Teacher modeling: Its impact on an extensive reading program

Abstract

This case study investigates whether teachers model reading in 1 Singapore primary school during an exercise called uninterrupted sustained silent reading (USSR) carried out in the classroom. Even though reading is an important determinant of a student’s growth in language skills and ability, and modeling the act of reading is essential in influencing students, we hypothesize that teachers do not model the act of reading. This study seeks to find out if teachers practice what they preach about reading by making the effort to model the act of reading. This study uses an observation log, questionnaire surveys, and semi-structured interviews. Fifty teachers were observed during USSR daily for 10 weeks and surveyed. Purposeful and systematic samplings were used to identify the teachers for the interviews. The study confirms our hypothesis that even though the teachers believe in the importance of reading and modeling, they do not model reading.