The Alignment between First-Grade Teachers' Beliefs Regarding the Teaching of Reading and Their Practices in Teaching to the Pennsylvania Core Foundational Skills

ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml

N

194

Language Arts; Grade 1; Elementary School Teachers; Reading Skills; Basic Skills; State Standards; Reading Achievement; Beginning Reading; Teaching Methods; Reading Instruction; Teacher Attitudes; Beliefs

979-83-8007-468-1

Reading consists of many interconnected skills. Research recommends that beginning readers focus on a set of basic skills, specifically referred to as the "foundational skills" (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices [NGACBP], Council of Chief State School Officers [CCSSO], 2010). Essential to forming the base for continuous reading growth, these "foundational skills" represent a critical category within the Pennsylvania Core English Language Arts Standards, known as the PA Core Foundational Skills. These PA Core Foundational Skills are predominately formed within the primary grades; therefore, primary teachers are responsible for teaching the PA Core Foundational Skills to support the development of beginning readers and to adhere to the PA Core Foundational Skill Standards. Also of importance is the relationship between teachers' beliefs about the teaching of reading and their current teaching practices. Consequently, this phenomenological study explores the alignment between first-grade teachers' beliefs regarding the teaching of reading and their practices in teaching to the PA Core Foundational Skills. The data within this study was collected from ten Western Pennsylvania first-grade teachers, teaching toward the PA Core Foundational Skills. Using data from semi-structured interviews, the current common teaching elements that first-grade teachers use to teach to the PA Core Foundational Skills were identified. Additionally, themes were identified that demonstrate that the teachers' beliefs about the teaching of reading align to their practices in teaching toward the PA Core Foundational Skills. The findings from this study indicated that teachers' decision making regarding their practices is based upon what they believe their students need to be successful readers. Furthermore, teachers identified additional elements they believed would expand, enhance, or further develop their practices in teaching to the PA Core Foundational Skills and allow them to meet more of their students' needs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

As Provided

2023

ED637552