Much attention has been given to the impact of cooperative teachers on the pedagogical behaviour of student teachers. In many cases, however, cooperating teachers gain as much from the student teacher as the student teacher acquires from them. This study was designed to elicit answers to the following two questions: (1) What are the perspectives…

This project explores the understanding of early year's teachers regarding whole language approach and its implementation. A total of 200 questionnaires were delivered to teachers at nurseries and kindergartens in an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) context. 169 questionnaires were completed and analysed. The findings shows that an overwhelming…

The problem investigated by this study was whether teachers of kindergarten through second grade feel themselves to be effective literacy teachers and if they do not feel effective, to find out whether their agreement or disagreement with the literacy methodologies required by the school was a factor. The mixed methods approach to this study…

The purposes of this study are: (1) to investigate students' perceptions of computer-assisted whole language instruction; (2) to examine the effectiveness of whole language instruction on students' reading improvement; and (3) to determine the difference between basic-level and advanced-level students' improvement in reading skills. A total of 212…

School culture, as defined in this study, consists of norms, beliefs, and values that provide teachers with a sense of continuity against change generated by students, parents and reform movements. The first six norms of school culture, which appear to be interdependent and work together to create an effective school culture for change, are…

A study examined the reading approaches used by teachers and how accurately the teachers described the approaches to reading they purported to use. Subjects, 206 teachers in 19 elementary schools from 9 schools districts in a southeastern state, completed a questionnaire. Results indicated that (1) 68.75% of the teachers cited the basal as their…

For the two past two decades, a child-centered view and integration of curriculum have become critical to developing literacy. Also, the emphasis on the importance of the teacher's role in teaching literacy has increased. Thus, teachers have been provided with the opportunity to reflect on their beliefs about children literacy and to increase…

A study examined strategies for embedding literacy skills within a whole language program. A questionnaire was given to full-time whole language elementary school teachers who taught in kindergarten through second-grade classrooms. All the participants teach in suburban school districts in the Bay Area including San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, and…

A study examined the concerns, problems, and experiences when teachers change from a traditional skills classroom to a whole language classroom. Subjects, 162 of 400 K-12 teachers from several Ohio Teachers Applying Whole Language groups, responded to a questionnaire (for a return rate of 40%). Results indicated that: (1) the most important…

This study investigated three questions regarding: (1) teachers' views about the role of children's literature in the reading program; (2) how teachers implement literature-based reading programs in their classrooms; and (3) the congruence between teacher perceptions and teacher practice regarding literature-based reading instruction. Subjects,…

Early childhood education majors enrolled in a reading methods course completed a questionnaire on teaching writing. In general, the students supported a process approach to teaching writing, believed that such an approach could be easily implemented in a classroom, and intended to use a process approach themselves. (PCB)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the services provided by elementary and middle school media centers to support whole language instruction, and to determine how the media program contributes to the goals, resources, and teaching strategies of the whole language movement. The population for the study included all 81 elementary and 15…

A study examined the differences in first-grade students' attitudes about reading/writing when teachers taught by using ability grouping or when teachers taught by using whole language instruction. Two questionnaires were distributed to four teachers, one requesting information on use of reading/writing instruction in the classroom, and the other…

This paper reviews the history, definitions, descriptions, and current trends in whole language, an alternative language teaching philosophy. The entire construct of motivation is reviewed and defined. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the implementation of the whole language approach affects student motivation in an English as a…

The purpose of the study was to describe teachers' perceptions and experiences in implementing whole language activities in their kindergarten and elementary classrooms. Ten teachers who were part of a pilot whole language program participated in the study. Throughout the 1989-1990 school term, data were collected through teacher questionnaires…