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Session Submission Summary

Are teachers in Central America being prepared to teach reading? Findings from a regional research study on pre-service teacher education.

Wed, April 17, 8:00 to 9:30am, Hyatt Regency, Floor: Pacific Concourse (Level -1), Pacific I

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Results of multiple assessments in recent years (SERCE, TERCE, EGRA etc.) have shown that children in Central America (CA) are not achieving desired levels in foundational skills such as reading and writing. In addition, children are not learning the necessary skills to develop successfully as adults and citizens who can constructively exercise their rights and responsibilities (CIEN and Inter-American Dialogue, 2015). These poor learning outcomes are related to the poor teaching quality (UNESCO, 2016), which is considered the main limitation to educational progress in CA (Bruns and Luque, 2015). And one of the main factors leading to poor teaching quality stems from poor pre-service teacher education which often does not provide teachers with the necessary content or pedagogical knowledge to teach children how to read.

Although teachers in most countries in the region now study for more years as compared to the past, evidence shows that teacher education programs are non-selective, and those who enter education-centered careers are academically below-average compared to other higher education aspirants (OECD, 2006). There is also a disturbing disconnect between the academic degrees obtained by teachers and the cognitive skills acquired by students (TEDS-M, 2008); this inevitably results in poor teaching quality due to poor capacity to manage academic content, as well as ineffective teaching practices (Stallings and Knight, 2003).

In CA there is a disconnect between school practice and research, and a generalized lack of knowledge about the pedagogical practices linked to successful development of early grade literacy (EGL) in this specific context (UNESCO, 2016). At the regional level, research on EGR is fragmented and often deficient in quality (LAC Reads Capacity Program -LRCP-, 2016). In addition, there is a lack of research focused on what CA teachers need to know and be able to do to successfully teach children to read. This lack of evidence means that most pre-service teacher training programs are designed based on antiquated models as opposed to the latest research on what teachers need to learn in order to successfully teach reading (Bruns and Luque, 2014, LRCP, 2016). For this reason, the Early Grade Literacy Network of Central America and the Caribbean (RedLEI) selected pre-service teacher training for EGL as the subject of its first regional research study which will also be the focus of this panel presentation.

This research study is seeking to answer the question: How are teachers being prepared to teach reading in the early grades through pre-service programs in 5 countries of Central America (Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Nicaragua)? In addition to this broader question we will also seek to address the following more specific questions:
1. How does the pre-service teacher-training curriculum at the selected institutions align with the latest evidence on how children learn to read and what teachers need to know and be able to do to successfully teach literacy?
2. What are the strengths and gaps of the pre-service teacher education curriculum for EGL in regard to the latest evidence?
3. How do trainers of teachers apply what is prescribed in the teacher training curriculum in terms of EGL in the pre-service classrooms where they teach?
4. How is the prescribed pre-service curriculum different from the curriculum actually taught in pre-service classrooms for teacher training in the field of EGL?

In order to answer these research questions, we are implementing a three-pronged qualitative study. First, we will conduct a curriculum mapping of the pre-service teacher training curricula in each of the five countries against an evidence-based framework of what teachers need to know and be able to do to effectively teach reading. Next, we will conduct interviews with pre-service teacher trainers of the courses covered in the curriculum mapping and with pre-service students in these classes. Finally, we will conduct observations of the pre-service literacy classes. We will then triangulate data from all three data sets in order to answer our research questions. Data collection for this study will take place in October and November of 2018 and results from the study will be ready to present for this panel.

This panel brings together a group of experts conducting the regional research study on pre-service teacher training for reading in Central America. The purpose of the panel is to provide an overview of the state of reading and teacher training for reading in the region. In addition, we will share the evidence framework we developed based on what teachers need to know and be able to do to successfully teach children to read. Next we will present the methodology of the study and the instruments used to collect data, and finally we will share the study results and implications for future pre-service teacher training programs. The panel will be divided into four presentations covering the following topics:

• State of the research on reading and teacher training for reading in Central America
• Evidence framework based on the simple view of reading
• Study methodology and instruments
• Study findings and implications

Each of the four presentations will last up to 15 minutes. The remaining 30 minutes will be open for discussion with the audience. Questions and comments will be encouraged from the audience during this time.

Sub Unit

Individual Presentations

Discussant