Keywords

Preservice Teachers; Teacher Candidates; Writing; Writing instruction; Confidence in writing

Abstract

Writing instruction is frequently overshadowed by a greater emphasis on reading and mathematics in elementary education, resulting in preservice teachers (PSTs) often feeling underprepared and lacking confidence to teach writing effectively. This undergraduate thesis explores the perspectives of junior and senior elementary education majors at the University of Central Florida enrolled in the course Teaching Language Arts for the Elementary Classroom (LAE 4314). Using an anonymous online survey, this study investigated 38 PSTs as writers themselves, their beliefs about writing instruction, their preparedness to teach writing, and the impact of the methods course on their readiness to teach writing. Results indicate that while PSTs (70%) generally value writing as a means for student self-expression and meaning making, many (75%) still view themselves as underprepared to teach writing and tend to focus on writing mechanics. Moreover, 82% do not plan to allocate the recommended daily writing time in their future classrooms. Notably, most participants found LAE 4314 helpful and expressed that an additional, targeted writing methods course and/or more field experiences would further strengthen their confidence and instructional writing skills. These findings suggest the need for teacher preparation programs to incorporate more hands-on and specialized training to better prepare PSTs for writing instruction.

Thesis Completion Year

2025

Thesis Completion Semester

Summer

Thesis Chair

Killingsworth Roberts, Sherron

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

School of Teacher Education

Thesis Discipline

Elementary Education

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus Access

None

Campus Location

Orlando (Main) Campus

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Rights Statement

In Copyright