A description of the state of professional reading among the teachers of English in Newfoundland and an analysis of factors affecting such reading

• Main Author: Kinden, Scott
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 1975
• Subjects: Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/7334/; https://research.library.mun.ca/7334/1/Kinden_Scott.pdf; https://research.library.mun.ca/7334/3/Kinden_Scott.pdf

This study set out to answer two basic questions related to professional reading among teachers of English in Newfoundland. -- 1. How much professional reading do teachers of English in Newfoundland engage in and how familiar are they with some of the better known journals and books in English and in education generally? -- 2. What are the factors and conditions conducive to an English teacher's wide reading of professional literature and to a consequent high degree of familiarity with such literature? -- A sample of fifty teachers was selected from a population of approximately five hundred, the selection being made on a random, stratified basis. The random sample was stratified on the basis of community size, with teachers from small, medium, and large-sized communities being selected. -- These fifty teachers were then interviewed by the investigator, with the help of a detailed interview guide. -- The results related to the first major question of the study (i.e., how much professional reading do teachers of English in Newfoundland engage in, etc.?) were analysed and reported in a purely descriptive manner. It was found, generally, that teachers of English in Newfoundland were reading professional literature to a small degree, but certainly not to the extent desirable, given the value to the teacher of wide reading of professional material. It was further found that teachers of English in Newfoundland were not familiar to any significant degree with some of the better known journals and books in English and in education generally. -- Seventy per cent of the teachers cited their heavy workload and consequent lack of time as the major obstacle to their reading professional literature. Twenty per cent claimed that there was no professional material available to them in their schools. -- Fifty-four per cent of the teachers saw the English department head as the one responsible for providing the teacher with professional reading material. Forty-four per cent cited the individual teacher of English and forty per ...