| Figure 1 Respondents' Primary Roles |
Figure 2 Respondents' Primary Settings |
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Our Readers Speak Out: Results of the ROL Needs Assessment
Bridget Dalton
Dana L. Grisham
In our September editorial, we took advantage of the interactive nature of Reading Online (ROL) to post a brief reader needs assessment. We asked our readers to tell us about their literacy interests, to suggest potential authors, and to share their strengths and challenges as literacy educators (or as individuals interested in literacy issues). Our goal was to include you in the journal's planning process, since we believe that ROL's success depends on ongoing communication with readers.
We weren't sure what kind of response we would get, so it was quite exciting when we received the first completed survey from a reader in the Philippines, just minutes after the September issue “went live.” In the days that followed, we found ourselves eagerly logging on each morning to read messages from readers around the world, and we thank each of you who completed the survey. The information you provided has already proven invaluable in planning future issues, but it has gone beyond that purpose: the messages have served to inspire and motivate us, as your passions about literacy and teaching and your commitment to professional development shone through the responses. On the basis of this survey, we have decided to solicit manuscripts for a themed issue on struggling readers, since so many readers indicated this as an interest and challenge. We are also considering several strategies to provide short, practical pieces to showcase the good work that is going on in classrooms.
In what follows you will find a description of the survey results. We hope you find this information as interesting as we did, and we invite you to continue the conversation about the journal through our Online Communities listserv. Of course, we are always happy to receive suggestions and comments via e-mail (Bridget at bdalton@cast.org and Dana at grisham@mail.sdsu.edu).
Who Were the Survey Respondents?
We received 152 responses to the survey. While the majority were from individuals in the United States, with many states and the territory of Guam represented, we were delighted to hear from readers in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, England, Germany, the Netherlands, Estonia, Israel, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Philippines.
Respondents represented a range of roles and educational settings, as indicated in Figures 1 and 2 below. Ninety-five of the 152 teach in kindergarten to Grade 12 settings, working with students aged 5 to 18 years. These included 60 teachers in elementary schools, 22 in middle schools, 10 in high schools, and 3 in cross-level settings. Thirty-six identified themselves as classroom teachers, while 45 indicated they were reading, literacy, or language arts (LA) specialists. There were also 8 special education (SPED) teachers, 2 teachers of students for whom English is a second language (ESL), and 4 in miscellaneous roles.
In addition to respondents from K-12 settings, 17 university professors and 32 preservice and graduate students completed the survey. The remaining respondents included a parent, a retired educator, and several individuals working in K-12 administration, departments of education, research and development organizations, and adult education programs.
| Figure 1 Respondents' Primary Roles |
Figure 2 Respondents' Primary Settings |
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Respondents' Literacy Interests
There was interest expressed in almost every aspect of literacy development and instruction. Clearly, readers want ROL to provide information about what works -- and, specifically, about effective literacy instruction for all students, including those who are struggling. There was a desire to learn more about research and theory that has direct application to the classroom. Many readers were also interested in children's and young adult literature, assessment, beginning reading, and technology and literacy. Following is a list of topics mentioned by at least 10 respondents, in order of popularity. The number of respondents who indicated each topic is noted in parentheses after the list entry.
Suggestions for Potential Authors
We asked readers who they would like to learn from. The resounding response was “anyone who has something important to share.” In addition to publishing work from leading scholars in the field, many readers recommended that ROL showcase teachers who are doing great work and focus on what is being learned “in the trenches” by successful practitioners. There was also a desire to connect with authors of children's and young adult literature and to extend perspectives to include authors who are addressing multicultural and international issues and aspects of new literacies. In addition to offering general suggestions for future authors, readers also mentioned many individuals by name.
Professional Challenges Noted by Readers
In looking at the responses to our survey that addressed the challenges of teaching, several themes and topics emerged. The challenge most often noted (by 39 of our respondents) was student diversity, including ethnic and linguistic diversity, the difficulties faced by older struggling students, and concerns about helping children with special needs who are included in “mainstream” classes. A second related category concerned the challenge of motivating students, which was noted by 27 respondents. This challenge was expressed about all ages and types of student, though more middle and high school teachers were concerned about student motivation than were those working with learners of any other age group.
In this general collection of concerns, 22 respondents indicated that they worried about matching readers to text, and 8 indicated they were looking for ways to make reading enjoyable or meaningful. Included in this category were expressed desires to find resources such as high interest, low readability texts; to provide appropriate role models for nonmainstream students; and to keep track of myriad reading levels in the same classroom. The final concern in this constellation is teachers' desire to meet individual needs, noted by 18 individuals, and the challenge this represents.
Another large group of concerns (13 respondents) centered on political pressures in the form of standards and accountability. Three additional respondents spoke of the need to stay focused on the positives of teaching, and they alluded to today's political and teaching climate as a challenge.
Respondents also spoke of the difficulties of collaboration. Twelve, mostly in specialist or consulting positions, shared the challenges of communicating with classroom teachers over curriculum and strategies for special needs students. One, for example, cited how difficult it was to get teachers to pay attention to research, but another was concerned about meeting the individual needs of teachers. Four teachers and teacher educators were concerned about the complexity of the reading process and keeping up with the field.
Eight respondents mentioned they felt a need for professional development, and others were specific about their needs. Nine wanted to understand assessments more clearly, and two wanted help with the identification and intervention process. Four felt they needed assistance in getting and maintaining students' attention or managing the classroom, three wanted support with reading comprehension instruction, and four wanted more knowledge and information about stimulating higher order thinking and about questioning strategies. Writing was an area noted as challenging by eight respondents, and content area reading and integration was indicated as a concern by six.
Other challenges were named by one or two respondents each. These included determining how much scaffolding students need, how to teach students at the word level, fear of using trade books to teach reading, finding strategies for teaching reading with trade books, leveling books and the controversy surrounding it, how to use a balanced approach to reading, and how to teach spelling and grammar.
An additional area of challenge surrounded more general issues. Four respondents wanted to know more about working with parents, and one mentioned concern about the multiple demands placed upon students. Two noted the need for more research on older readers. Technology as a challenge for both students and teachers was mentioned by five respondents.
And last (but far from least) was the challenge of time. Fourteen respondents felt there was not enough time to meet the challenges they faced.
Professional Strengths Noted by Readers
Perhaps because of natural modesty, survey respondents designated fewer categories as teaching strengths. A major theme that did run through the responses was the love of teaching and students (noted by 22 respondents). Several related topics exhibit a similarity to this, such as receptivity and openness to ideas (8 respondents), inspiring in students a love of reading or feelings of success (6 respondents), keeping a positive attitude and commitment to teaching and engaging learners (5 respondents), reflective practice (1 respondent), and promoting authenticity (1 respondent).
A constellation of strengths surrounded the strategies used in teaching. Fifty-six of the respondents named specific instructional or reading strategies as strengths. Major categories included using a balanced approach (6 respondents), integrating curricula (4 respondents), Reading Recovery (3 respondents), and teaching writing (3 respondents) including the reciprocity of reading and writing (1 respondent).
Other strengths were more interpersonal, such as the ability to work with other teachers (4 respondents), the pleasure of working with parents (3 respondents), and the ability to diagnose and design intervention for struggling students (5 respondents). Seven respondents saw their strengths as creativity and innovation, three as constructivism (inquiry and colearning), and three as the ability to amass and organize resources for learning.
Possession of a professional knowledge base was a strong category, with 41 respondents citing their strength as background knowledge or dedication to lifelong learning. Six respondents felt a real strength in their use of technology and two in visual literacy, while 17 felt their strength was in matching instruction to the learner.
In Conclusion: Sharing Your Comments
As is usual with surveys, general comments were less numerous than answers to the more structured questions. Of the 152 responses, only 57 provided comments. Of these, 7 fell into the category of thanks, 12 were words of encouragement, and 10 mentioned their view of Reading Online as a wonderful resource. Other comments included the need for ROL to bridge theory and practice in various ways, such as providing discussion groups on various topics. Teacher educators shared that they planned to use ROL in their courses and stated that they had high expectations for the journal's content. One correspondent felt that we need to publish more articles -- that we have become too weighted toward the content in the departments.
One respondent urged us to conduct sessions about ROL at the National Reading Conference and the International Reading Association's annual convention. This is one request we are happy to honor immediately! If you attended the NRC meeting that is just wrapping up as this editorial is published, we hope you had a chance to sit in on our session about reading, writing, and publishing in online environments. If you are planning to attend the IRA annual convention in New Orleans next spring, we invite you to join us the afternoon of Monday, April 30, 2001, for a special session about reading, contributing to, and interacting with ROL.
Another person gave us a tall order, stating definitively, “Keep the articles real. Give us lessons that work. Show student work. Help us align to the standards. Tell us about authentic assessment.” Another asked us to review children's software. Respondents who identified themselves as preservice teachers wanted us to address struggling readers, ability grouping, and reader motivation. Practicing teachers also said they wanted features on strategies for struggling readers.
In the coming months, we will do our best to respond to your requests. We hope you keep visiting ROL and you see some of the things you asked for in each issue. We also hope you are intrigued by articles and features that you didn't know you wanted!
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Citation: Dalton, B., & Grisham, D.L. (2000/2001, December/January). Our readers speak out: Results of the ROL needs assessment. Reading Online, 4(6). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/editorial/edit_index.asp?HREF=/editorial/december2000/index.html
Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
Posted December 2000
© 2000 International Reading Association, Inc. ISSN 1096-1232