Characteristics of Feedback Given By Preservice Teachers During Phonics Instruction

Recent trends in reading assessment data indicate that a large number of elementary students across the country struggle to read with proficiency (U.S. Department of Education, 2019). A convergence of evidence (Denton et al., 2010; Ehri et al., 2001; Rayner et al., 2001; Torgesen et al., 2001; Torgesen et al., 2007) supports systematic and explicit phonics instruction as an effective way to prevent or reduce reading difficulties. One common way preservice teachers learn to deliver phonics instruction is through participation in a clinical practice experience in which they tutor a struggling elementary student in reading. At a mid-Atlantic university school of education, previous anecdotal observations suggested that one aspect of phonics instruction that may be especially difficult for elementary preservice teachers is providing quality feedback to their students. This qualitative case study sought to begin to address this problem through observations of preservice teachers during a short simulation of an oral reading activity, in which the teachers were expected to respond to student word reading errors as they would during the applied portion of a phonics lesson. Follow-up interviews were conducted to gain further insight into participants’ understanding of the role of feedback in phonics instruction. Findings suggest connections between elementary preservice teachers’ ability to provide appropriate feedback and their experiences in their teacher preparation program. These findings are used to inform recommendations about coursework at the school of education involved in the study.