Reading Across the Content Areas Course

This study explored the knowledge and beliefs held by two secondary undergraduate preservice teachers' (PTs) about implementing content area reading instruction in their practice. In examining the development of these beliefs, the PTs revealed a number of perceived barriers impeding the application of content area strategies hence reducing the likelihood of implementing them as student teachers or in their future classrooms. Data sources included interviews with the PTs, classroom observations of a content area reading course, and the PTs final exams which included written reflections. Data were analyzed and themes were triangulated across sources. The PTs recalled two main strategies from the course that they intended to implement: snapshots and discussions. In terms of barriers, lack of interaction during class time, as well as a lack of emphasis on the content areas (i.e., relevance to the PTs future content areas) were identified as the most detrimental factors to understanding and implementing the strategies. These discoveries imply that instruction in this area of teacher education must be highly explicit and situated in the context of teaching within a content area.