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Abstract

This study sought to determine: 1. To what extent teachers who possess theoretical and situational knowledge of elementary reading instruction are accurate in estimating the readability levels of materials. 2. To what extent teachers who possess theoretical and situational knowledge of elementary reading instruction are more accurate in estimating the readability levels of materials than a) in-service teachers who possess only situational knowledge of reading from teaching experience? b) pre-service teachers who possess only theoretical knowledge of elementary reading instruction? c) pre-service teachers who possess neither theoretical knowledge of elementary reading instruction nor situational knowledge of reading from teaching experience? Data were collected from 72 subjects who were enrolled in undergraduate classes in the Faculty of Education at The University of British Columbia and who were categorized, in groups of 18, with respect to pre-service or in-service preparation in elementary reading instruction as well as classroom teaching experience at this level. The results indicated that teachers who possessed theoretical and situational knowledge of reading were not more accurate than other teachers in estimating the readability levels of the selected passages, and that the accuracy with which teachers in all groups, estimated the readability levels of passages decreased as the readability levels of the passages increased.