One first grade teacher\u27s experience with a literature-based reading series: A look at her first year

The purpose of this study was to examine a first-grade, rural school teacher\u27s use of a newly adopted literature-based reading series. The goal was not only to see how she used the materials but to also examine any struggles she experienced during her first year with a literature-based series. The participant/observer spent one day a week for an entire school year observing the teacher\u27s reading class and interviewing the teacher at regular intervals. It was apparent in the interviews that this teacher had a positive attitude toward many aspects of the new series and believed that she had changed her methods and beliefs of teaching reading. However, classroom observations revealed that in fact she modified the materials to meet her epistemology. Although prior studies support that the literature based basals are significantly different from previous editions, a change in reading instruction will only occur with greater teacher guidance