study is to determine the needs of beginning teachers in reading at the Intermediate Grade level. The task is two-fold, to find out i:f beginning teachers know what reading skills should be taught and to find out if' they know the techniques neces­sary to teach them.

Your careful. consideration of this questionnaire and its ques­tions might conceivably have an effect on the courses in reading which are offered to prospective teachers at this college. The return of this questionnaire by the twenty-seventh of January will be of considerable help in the tabulation and final analysis.

The enclosed stamped envelope is for your convenience. '!"hank you for your cooJ)E!ration.

Sincerely yours,

Victor R. Bolon

VB:me

-1-

QtESTIONNAIRE TO FIRST-YEAB IN'IERMEDIA'IE TEACHERS

FOREWORD:

The questions included herein are of great importance to all intermediate grade teachers. I am assuming that you will remember your experience as a be .. ginning teacher quite vividly and that you will want to advance your opinions and answers with the assurance of complete anonymity that is guaranteed by the author.

Please answer the following questions directly or by putting a check mat-k in the proper blank.

GENERAL BACKGROUND:

M;y initial experience in teaching was a.t the intermediate level:? ____yes, or_no (If your answer is no, please disregard the rest of the questionnaire and return it in the enclosed envelope; thank you.)

Type of certificate held with first teaching experience? Provisional, or _Emergency -

On what level l!iid you do your student teaching? Secondary, Intermediate, or _Primary - -

What were your major and minor fields? Major , Minor Minors (3) , ' ------

Check the courses you had as an undergraduate;

PrimarY Methods (Ed. 311) Intermediate Methods (Ed. 3I2T Secondary ~thods (Ed. 313) Reading Readiness (Ed. 321) ~ Teaching of Rea.ding (Ed. 322r-Remedial Reading (Ed. 338) -

List other reading courses you have had. l. 2. 3. 4.

Teaching Procedures in the language Arts (Ed. 420) The Modern Reading Program, Primary (Ed. 421) -The Modern Ree.ding Program, Intenood1ate {Ed. ~ Reading Problems in the Secondary School {Ed. 423}­Developmental Reading in Content Fields (Ed. 424) -Studies and Problems in Reading (Ed. 426) _ -

According to Paul McKee, a foremost authority in the field of Reading, the Rea.ding Program for the Intermediate Grad.es can be divided into four major areas, those areas being the Instructional Jobs, the Study Jobs, Children's Literature, and Oral Reading. The examples included in the following questions are not in­tended to be all-inclusive but rather representative of each area.

In answering each question I am assuming your answers will be carefully an­alyzed and based upon consideration of ~ouz.: collef3!: e~riences ~ their resultant effect ~ lour classroom teaching ~ eadin~.

Place check marks in the chart below to most closely indicate your feelings about each question using the following proposed criteria as a guide.

Chart I - - Frequency of need in teaching the reading skills?

Chart ll -- Amount of college preparation received in techniques of teaching reading.

I. INSTRlXTIONAL JOBS:

What was the extent of your needs and preparation

Chart I Needs

~ 0 0 0

i 1~ \

Chart II Preparations

~ ~ ~ a>

~ (\)

in ...•...•.. ~

\ ~ \ ~

A. Teaching selections in the reader:

l. Introducing the selectionj stimulating pupils to think using pictures, comments, questions, identifying strange words, giving purpose for reading the lesson?

2. Discussing ideas read; helping pupils to analyze and interpret their thoughts?

3. Making use of ideas gained; activities to be considered in making further use of ideas gained?

B. Providing training in reading for various pur­poses; includes reading for general import, details, critical analysis, etc.?

C. Establishing pupil independence in identifying strange printed words; includes the teaching of phonetic analysis, structural analysis, verba 1 context, dictionary, etc.?

D. Improving reading through various school subject includes injection of reading skills into the study of subject matter content?

E. Developing pupil independence in coping with word meaning difficulties; includes using context clues and punctuation marks as indica· tors of meaning; use of figures of speech; words and phrases which may have several meanings?

F. locating and removing pupil's reading deficien­cies; includes analysis of word recognition skills, independent word identification, and other specific skills involved in oral and silent reading?

s;

1 2 3 1 2 3

-j ..

G. Measuring pupil achievement includes selecting and using standardized teste,teacher-made tests, observation of individual abilities during readi

II. STUDY JOBS:

What was the extent of your needs and preparation in ........... .

A. Teaching location of information that is per­tinent to the problem; includes uses of parts of ordinary books (index, table of contents, glos­sary, etc.), special aids and sources, selection of pertinent information?

B. Teaching evaluation of pertinent information ace ding to its validity and importance to the probl1 in mind; differences between fact and opinion, etc.?

C. Teaching the organization of important and valid information according to the purpose in mind; includes outlining of topics, sub-topics, details, and how to take notes?

D. Directing pupils to decide what parts of importan and valid information should be retained and securing the retention of that information?

III. CHIIDREN'S LI'!ERATURE:

What was the extent of your needs and preparation in ..•.......

A. Helping children to build an interest in reading a Wide variety of choice material· and developing a taste for it?

B. Selecting the reading materials to be used at your grade level?

C. Relating the content of Children's Literature to other areas of reading?

IV. ORAL READING:

What was the extent of your needs and preparation in •••••.•....

A. Teaching the skills required in Oral Readi:ag; includes use of voice intonation, pitch, rate, conveying the meaning intended by the writer, good posture, etc.?

Neea.5 Preparations

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1 2 3 1 2 3

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After careful consideration of the above questions would you say that you had done an adequate job of teaching reading at the intermediate level? yes, _no, or _not sure -

What would you recommend be done to meet these needs so that future beginning teachers are not faced with similar problems? Check below the answer or answers that you feel most closely approximate your ideas.

__ Much emphasis on how reading should be taught. (techniques employed)

__ Much emphasis on~ should be taught in reading. (curriculum content)

A course in the teaching of reading should be required of all elementary --teachers.

Practical demonstrations of reading techniques which may be used in regular ~---classroom situations.

Observations in actual classroom situations. (visitations) --Observations of actual classroom situations by television.

~---

Additional student teaching with reading groups. --Other ideas, state them-

Place a check mark in the blank if you would like a surmnary upon completion --of the study.