Building bridges from pre-service experiences to elementary classroom literacy teaching: Challenges and opportunities

This study investigated a) the influences on pre-service and early career teachers' literacy instructional decision-making, and b) how and in what ways transfer from literacy methods courses was evident in teachers' instructional decision-making. Although observations and interviews of ten teachers revealed some influence of teacher preparation, the school's curriculum was far more influential. Teaching fell along a knowledge transfer continuum from a conscious rejection of what was taught in pre-service education to some transfer of knowledge to transformation of knowledge. Findings suggest ways teacher educators can design assignments to maximize transfer to the classroom and support novice teachers.