Promoting a Pedagogy for Listening Instruction: Primary Grade Teachers Perceptions of Teaching Listening Through Interactive Read Alouds

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate teachers perceptions about instructing listening in second-grade classrooms. Childrens literature that included specific listening content was used to explore how the teachers perceptions influenced planning read alouds for explicitly teaching listening skills. Investigations included: (1) What were teachers perceptions about teaching listening, and how did these perceptions influence the planning of read alouds, (2) and how did engaging in professional development impact teachers practices with listening instruction. A formative and design experiment (Reinking and Bradley, 2008) aligned with a constructivist methodology (Brooks and Brooks, 1999; Burleson, 2011; Creswell, 2014) was used to allow teachers to participate in authentic professional development sessions to inform theory. Analysis of teacher responses was completed through a constant-comparative method (Strauss and Corbin, 1998). Data analysis was triangulated using: (a) questionnaires, (b) teacher reflective journals, (c) researcher observations, and (d) methodological files. Analysis led to a better understanding of teachers listening perceptions including how: (a) those perceptions are shaped by their expectations for student listening in the classroom, (b) teachers engagement in professional development when teaching an unfamiliar construct, (c) the impact of an already crowded curricula, and (d) motivating teachers to recognize their role as the best model for students in listening instruction is a critical component. Teacher buy-in requires professional development that includes using motivational methods like the MUSIC® Model of Motivation (Jones, 2009) when learning new literacy constructs. This study gives insight into the need to improve instructional practices for teaching listening in educational settings (Lundsteen, 1979; Vandergrift, 2004). Finally, this study raised the awareness for the need to provide further research opportunities on listening instructional practices in primary schools that promote improving listening skill instruction to create a more balanced literacy structure for students (Duker, 1982; Field, 1998; Funk and Funk, 1989; Gee, 2015; Imhof, 2008; Jalongo, 2008; Nichols, 1957; Wolvin, 2013).