Pre-service teachers’ self-assessed proficiency for working with struggling readers

Pre-service educators should enter a classroom confident in their ability to deliver literacy instruction for all learners. To determine pre-service educators' level of understanding and confidence in implementing effective early literacy instruction, this study used the 15 principles for working with struggling readers created by McCormick and Zutell (2015) to analyze preservice teachers' perceptions of their ability to teach reading. The mixed method study includes data collected through an online survey using Likert scale and open-ended items. This article details the results of pre-service educators' self-assessments after they completed an early literacy methods course. Results indicate that the two lowest rated principles include enlisting parental involvement and letting research guide instruction.