Effects of teacher's individualized support on children's reading skills and interest in classrooms with different teaching styles

The purpose of the study was to examine whether teacher's individualized support affects students' reading skills and interest in classrooms with different teaching styles. Groups of teachers with child-centered, mixed child-centered/teacher-directed, and child-dominated teaching styles were differentiated based on observed teaching practices. The participants were 552 children (273 boys) and their 21 homeroom teachers. Teaching practices were assessed in Grade 1, teacher individualized support and students' reading skills and interest in reading were assessed twice - at the end of Grades 1 and 2.The results showed that relations between individualized support and students' later reading comprehension skills and interest differed between classrooms with different teaching styles. While idividualized support enhanced interest in reading in classrooms employing mixed child-centered/teacher directed style, it inhibited interest in classrooms with child-dominated style. Also, in the classrooms with child-dominated teaching style, higher individualized support was related to lower reading comprehension skills.