An investigation of teacher beliefs and teaching activities related to whole language, and barriers to implementing whole language programs in the primary grades

The purposes of the investigation were: (a) to identify the basic beliefs of teachers about their approach to teaching language, (b) to identify and describe activities employed in teaching language and to determine if these activities were related to teacher beliefs, and (c) to determine the teachers' perceptions of barriers, if any, that prevent them from implementing a whole language program.;The sample for this study included volunteers from eight public and private schools in western Pennsylvania. The research instrument for this study was a questionnaire. The first and second parts were a Likert-type scale about teacher beliefs and teaching activities pertaining to the whole language approach. The third part consisted of three open-ended questions. The participants were 100 K-3 classroom teachers who had volunteered to be surveyed.;In this study differences in teacher beliefs and teaching activities were analyzed as a function of the teachers' approach to language instruction (i.e., whole language, transitional, or non-whole language). Part three of the questionnaire, the narrative portion, reflected teachers' perceptions of barriers to implementing whole language programs in the primary grades.;The analysis of the results revealed that there is a significant relationship between teacher beliefs and teaching activities. This indicates that what the teachers do is generally consistent with what they believe.;In response to the barriers to implementing a whole language program, the participants mentioned the extreme amount of time needed to plan a whole language program, lack of proper teacher inservice training and modeling, lack of materials, lack of support on part of administrators and board members, resistance to change on the part of administrators and teachers, big class size, scheduling restraints, students' different learning styles, lack of parental support, lack of research on the effectiveness of the whole language approach, lack of funding and so on.;Overall, whole language philosophy has been heralded as an exciting and effective educational experience. New educational practices which will enhance the implementation of a whole language program are needed. It was recommended that systematic educational programs be conducted in local districts and in the teacher preparation institutions regarding the whole language approach.