Promise and Possibility ‐ Hope for Teacher Education: Pre‐service Literacy Instruction Can Have an Impact

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the literacy knowledge, beliefs and self‐efficacy of 52 undergraduate elementary pre‐service teachers prior to and at the conclusion of a reading methods course. The teacher candidates completed the Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile (TORP, DeFord, 1985), the Teacher Self Efficacy Literacy Scale (TSELS, Johnson & Tschannen‐Moran, 2003) and an instructor‐made questionnaire. Quantitative results indicated the change of beliefs (TORP) and self‐efficacy (TSELS) were significant. Qualitative results indicated the novice teachers’ knowledge aligned with their beliefs. This study is important because our findings contradict the belief that teacher education has not generally been viewed as powerful enough to affect pre‐service teachers’ beliefs and views. Our findings show the teacher education program can be effective in changing student views. Implications for this study are addressed.