Reading Comprehension in Test Preparation Classes: An Analysis of Teachers’ Pedagogical Content Knowledge in TESOL

Abstract

This article examines the pedagogical content knowledge which underpins the practices in reading lessons of experienced teachers in test preparation classes. It takes as a starting point the assumption that practice is shaped by teacher cognitions, which are established through professional training and classroom experience. Thus, the study explores the nature of reading comprehension pedagogy and also the ways teachers vary and adapt their approach. The study, carried out in upper intermediate TESOL classrooms in Greece, draws on video‐recorded classroom data, field notes, and interviews with four teachers. The analysis focuses on lesson structures, reading and test‐taking strategy awareness raising, and teachers’ knowledge about texts. It validates the established reading skills lesson structure—pre‐, while‐, and postreading—but shows how this can vary in implementation. It suggests that the attention to strategies is not only explicit strategy instruction, but also situated demonstration by the teacher of how strategies can unlock the meaning of the text. The pedagogy overall is conditioned by the test preparation context of the program; the teachers are mindful of this goal and integrate references to the test to anchor the pedagogy in students’ current reality and to demonstrate how specific strategies can aid comprehension.

Exploring the Challenges of Reading Comprehension Teaching for English Proficiency Test Preparation Class in Indonesia

“…In a similar vein, Irvine-Niakara & Kiely (2015) also emphasise the importance to understand the processes of reading comprehension before planning the approach for the three regular reading phases in the classroom: pre reading, while reading, and post reading. The cruciality of this careful planning of teaching should be considered because it ensures the readers, or in this case, learners to keep engaging throughout these phases.…”

Pedagogical Reasoning in EFL/ESL Teaching: Revisiting the Importance of Teaching Lesson Planning in Second Language Teacher Education

“…Goldfus () identifies a list of insufficiencies in the EFL teachers’ surveyed content knowledge in the phonetic and phonological domains of their language system. In a study probing four EFL teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge in reading comprehension teaching for test preparation, what Irvine‐Niakaris and Kiely () achieve is validation of discrete pedagogical strategies in snapshots of practice in the pre, while, and post phases of reading in these teachers’ classrooms. Neither has the longitudinal study of Choy et al.…”

“…Common interests in LTC, for example, center on research exploring the practical knowledge base of EFL/ESL teachers (e.g., Kayi‐Aydar, ; Mullock, ), teachers’ perceptions of their knowledge base and growth (e.g., Choy, Wong, Lim, & Chong, ; Kourieos, ), or teachers’ knowledge base for a few specific aspects of EFL/ESL teaching. For example, practical knowledge growth in communicative language teaching (CLT) is reported in Wyatt and Borg (), teachers’ PCK in reading instruction in Goldfus () and Irvine‐Niakaris and Kiely (), vocabulary teaching in Macalister (), and grammar explanation in Sanchez and Borg (). Despite the volume of work done, understanding gained so far about the “hidden side of the work” (Freeman, , p. 1) in language teaching still seems insufficient.…”

The Concept of Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK): Recognizing the English Teachers' Competences in Indonesia

“…Another qualitative study conducted by Irvine-Niakaris and Kiely explored about PCK that supports teaching English as a second language (L2) especially in reading skill [34]. The research was cantered on teacher's knowledge about reading instruction (KARI) and knowledge about the text (KAT).…”