Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Reading (Elementary);
Abstract
The specific purposes of this study were to identify and describe the frequency of teacher behaviors that occur during classroom reading instruction. The following problematic questions were addressed: (1) How much time is scheduled for formal reading instruction; (2) What proportion of teacher behavior during scheduled reading instructional periods is concerned with actual instruction in reading; (3) What proportion of teacher behavior during scheduled reading instructional periods is concerned with non-instructional activities; (4) What proportions of teacher behaviors during scheduled reading instructional periods are concerned with each of the major reading skill areas; (5) What proportions of teacher behaviors during actual reading instruction are concerned with each of the major reading skill areas; and, (6) Within each major reading category, what types of skills are emphasized.
Seven fourth grade teachers from five rural schools in northeast Iowa participated in the study. Each teacher was interviewed once to obtain preliminary information such as the amount of time scheduled for reading instruction, number of students, number of groups, and materials used. Each classroom was observed a total of seven times for the entire scheduled reading instructional period. The Teacher Observation Instrument, designed specifically for this study, was used to record the frequency of specified teacher behaviors occurring during one-minute intervals. Additional anecdotal records were noted to supplement and/or clarify observations. As an example, teacher behaviors that were not on the observational record were noted in anecdotal form.
Results revealed that the time scheduled for formal reading instruction ranged from 60 to 85 minutes per day, or approximately 20 percent of the school day. The data further suggested that 62 percent of the teacher behaviors observed were concerned with actual instruction in reading, while 38 percent were concerned with non-instructional activities.
Descriptive information identifying the proportions of teacher behaviors concerned with major reading skill areas suggested that reading comprehension, oral reading, and word meaning were the categories accounting for the greatest proportions of teacher behaviors for the group as well as for all but two individuals. The categories of phonics, listening, listens, and demonstration were observed rarely, or in some instances, not at all. No consistent pattern among individual teachers emerged for the categories of structural analysis, reads aloud, discussion, word instruction, tests, and other. All were observed, but with irregular frequency and/or inconsistent patterns across individuals.
Analysis of the proportion of teacher behaviors concerned with each of the subskills in the major reading categories revealed that application was the most frequently observed subskill in all categories except oral reading, in which listens to accounted for the greatest proportion. Some minor variability among teachers was noted.
Year of Submission
1982
Degree Name
Specialist in Education
Department
Department of Educational Psychology, Foundations, and Leadership Studies
Department
Department of Educational Psychology and Foundations
First Advisor
Donald W. Schmits
Second Advisor
Catherine W. Hatcher
Date Original
1982
Object Description
1 PDF file (94 pages)
Copyright
©1982 Judy Weseman Moser
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Moser, Judy Weseman, "An Investigation Into the Behaviors of Classroom Teachers During Scheduled Reading Instructional Periods" (1982). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 1566.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/1566
Comments
If you are the rightful copyright holder of this thesis and wish to have it removed from the Open Access Collection, please submit a request to scholarworks@uni.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.