Date of Conferral
2023
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Education
Advisor
Glenn R. Penny
Abstract
Third- to fifth-grade teachers are struggling to teach writing, and research had not addressed how their training to teach writing or their confidence in their ability to use effective strategies to teach writing influences their teaching. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore third- to fifth-grade teachers’ training in writing instruction and their confidence in their ability to use effective strategies to teach writing. The conceptual framework was Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy and Shulman’s theory of pedagogical content knowledge. Participants included nine third- to fifth-grade teachers who had experience teaching writing. Data were collected through semistructured interviews. A priori and open coding was used to generate themes. Next, axial coding was used to identify categories and themes. Findings indicated that participants used their pedagogical content knowledge to differentiate their teaching strategies in teaching writing. Findings also indicated that the longer a teacher taught, the more confident they felt in teaching writing. Finally, the findings indicated that the teachers felt that they did not receive writing pedagogy training in their teacher preparation programs, received professional development once in the classroom, and desired more training to teach writing. The results provided insights into how training and confidence play a role in developing effective teaching practices. Results could be used by administrators and professional development coordinators to better support teachers in teaching the process of writing.
Recommended Citation
Cohen, Lysette Dorothy, "Third- to Fifth-Grade Teachers’ Training and Their Confidence in Teaching Writing" (2023). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 14838.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/14838
