The Study on High School Trainees’ Theoretical Orientations Toward Reading Instruction and Reading Instructional Practices

• Main Authors: Chiung-feng Wu, 吳瓊鳳
• Other Authors: Chiou-lan Chern
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2002
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/07890477709912472850

碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 英語研究所 === 90 === Abstract Since the practicum system was modified in the late 1990s, prospective teachers have been asked to practice teaching for one year under the guidance of at least one mentor. With an understanding of what the trainee teachers’ theoretical orientations toward reading instruction are and whether they are able to provide instructions accordingly, the field of teacher preparation programs will be able to integrate knowledge about the cognitive dimensions of language teaching into the content of teacher pre-service education. To examine the relationship between prospective teachers’ theoretical orientation toward reading instruction and their classroom instructional approaches, this study was conducted with a multidimensional profile, consisting of a questionnaire, an ideal lesson plan choosing task, an interview, and classroom observations. In Phase I, the beliefs of fifty-seven National Taiwan Normal University trainees were elicited by means of the questionnaire and the lesson plan choosing task. After comparing the results in Phase I, two participants representing each orientation, text-based, reader-based, and interactive orientation, were chosen to participate in the study of Phase II. In Phase II, six participants were interviewed and their classes observed and coded with a checklist. Their interview responses were then analyzed to compare with the classroom observations. The results of the Phase I questionnaire, lesson plan choices, and Phase II interview indicated that most of these trainees had non-text-based orientations. However, the classroom observations in Phase II revealed a contrary tendency; that is, in most classes observed, instructors favored the text-based instructional practices. The factors that affected these trainees’ application of ideal instructions, such as the mentoring system, school-wide syllabus, exams, and students’ proficiency levels, were discussed. Suggestions were made to enhance the trainees’ attempts to apply beliefs in authentic classroom contexts during the period of practicum.