Instructional Frameworks and Instructional Choices: Comparisons between Preservice and Inservice Teachers

Abstract

One hundred and twenty-seven subjects (83 preservice and 44 inservice teachers) were administered identical instruments consisting of (a) an inventory designed to identify beliefs about how reading takes place and how reading ability develops, and (b) a set of three lesson plans each in vocabulary, comprehension and syllabication. Lesson plans were written to reflect different explanations for how reading takes place and develops; subjects chose the plan in each area that they felt was most effective and that they would choose to teach. Results imply that (a) there is little difference between groups in theoretical orientation regarding how reading takes place and how reading ability develops; (b) both preservice and inservice teachers with reader-based/holistic explanations for how reading takes place and develops tend to choose vocabulary and comprehension lessons reflecting their beliefs; and (c) subjects in both groups holding text-based, interactive, mastery of specific skills, and differential acquisition explanations for how reading takes place and develops did not choose lessons consistent with their theoretical orientation.