| The focus of this study was to measure preservice elementary teachers' reading content knowledge upon completion of a six-week reading methods course and to identify, using observations, interviews, document analysis, and my investigator's reflective journal, if and how preservice elementary teachers applied their reading content knowledge during student teaching. I defined reading content knowledge as a hierarchical arrangement of reading theories, methods, topics, concepts, strategies, and skills.;Using a content analysis of two reading textbooks, I developed the TORCK (Test of Reading Content Knowledge), a 40 item, multiple-choice test, from a 100 item pilot test. Ninety-four participants took the research test. I used the test to select three case study participants. Case study participants were preservice elementary teachers in the first of two student teaching blocks. Data collection occurred over a period of about two months in the fall of 2005. I observed each participant 9 times and interviewed each participant 10 times, for a total of 27 observations and 30 interviews.;Participants with higher test scores tended to be more successful at applying reading content knowledge during student teaching. The results included a description of participant reading behaviors indicative of high reading content knowledge and low reading content knowledge, as well as suggestions for teacher educators. |
