A survey of Western Australian teachers' use of texts in supporting beginning readers

• Published in: Issues in educational research Vol. 31; no. 1; pp. 204 - 223
• Main Authors: Simmone Pogorzelski, Susan Main, Susan Hill
• Format: Journal Article
• Published: 01.04.2021
• Subjects: Curricula; Education; Educational surveys; Individualized reading instruction; Readers; Reading (Early childhood); Teachers; Training of
• ISSN: 1837-6290; 1837-6290

Connected text reading is crucial to beginning reading development as this is where children apply the reading skills they are learning. The most recent version of the Australian Curriculum includes the requirement that teachers use both predictable and decodable texts in early reading instruction. As each text type is underpinned by a different approach to reading instruction, this creates a potential dilemma for teachers when implementing the curriculum. A preliminary study of the instructional practices used to teach reading in the first two years of schooling was therefore conducted to investigate how early years teachers make use of two different text types that are arguably incompatible. An online survey regarding approaches to reading instruction and use of different text types was distributed to Western Australian Pre-primary and Year 1 teachers via several social media platforms. A total of 138 teachers responded. Survey responses indicated that these teachers do not have a coherent understanding of the purpose of different text types in beginning reading instruction. The findings highlight the need to improve early years teachers' knowledge of the instructional strategies aligned to each text type so that they can make informed decisions when supporting children's reading development.