Prevalence and Quality of Early Career Teachers' Nonfiction Reading Instruction

• In Event: Instructional Interventions and Practices in Literacy

Abstract

This study examines reading instruction of 77 early-career elementary teachers, drawing on data from 223 lessons scored with a validated observation protocol. Descriptive analyses illuminate the prevalence of nonfiction lessons across grade levels and their quality compared to fiction lessons. Findings suggest a higher percent of nonfiction lessons (41%) in second grade than reported in previous studies, but reinforce the idea that nonfiction reading is underrepresented in pre-K through first-grade classrooms. Regarding quality, nonfiction lessons received significantly lower observation scores than fiction lessons in three out of four instructional domains. This study contributes to our understanding of the current landscape of nonfiction reading instruction among early-career teachers and identifies specific instructional practices that could be the focus of improvement efforts.

Author

• Alexa Miller Quinn, James Madison University