Future teachers’ conceptions on reading – a case study

In recent years, reading has been the focus of attention in Portugal, regarding the training of teachers. The implementation of the Portuguese National Teaching Program (2006-2010), the development of the National Reading Plan (in progress, until 2027) and other initiatives, at national level, namely concerning primary education, have contributed to innovate reading practices. However, despite the importance of these programs to make reading a priority of the Portuguese curriculum, few studies in Portugal investigate the conceptions on reading of future teachers' and their impact on educational practices, mainly regarding reading motivation and reading comprehension, recognized as increasingly relevant for the development of literacy. The purpose of this study was twofold: to characterize and to identify the conceptions on reading of future teachers and to determine the influence of these conceptions on their future educational practices, concerning reading motivation and the development of competencies in reading comprehension. Participants were 53 future teachers enrolled in a first degree in Education (third year) of a polytechnic institute in the centre of Portugal. Considering the aims of this study, we took a qualitative approach, based on a case study framework. To increase the credibility and the reliability of the study, as recommended in the literature, several instruments were used to gather data: a questionnaire, a written essay and two worksheets for data on students’ conceptions; a written report on lesson planning with individual and collective components, for data concerning students’ competencies on reading comprehension. Students’ conceptions on reading emerged as a complex and multidimensional construct, mainly based on the valorisation of knowledge and vocabulary acquisition. Although most students enjoyed reading, due to both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, they mostly valued it in classroom contexts and depreciated reading for pleasure, which was not the activity of their choice for their spare time. Conceptions on reading motivation were related mainly to family literacy practices, reading for academic purposes and reading habits (most students preferred to read novels, newspapers and magazines). Results also showed that: i) when choosing books to motivate children to read, the importance of paratextual elements was strongly emphasized but students gave little attention to the importance of creating a literacy-rich environment in the classroom; ii) students had difficulties in establishing criteria to choose those books and to justify the choices they made as well. As far as students’ competencies on reading comprehension were concerned, we concluded that they were mainly related to the strategies they were able to use while reading for different purposes. Important strategies such as activating prior knowledge and making inferences were not considered relevant by these students. Results on their lesson planning allowed us to understand that they replicated the reading strategies they used to develop children’s reading comprehension. We concluded that these conceptions on reading would have an impact on their future educational practices concerning reading motivation and the development of reading competencies. Further studies are needed for a deeper understanding of these conceptions, so that they might be considered on their training and have impact on their educational practices.