Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/2789
Title: A comparative study of the beliefs and practices of novice and experienced teachers of literacy in Malta
Authors: Morales, Amanda M.
Keywords: Literacy
Career development
Primary school teachers -- Malta
Teachers -- Malta -- Attitudes
Issue Date: 2014
Abstract: Literacy is a social practice that goes beyond the mere acquisition of reading and writing skills (Kostogritz, 2011). It is a determiner of cultural and social transformation that acquires meaning through the interpretation of those who teach it and learn it (Freire and Macedo, 1987). This has strong implications for the quality of the teaching in schools. This study investigated the beliefs and practices of novice and experienced teachers in the teaching of literacy in Malta. The first part of the study explored, through questionnaires, the sense of efficacy in the teaching of literacy of a small sample of novice and experienced teachers in seven state primary schools. A comparative analysis of the responses revealed that teachers’ sense of efficacy in literacy teaching was related to the number of years of teaching experience but not to the level of preparation of the teachers. These results were then compared to the personal constructions of literacy teaching of three novice and three experienced teachers that were obtained through interviews. This analysis showed that the novice and experienced teachers construed their sense of efficacy differently, yet shared similar beliefs about the teaching of literacy. These beliefs were then explored within the context of classroom literacy practices. Observations of English literacy lessons revealed that classroom teaching practices were closely related to the teachers’ professed beliefs about the teaching of literacy. Similarities in the teaching methods adopted indicated that teachers shared a common core of pedagogies that reflected a professional cohesiveness, in spite of the perceived differences in methods. Recommendations for professional development are put forward on the basis of the insights obtained from the data.
Description: M.A.COMP.EURO-MED
URI: https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/2789
Appears in Collections:Dissertations - CenEMER - 2014

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