An investigation of kindergarten teachers' reports of reading practices

Date

2012-05-30

Authors

Molidor, Rebecca

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Texas Woman's University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to gather data regarding kindergarten teachers’ reported practices for teaching reading, especially in provision of the Response to Intervention model. The study collected data about specific practices in the area of reading instruction and intervention in the areas of phonemic awareness and phonics. The survey instrument used in the study was developed by the researcher. A pilot study was conducted to gather feedback about ways to increase the surveys’ clarity. The following four research questions guided the study: 1) what general RTI practices are currently being utilized by kindergarten teachers; 2) what instructional strategies are utilized by kindergarten teachers to teach phonemic awareness skills and phonics skills at Tier 1; 3) what instructional arrangements (settings) are utilized by kindergarten teachers to teach phonemic awareness and phonics skills at Tier 1; and 4) what types of programs are utilized by kindergarten teachers to implement Tier 2 interventions in the areas of phonemic awareness and phonics? The target participants were kindergarten teachers in the Region 10 and 11 Service Centers of North Texas. Surveyed school districts, schools and teachers were randomly selected. The survey included items to gather both quantitative and qualitative types of data. Opportunities for participants to provide descriptive information were included in questions regarding all four research questions; however, the fourth research question included the most open-ended items, which received several descriptive responses. Findings regarding teachers’ reports of instructional and intervention practices and Response to Intervention were revealed. In addition, specific teachers’ perspectives about teaching reading at the kindergarten level were discussed.

Description

Keywords

Kindergarten teachers, Reading, Phonics, North Texas, Student intervention

Citation