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The Crazy Ideas You Had: the Impact of a Literacy Course Design, Delivery, and Teacher on Preservice Teachers’ Reading Attitudes

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The Crazy Ideas You Had: the Impact of a Literacy Course Design, Delivery, and Teacher on Preservice Teachers’ Reading Attitudes Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Spring 2007 The rC azy Ideas You Had: The mpI act of a Literacy Course Design, Delivery, and Teacher on Preservice Teachers' Reading Attitudes Susan Gebhard Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Recommended Citation Gebhard, S. (2007). The rC azy Ideas You Had: The mpI act of a Literacy Course Design, Delivery, and Teacher on Preservice Teachers' Reading Attitudes (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/572 This Immediate Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE CRAZY IDEAS YOU HAD: THE IMPACT OF A LITERACY COURSE DESIGN, DELIVERY, AND TEACHER ON PRESERVICE TEACHERS' READING ATTITUDES A Dissertation Submitted to The School of Education Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education By Susan McMillin Gebhard May, 2007 Copyright by Susan McMillin Gebhard 2007 DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF EDUCATION Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) EdDIT Doctoral Program Presented by: Susan McMillin Gebhard M.A.T., University of Pittsburgh, 1984 B.A., Duke University, 1983 March 12, 2007 THE CRAZY IDEAS YOU HAD: THE IMPACT OF A LITERACY COURSE DESIGN, DELIVERY, AND TEACHER ON PRESERVICE TEACHERS’ READING ATTITUDES Approved by: _____________________________________________, Chair Barbara Manner, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Interim Chair, Department of Instruction and Leadership in Education Duquesne University ___________________________________________, Member A. Lee Williams, Ph.D. Chairperson, Department of Elementary Education/Early Childhood Education Slippery Rock University ___________________________________________, Member Claudia Balach, Ed.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Elementary Education/Early Childhood Education Slippery Rock University iii ABSTRACT THE CRAZY IDEAS YOU HAD: THE IMPACT OF A LITERACY COURSE DESIGN, DELIVERY, AND TEACHER ON PRESERVICE TEACHERS' READING ATTITUDES By Susan McMillin Gebhard May 2007 Dissertation Supervised by Dr. Barbara Manner, Associate Professor, Interim Chair, Department of Instruction and Leadership in Education, Duquesne University No. of Pages in Text: 254 This study sought to determine whether the design and/or the instructor of a required literacy course impacted preservice teachers' attitudes toward reading. Furthermore, the study sought to contrast the attitudinal impact of varying course delivery (onsite versus online). Additionally, the study attempted to identify those course activities and/or instructor behaviors perceived by the preservice teachers to have most affected their reading attitudes. Using mixed methodology research design, this study made use of empirical data obtained from three subscales of the Adult Survey of Reading Attitudes, or ASRA, (Smith, 1990a): Reading Activity and Enjoyment; Social Reinforcement; and Tutoring. Preservice teachers enrolled in two sections (online versus onsite) of an undergraduate literacy course completed pre- and post-course instruments. In order to determine whether the design of a required literacy course impacted preservice teachers' attitudes toward reading and if varying course delivery (onsite versus online) affected any such impact, the pre- and post-course data was subject to statistical analysis. The study also iv utilized qualitative narrative analysis of pre- and post-course writing pieces, “Reading Autobiographies” and “Final Reflections,” to identify specific course activities and instructor behaviors perceived by the preservice teachers to have affected their reading attitudes. Statistical analysis in this research confirmed that intentional course design and delivery of both online and onsite literacy classes does significantly impact respondents’ attitudes in terms of Reading Activity and Enjoyment. Participation in an onsite section was also determined to significantly impact respondents’ attitudes with regards to the Social Reinforcement of reading; however, no statistically significant result was obtained on the Social Reinforcement subscale in the online section. Neither online nor onsite course delivery significantly impacted respondents’ reading attitudes as displayed on the Tutoring subscale. Qualitative narrative analysis of preservice teachers’ assigned writings was consistent with previous studies indicating that social modeling, learning communities, and authentic experiences with literature most influence students’ dispositions towards reading. Narrative analysis also provided subjects’ perceptions about those course activities and teacher behaviors believed to have most affected attitudinal change. Because these activities and behaviors are replicable, future teacher education courses may be intentionally modified to attain similar results. v DEDICATION Dedicated with great gratitude and lots of love to Mums and Pops, Stephen and David, Doug, Xandra and Mairé and Mac, the influential teachers of my life, and many ages and years of students. In your own ways, you have all helped me to discover authenticity and to realize that “entertainment” and “learning” are not mutually exclusive terms. vi INSCRIPTION Today, everybody expects to be entertained, and they expect to be entertained all the time.... Students must be amused everyone must be amused or they will switch: switch brands, switch channels, switch parties, switch loyalties. This is the intellectual reality of Western society.... In other centuries, human beings wanted to be saved, or improved, or freed, or educated. But in our century, they want to be entertained. The great fear is not of disease or death, but of boredom.... A sense that we are not amused. This artifice will drive them to seek authenticity. Authenticity will be the buzzword of the twenty-first century... (Crichton, 1999, pp. 400-401). vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ....................................................................................................................... vi Inscription ....................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables .................................................................................................................. xi List of Figures ................................................................................................................. xii Chapter I: Introduction .................................................................................................... 1 Genesis of the Study ........................................................................................... 1 Background of the Study .................................................................................... 3 Theoretical Background ...................................................................................... 4 Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................... 7 Research Questions ............................................................................................. 8 Significance of the Study .................................................................................... 8 Definition of Terms ............................................................................................. 10 Assumptions ........................................................................................................ 15 Delimitations and Limitations ............................................................................. 15 Summary ............................................................................................................. 17 Chapter II: Review of the Literature ............................................................................... 18 Social Aspects of Education and Literacy: Theoretical Background ................. 18 Attitudes, Motivation, and Modeling .................................................................. 28 To Read or Not to Read? The Aliteracy Question .............................................. 32 Aliteracy and Attitude ......................................................................................... 39 Reading Choice and Motivation ......................................................................... 42 The Attitude and Achievement Connection ........................................................ 46 Teachers as Readers ............................................................................................ 50 Recursive Reading Attitudes and Teacher Education ......................................... 52 Technology and Teacher Preparation ................................................................. 58 Summary ............................................................................................................. 70 Chapter III: Methodology ............................................................................................... 72 Overview of the Study ........................................................................................ 72 Participants
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