The Teaching Focus of Adult‐Reading Teachers When Developing Word Reading Skills

Abstract

Despite widescale literacy interventions, reading difficulties persist in the adult population. Results from international surveys report that millions of adults around the world remain unable to read the texts they require for daily life and work. Adult reading difficulties are diverse and under-researched, and adultreading teachers are generally underprepared to build reading skills, particularly at word level reading where many adults report difficulties. This study examined (i) the teaching foci that 60 adult-reading teachers prioritised in determining how to teach a hypothetical adult reader with difficulties at the word level and (ii) the teacher attributes by which these decisions varied. Around 40% of teachers indicated that they would prioritise non-word level components in deciding how to teach the hypothetical reader with word level difficulties, and these decisions varied with teachers' training/qualifications. To make sense of the persistence of low reading levels in the adult population, it is necessary to understand more about what teachers teach and why they teach the way they do. The findings of this study may provide an important step towards this goal.

What Strategies Do Less-Skilled Adult Readers Use to Read Words, and How Aware Are They of These Strategies?

“…Myriad factors have been suggested which can lead to less-skilled reading in these populations. These can include individual factors such as hearing impairments, as well as factors such as poverty and the reading instruction methods experienced by individuals (McHardy & Chapman, 2019a, 2019b; Snow & Strucker, 1999). Addressing adults’ reading needs effectively has implications for economic and social outcomes for learners, their families and their communities (National Research Council, 2012) and it is important that research into ways to improve reading instruction for adults with reading difficulties continues to expand and develop.…”