Abstract:
This thesis aims to reveal the professional influences which affect teacher decision making in guided reading. Those influences may be either evaluative or based on professional knowledge or learning. The ways which teachers implement information gained from assessment data or from knowledge into practice, is of particular interest when considering the potential impact on student learning. In Northland, professional development of teachers in literacy has for the last several years been organised by the Ministry of Education into literacy projects. Generally these projects have been conducted off school sites and in combination with other schools in a cluster arrangement. Normally not all teachers attend and are therefore reliant on others who attend to communicate specific learning. The transference of that learning to all teachers and subsequently to their practice has not always been recognised as successful. As a researcher my inquiry was concentrated on the articulations and practices of the teachers involved in the study. This was to ascertain the degree to which teachers could implement effective practices from shared knowledge. It was not the intention initially to comment on professional development practices in New Zealand and particularly in Northland; nevertheless, the results of the research do indicate that the effectiveness of those practices require closer examination. The guided reading programme was a focus for classroom observations and as a basis for the interviews with the two teachers involved in the research. The focus on this instructional programme indicated the complexity of classroom practice. There are increasing demands on teachers to more positively affect students‟ achievement outcomes. Diversity among students appears also to be on the increase along with intensified demands on teacher practice. Teacher knowledge and practice is fundamental to supporting achievement. It could be considered that professional support to teachers should be also appropriate to individual teacher learning needs and strengths. As a result of the research a framework was developed to collate all the data. It highlighted particular teacher gaps in articulations and practices. The framework could be used as a rubric to help with identifying gaps in individual teacher professional learning and practice. It could be particularly constructive as well in encouraging individual teacher‟s taking some responsibility for the identification and implementation of their „next steps learning.‟