THE ONLINE STUDY OF LITERATURE IN ISRAELI TEACHER-EDUCATION COLLEGES: FRAMEWORK AND GUIDELINES

Abstract

Studying literature online has become common in teacher-education colleges since the increase of online learning in the higher education arena. The aim of this study was to identify the primary components of online literature lessons as perceived by preservice teachers (PSTs). Using a qualitative, multiple case study approach, data from a heterogeneous population of 90 PSTs attending three Israeli teacher-education colleges were retrieved, using discussions, questionnaires, and interviews. Thematic-cognitive data analysis yielded three major themes related to technological aspects, teachers’ knowledge, and PSTs' subjective experiences of an online literature lesson. Based on these findings, a theoretical model was constructed for developing guidelines for teaching literature online. Given that there is no existing framework for conducting literature lessons online, this study contributes to the literature by extending the resources available for understanding and researching pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for teaching literature.