Stimulating the reading development of older poor readers is not easy. Yet, a good reading development is important for academic development and future prospects. To be able to encourage the...Show moreStimulating the reading development of older poor readers is not easy. Yet, a good reading development is important for academic development and future prospects. To be able to encourage the reading development of older poor readers, it’s important to know which factors contribute to this reading development. In this study, we therefore examined the relationship between teacher efficacy (teachers’s beliefs in their capacities to be able to influence student learning) and reading development of older poor readers. Participants were 23 teachers (4 men, 19 women) and 45 of their students from upper grades of elementary school and lower grades of high school. Teacher efficacy was measured with the TSES questionnaire for teachers and by coding statements that teachers made during the Think Aloud and an interview. Students completed tasks to test their progress in technical reading, reading comprehension and reading in general. A strong negative correlation was found between teacher efficacy (TSES) and their students’ technical reading progress (p = .013, R² = .26) and a moderate positive correlation was found between teacher efficacy (Think Aloud and interview) and progress in reading in general (p = .033, R ² = .20). In accordance with previous research, most results revealed that children who are taught by teachers with high teacher efficacy improve their reading skills more than or the same as students who are taught by teachers with low teacher efficacy. However, students who are taught by teachers with high teacher efficacy make less progress in technical reading. Also, the measuring method is determinative for finding relations between teacher efficacy and reading progress. To explain the relation between teacher efficacy and reading progress, more research into mediating factors is recommended.Show less
In the Netherlands, 8-10% of the population of 16 years and older is low literated. Because literacy is quite important to participate in current and future society, this research investigates if...Show moreIn the Netherlands, 8-10% of the population of 16 years and older is low literated. Because literacy is quite important to participate in current and future society, this research investigates if teacher efficacy has a positive effect on the growth rate of reading. The participants are 23 teachers and 89 students of the 5th to the 8th grade. Teacher efficacy has been measured with a questionnaire translated into Dutch. Reading growth has been measured by a weekly maze task and a pre and post measurement of two reading tests. The results show there is no significant correlation between teacher efficacy and the results on the maze-tasks. The two factorial repeated measures ANOVA’s that have been conducted show both main effects for Measurement time (pre- and post) and ‘Teacher efficacy’. Remarkably, reading test scores of students of teachers with low teacher efficacy are higher than reading test scores of students of teachers with high teacher efficacy. In this research, no support has been found for the hypothesis that teacher efficacy has a positive effect on the growth rate of reading. Because the sample has been small, additional research should be done in order to draw strong conclusions.Show less
The purpose of this study is to examine the amount of reading activities as mediator on the relation between teacher efficacy and student reading progress. Participants were 23 teachers (4 male)...Show moreThe purpose of this study is to examine the amount of reading activities as mediator on the relation between teacher efficacy and student reading progress. Participants were 23 teachers (4 male) and 89 students (51 boys) with reading problems. Teachers filled in a questionnaire to measure their teaching efficacy and were interviewed about the amount of reading activities in their classrooms. Students made Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) probes of maze tasks and reading aloud at the beginning and end of the study to measure reading progress. A mediation model with regression analyses was used to answer the research questions. The results reveal no relations between teacher efficacy, amount of reading activities and students’ reading progress. This study shows that more research is needed to use CBM in Dutch education systems.Show less
