Understanding In-service Reading Teacher Efficacy

Abstract

The complex task of teaching students to read well is one that in-service elementary teachers may not feel fully prepared for, as the methods for teaching reading have changed significantly in the last decade. As the research on explicit literacy instruction continues to expand, today’s teachers require specific training on how to effectively teach reading and move beyond the traditional basal reading curriculum. Additionally, the research showed that a teacher’s self-efficacy was a contributing factor in the actual implementation of new literacy instruction knowledge. This mixed method study examined the varying levels of self-efficacy from 36 in-service elementary reading teachers who were enrolled in a literacy education graduate program. The data suggested that in-service elementary reading teachers’ self-efficacy fluctuated greatly due to additional professional development, administration support, and their years of teaching experience. Understanding how these components impacted an in-service reading teacher’s self-efficacy was important, as previous research has shown that the level of teacher efficacy may have an impact on the effectiveness of their reading instruction and their students’ literacy achievement in the elementary classroom.