Date
4-25-2023
Department
School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (EdD)
Chair
Linda Holcomb
Keywords
teacher preparedness, early literacy skills, self-efficacy, beginning readers
Disciplines
Education | Reading and Language
Recommended Citation
Walker, Crystal Wright, "A Collective Case Study of Novice Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Preparedness to Teach Early Literacy Skills to Beginning Readers" (2023). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 4381.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/4381
Abstract
The purpose of this collective case study was to explore novice teachers’ perceptions of their preparedness to teach early literacy skills to beginning readers in rural northwest North Carolina. Novice teachers’ perceptions of how adequately prepared they felt to teach early literacy skills to beginning readers in prekindergarten through third grade was examined using Badura’s theory of self-efficacy. The central question was “What are the perceptions of participants regarding their preparedness to teach early literacy skills to beginning readers?” The three sub-questions were as follows: how do participants describe their preparedness as it relates to content knowledge; how do participants describe their preparedness as it relates to addressing students’ challenges in acquiring literacy skills; and what experiences or opportunities do participants believe would help prepare beginning teachers to teach early literacy skills to beginning readers? The participants were 10 novice elementary school teachers responsible for teaching early literacy skills in prekindergarten through third grade. Data was collected via individual interviews, focus group interviews, and reflective journaling. Data was analyzed using coding to identify themes and patterns. The study produced four themes and nine subthemes. The themes were feelings of preparedness, effective literacy instruction, orthography, and differentiated instruction. The results indicated novice teachers felt unprepared to meet the literacy needs of beginning readers. However, teachers felt more prepared after gaining experience in the classroom, collaborating with veteran teachers, and when using scripted programs. Future research needs to include a larger sample size representative of more teacher preparation programs to better understanding teachers’ current perceptions of preparedness to teach early literacy skills to beginning readers.
