ERIC Number: EJ1157777
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1927-2677
EISSN: N/A
Pre-Service Teachers' Understandings of Literacy Practices
Masuda, Avis M.; Ebersole, Michele M.
Journal of Curriculum and Teaching, v2 n2 p47-54 2013
This paper presents a 2-year study of pre-service teachers' understandings of and views toward literacy. Data were collected via pre-service teachers' 48-hour literacy log, reflections and lesson plans. Findings indicate that pre-service teachers' perceptions of literacy were initially bound by traditional views toward literacy, focusing solely on print based literacy. Throughout the semester via coursework and field experience, pre-service teachers gained new insights about the literacies of their students. By the end of the semester they had broadened their understandings of and views toward literacy, acknowledging the need to support their students' academic literacy and they affirmed the need to learn how to engage in instructional practices that support twenty-first century skills in order to bridge the gap between their students' life-world and academic literacy. However, upon transition into field experiences they encountered several barriers such as limited accessibility and school policies precluded use of their newfound conceptions in their teaching. The significance of the study puts forth an implication for teacher educators to support pre-service teachers with opportunities to explore and ground their professional beliefs about literacy and opportunities to engage as reflective practitioners.
Descriptors: Literacy, Preservice Teachers, Preservice Teacher Education, Educational Practices, Lesson Plans, Transcripts (Written Records), Field Experience Programs, Student Teacher Attitudes, Reflection, Attitude Change, Positive Attitudes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A