From basals to whole language: Teacher transitions in the teaching of reading

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the changes or transitions that occur in teachers as they move from a traditional basal delivery to a holistic, integrated delivery when teaching reading/language arts. Ten elementary teachers from eight different educational settings in the midwest, who were enrolled in a whole language workshop, were chosen to participate through purposive sampling. Data were collected from initial and exit interviews, classroom observations, and reflective journaling. Grounded theory was generated through constant comparative methodology which was used simultaneously to collect and analyze data. The grounded theory included six theoretical propositions and supporting evidence: (1) A precondition to voluntary teacher change is a gradual engagement in an evolutionary process which is influenced by a variety of factors, (2) Subjects\u27 involvement in a whole language workshop provided a structure for predicting obstacles and changes that might be encountered during the transitional process, (3) Time emerged as the most problematic factor during the transitional process, (4) Supportive, affirming incidences enabled subjects to cope with attitudinal, philosophical, and methodological changes, (5) Professional and personal growth occurred as a result of the subjects\u27 involvement in the transitional process, (6) Significant teacher change focused on a student-centered learning community where curriculum was driven by social interaction and ideas of interest meaningful to students. Substantive theory constructed from the theoretical propositions indicates that teachers involved in a voluntary change process arrive at this threshold in an evolutionary fashion, drawing on incidences from life-long experiences with literacy and learning. For these subjects, a workshop setting provided a structure of definition to predict unknown obstacles. These teachers continued to change and grow both personally and professionally with supportive and affirming incidences, in spite of their perceived lack of time. Their shift from a teacher-centered to a student-centered learning environment was an important change