What affects instructional choice? Profiles of K-2 teachers' use of reading instructional strategies and methods
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This study examined kindergarten, first-grade, and second-grade teachers' intended and reported classroom use, as well as perceptions and knowledge of reading strategies and methods, before and after their participation in a 120-hour professional development workshop. A cluster analysis was conducted on the teachers' (N = 33) responses to a reading strategies/methods measure, followed by discriminant analysis on the three predominant types of teachers: (a) those using a structured approach to reading, (b) those using an integrated approach, and (c) those using an eclectic approachto determine the most important strategies and methods characterizing the different groups. Analysis of variance and qualitative analysis of written evaluations revealed that teachers involved in the professional development experience made significant gains in their use of several reading strategies and methods. Three years after initial training, follow-up interviews with selected teachers from each of the three cluster groups provided an understanding of the long-term effects of the professional development activities. Overall results showed that the teachers' reported use of selected reading instructional strategies and methods was influenced by several factors: (a) the workshop, (b) the district curriculum policy, (c) teacher implementation of targeted reading strategies, (d) teachers' perceptions of their own instructional efficacy, and (e) teachers' perceptions of students' academic needs and performance.
