Abstract
In theory, teacher knowledge predicts instructional practice, thus impacting student outcomes. When it comes to knowledge to teach elementary-grade reading, most previous surveys have focused on knowledge essential for word reading development; few surveys have provided a picture of educator knowledge to teach both word reading and language comprehension. This article describes the development and validation of the Teacher Understanding of Literacy Constructs and Evidence-Based Instructional Practices (TULIP) survey, which assesses teacher knowledge in the domains of (a) phonological awareness, (b) phonics, decoding, and encoding, (c) reading fluency, (d) oral language, and (e) reading comprehension. The TULIP survey was created using an iterative development process involving a systematic review of research, expert review of items, field testing, and a pilot study. A validation study of the resulting TULIP survey was conducted with a sample of 313 in-service elementary-grade teachers of reading. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that both one-factor and five-factor models of the survey had acceptable fit. The overall TULIP scale had good reliability, and subscales representing knowledge within specific literacy domains had acceptable reliability (with the oral language subscale having lower reliability than the other four subscales). Knowledge overall and within each literacy domain was significantly related to education level, such that teachers with more education had higher scores.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bandalos, D. L. (2018). Measurement theory and applications for the social sciences. Guilford Publications.
Baumert, J., Kunter, M., Blum, W., Brunner, M., Voss, T., Jordan, A., Klusmann, U., Krauss, S., & Neubrand, M. (2010). Teachers’ mathematical knowledge, cognitive activation in the classroom, and student progress. American Educational Research Journal, 47(1), 133–180.
Binks-Cantrell, E., Joshi, R. M., & Washburn, E. K. (2012). Validation of an instrument for assessing teacher knowledge of basic language constructs of literacy. Annals of Dyslexia, 62(3), 153–171.
Brady, S. (2020). A 2020 perspective on research findings on alphabetics (phoneme awareness and phonics): Implications for instruction. The Reading League Journal, 1(3), 20–28.
Brady, S., Gillis, M., Smith, T., Lavalette, M., Liss-Bronstein, L., Lowe, E., North, W., Russo, E., & Wilder, T. D. (2009). First grade teachers’ knowledge of phonological awareness and code concepts: Examining gains from an intensive form of professional development and corresponding teacher attitudes. Reading and Writing, 22(4), 425–455.
Carlisle, J. F., Cortina, K. S., & Katz, L. A. (2011). First-grade teachers’ response to three models of professional development in reading. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 27(3), 212–238.
Carlisle, J. F., & Fleming, J. (2003). Lexical processing of morphologically complex words in the elementary years. Scientific Studies of Reading, 7(3), 239–253.
Castles, A., Rastle, K., & Nation, K. (2018). Ending the reading wars: Reading acquisition from novice to expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19(1), 5–51.
Cervetti, G. N., Pearson, P. D., Palincsar, A. S., Afflerbach, P., Kendeou, P., Biancarosa, G., Higgs, J., Fitzgerald, M. S., & Berman, A. I. (2020). How the reading for understanding initiative’s research complicates the simple view of reading invoked in the science of reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S161–S172.
Cohen, D. K., Raudenbush, S. W., & Ball, D. L. (2003). Resources, instruction, and research. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 25(2), 119–142.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Erlbaum.
Cohen, R. A., Mather, N., Schneider, D. A., & White, J. M. (2017). A comparison of schools: Teacher knowledge of explicit code-based reading instruction. Reading and Writing, 30(4), 653–690.
Cunningham, A. E., Perry, K. E., Stanovich, K. E., & Stanovich, P. J. (2004). Disciplinary knowledge of K-3 teachers and their knowledge calibration in the domain of early literacy. Annals of Dyslexia, 54(1), 139–167.
Davis, D. S., Samuelson, C., Grifenhagen, J., DeIaco, R., & Relyea, J. (2022). Getting KnERDI with language: Examining teachers’ knowledge for enhancing reading development in code-based and meaning-based domains. Reading Research Quarterly, 57(3), 781–804.
Deutskens, E., De Ruyter, K., Wetzels, M., & Oosterveld, P. (2004). Response rate and response quality of internet-based surveys: An experimental study. Marketing Letters, 15(1), 21–36.
Duguay, A., Kenyon, D., Haynes, E., August, D., & Yanosky, T. (2016). Measuring teachers’ knowledge of vocabulary development and instruction. Reading and Writing, 29(2), 321–347.
Fielding-Barnsley, R., & Purdie, N. (2005). Teachers’ attitude to and knowledge of metalinguistics in the process of learning to read. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 33(1), 65–76.
Foorman, B., Beyler, N., Borradaile, K., Coyne, M., Denton, C. A., Dimino, J., Furgeson, J., Hayes, L., Henke, J., Justice, L., Keating, B., Lewis, W., Sattar, S., Streke, A., Wagner, R., & Wissel, S. (2016). Foundational skills to support reading for understanding in kindergarten through 3rd grade (NCEE 2016–4008). National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance (NCEE), Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
Foorman, B. R., & Moats, L. C. (2004). Conditions for sustaining research-based practices in early reading instruction. Remedial and Special Education, 25(1), 51–60.
National Science Foundation and the Institute of Education Sciences. (2018). Companion guidelines on replication & reproducibility in education research: A Supplement to the Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development. https://www.nsf.Gov/pubs/2019/nsf19022/nsf19022.
Goldfeld, S., Snow, P., Eadie, P., Munro, J., Gold, L., Orsini, F., Connel, J., Stark, H., Watts, A., & Shingles, B. (2021). Teacher knowledge of oral language and literacy constructs: Results of a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of a professional learning intervention. Scientific Studies of Reading, 25(1), 1–30.
González, N., Moll, L. C., & Amanti, C. (Eds.). (2006). Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities, and classrooms. Routledge.
Gough, P. B., & Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7(1), 6–10.
Hernandez, D. J. (2011). Double jeopardy: How third-grade reading skills and poverty influence high school graduation. Annie E. Casey Foundation. https://www.aecf.org/resources/double-jeopardy
Hoffman, J. V., & Roller, C. M. (2001). The IRA excellence in reading teacher preparation commission’s report: Current practices in reading teacher education at the undergraduate level in the United States. In C. M. Roller (Ed.), Learning to teach reading: Setting the research agenda (pp. 32–79). International Reading Association.
Hoover, W. A., & Tunmer, W. E. (2018). The simple view of reading: Three assessments of its adequacy. Remedial and Special Education, 39(5), 304–312.
International Literacy Association. (2017). Standards for the preparation of literacy professionals. https://www.literacyworldwide.org/get-resources/standards/standards-2017
International Dyslexia Association. (2018). Knowledge and practice standards for teachers of reading. https://dyslexiaida.org/knowledge-and-practices/
International Literacy Association. (2020). What’s hot in literacy report. Author.
Jordan, J. A., McGladdery, G., & Dyer, K. (2014). Dyslexia in higher education: Implications for maths anxiety, statistics anxiety and psychological well-being. Dyslexia, 20(3), 225–240.
Jordan, R. L., & Bratsch-Hines, M. (2020). Associations of reading knowledge with kindergarten and first grade teachers’ reported instructional strategies. Literacy Research and Instruction, 59(4), 277–297.
Jordan, R. L., Bratsch-Hines, M., & Vernon-Feagans, L. (2018). Kindergarten and first grade teachers’ content and pedagogical content knowledge of reading and associations with teacher characteristics at rural low-wealth schools. Teaching and Teacher Education, 74, 190–204.
McCutchen, D., Abbott, R. D., Green, L. B., Beretvas, S. N., Cox, S., Potter, N. S., Quiroga, T., & Gray, A. L. (2002). Beginning literacy: Links among teacher knowledge, teacher practice, and student learning. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 35(1), 69–86.
McMahan, K. M., Oslund, E. L., & Odegard, T. N. (2019). Characterizing the knowledge of educators receiving training in systematic literacy instruction. Annals of Dyslexia, 69(1), 21–33.
Moats, L. C. (1994). The missing foundation in teacher education: Knowledge of the structure of spoken and written language. Annals of Dyslexia, 44(1), 81–102.
Moats, L. C. (2009). Knowledge foundations for teaching reading and spelling. Reading and Writing, 22(4), 379–399.
Peltier, T. K., Washburn, E. K., Heddy, B. C., & Binks-Cantrell, E. (2022). What do teachers know about dyslexia? It’s complicated!. Reading and Writing, (pp. 1–31)
Phelps, G., & Bridgeman, B. (2022). From knowing to doing: Assessing the skills used to teach reading and writing. Reading and Writing, 35, 2023–2048.
Phelps, G., & Schilling, S. (2004). Developing measures of content knowledge for teaching reading. The Elementary School Journal, 105(1), 31–48.
Piasta, S. B., Bridges, M. S., Park, S., Nelson-Strouts, K., & Hikida, M. (2022). Teachers’ content knowledge about oral language: Measure development and evidence of initial validity. Reading and Writing, 35, 2131–2153.
Piasta, S. B., Soto Ramirez, P., Farley, K. S., Justice, L. M., & Park, S. (2020). Exploring the nature of associations between educators’ knowledge and their emergent literacy classroom practices. Reading and Writing, 33(6), 1399–1422.
Pittman, R. T., Zhang, S., Binks-Cantrell, E., Hudson, A., & Joshi, R. M. (2020). Teachers’ knowledge about language constructs related to literacy skills and student achievement in low socio-economic status schools. Dyslexia, 26(2), 200–219.
Podhajski, B., Mather, N., Nathan, J., & Sammons, J. (2009). Professional development in scientifically-based reading instruction: Teacher knowledge and reading outcomes. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 42(5), 403–417.
Puliatte, A., & Ehri, L. C. (2018). Do 2nd and 3rd grade teachers’ linguistic knowledge and instructional practices predict spelling gains in weaker spellers? Reading and Writing, 31(2), 239–266.
Scarborough, H. S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. In S. B. Neuman & D. K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research (pp. 97–110). Guilford.
Shanahan, T., Callison, K., Carriere, C., Duke, N. K., Pearson, P. D., Schatschneider, C., & Torgesen, J. (2010). Improving reading comprehension in kindergarten through 3rd grade: IES practice guide. NCEE 2010–4038. What Works Clearinghouse.
Shanahan, T. (2014). Building up to frustration level. https://www.literacyworldwide.org/blog/literacy-daily/2014/09/02/building-up-to-frustration-level-text
Shulman, L. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57(1), 1–23.
Solari, E. J., Terry, N. P., Gaab, N., Hogan, T. P., Nelson, N. J., Pentimonti, J. M., Petscher, Y., & Sayko, S. (2020). Translational science: A road map for the science of reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S347–S360.
Sparks, R. L., Patton, J., & Murdoch, A. (2014). Early reading success and its relationship to reading achievement and reading volume: Replication of ‘10 years later.’ Reading and Writing, 27(1), 189–211.
Spear-Swerling, L., & Brucker, P. O. (2003). Teachers’ acquisition of knowledge about English word structure. Annals of Dyslexia, 53(1), 72–103.
Spear-Swerling, L., Brucker, P. O., & Alfano, M. P. (2005). Teachers’ literacy-related knowledge and self-perceptions in relation to preparation and experience. Annals of Dyslexia, 55(2), 266–296.
Spear-Swerling, L., & Cheesman, E. (2012). Teachers’ knowledge base for implementing response-to-intervention models in reading. Reading and Writing, 25(7), 1691–1723.
Spear-Swerling, L., & Zibulsky, J. (2014). Making time for literacy: Teacher knowledge and time allocation in instructional planning. Reading and Writing, 27(8), 1353–1378.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2020). National population by characteristics: 2010–2020. The Census Bureau.
Vasquez, V. M. (2014). Negotiating critical literacies with young children. Routledge.
Washburn, E. K., Joshi, R. M., & Binks-Cantrell, E. S. (2011). Teacher knowledge of basic language concepts and dyslexia. Dyslexia, 17(2), 165–183.
Washburn, E. K., Mulcahy, C. A., Musante, G., & Joshi, R. (2017). Novice teachers’ knowledge of reading-related disabilities and dyslexia. Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 15(2), 169–191.
White, J., Mather, N., & Kirkpatrick, J. (2020). Preservice educators’ and noneducators’ knowledge and perceptions of responsibility about dyslexia. Dyslexia, 26(2), 220–242.
Wijekumar, K., Graham, S., Harris, K. R., Lei, P. W., Barkel, A., Aitken, A., Ray, A., & Houston, J. (2019). The roles of writing knowledge, motivation, strategic behaviors, and skills in predicting elementary students’ persuasive writing from source material. Reading and Writing, 32(6), 1431–1457.
Funding
This work was supported by the Harrison Family Foundation. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Harrison Family Foundation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
We acknowledge the contributions of Rebecca Beegle, Jissel Anaya, Samantha Vann, and Katie Wilburn, who advised on Qualtrics survey design or provided feedback following review of the TULIP survey. We also would like to thank Jim Soland, Assistant Professor of Quantitative Methods at the University of Virginia, for initially reviewing and providing important feedback on our research questions and analytic plan. Finally, we would like to thank Emily Binks-Cantrell, Kate Cain, Young-Suk Kim, and Rollanda O’Connor, the expert reviewers of our initial set of survey items.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
Authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Hall, C., Solari, E.J., Hayes, L. et al. Validation of an instrument for assessing elementary-grade educators’ knowledge to teach reading. Read Writ (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-023-10456-w
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-023-10456-w