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Abstract
Over the past four decades, a number of researchers have attempted to describe the reading habits of teachers. Some have investigated the impact of reading habits generally, while most have focused on some kind of loosely defined "professional reading." In relationship to this body of literature, the purpose of our descriptive survey study, which invited teachers from randomly selected schools in both large and small districts across the United States, was to both add to and update the available literature regarding teachers' professional reading habits. We found that reading for professional development appears to be a common activity for the classroom teachers who participated in our survey. We also found that that the bulk of the teachers' professional reading time was completed in the evenings and on weekends. We did not find statistically significant differences in reading preferences and behaviors when differences in degree were considered. Further, we did not find statistically significant differences in reading preferences when we compared the teachers' responses by years of experience. Teachers noted that limited time and lack of relevancy were two primary reasons for why they did not read. We discuss implications for professional development.
Keywords: teacher development; professional development; reading habits
Over the past four decades, a number of researchers have attempted to describe the reading habits of teachers, and with good reason: teacher reading habits may directly impact student learning and achievement. Carroll and Simmons (2009) studied the importance of teachers' professional reading habits, suggesting that they demonstrate interest in the career. McKool and Gespass's (2009) research suggested that teachers of students aged 5-11 who reported reading more than 30 minutes a day (not limited to professional reading) use more effective reading-related instructional practices than those who do not. Morrison, Jacobs, and Swinyard (1999) found that teachers who saw themselves as readers were likely to use recommended literacy instruction practices in their classrooms.
Despite the insights gleaned from the past 40 years of research on teachers' reading habits, there are several limitations that impact what we know. First, the vast majority of the research is based on self-reported survey data. While this certainly warrants caution in the interpretation of the data, the fact that there is convergence across studies indicates that the results do...