Author ORCID Identifier:

https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8468-8952

Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction (PhD)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Curriculum and Instruction

Advisor/Mentor

Young, Heather

Committee Member

Beasley, Jennifer

Second Committee Member

Collet, Vicki

Keywords

comprehensive literacy; elementary teacher candidates; ideological becoming; literacy instruction; science of reading; teacher beliefs

Abstract

This study explored the ideological becoming (Bakhtin, 1981) of elementary teacher candidates (TCs), specifically in relation to their beliefs about literacy, as they completed their literacy coursework and corresponding clinical experiences in their educator preparation program (EPP). Through a qualitative, multiple-case study design, I followed two groups of TCs through the last two years of their undergraduate degree. Each group of TCs completed a series of four literacy methods courses with associated clinical experiences, and one group also finished their student teaching internships. The cases in this study are situated in the context of an era of educational policies that limit what perspectives on literacy instruction EPPs can include in their coursework. Two research questions guided this study: (1) What beliefs about literacy instruction are expressed by elementary TCs? (2) How do TCs’ beliefs about literacy instruction develop during engagement in their EPP? Data were collected through semi-structured interviews at the beginning of TCs’ literacy course sequence and at the end of each of their four semesters of coursework and clinical experiences. Findings indicated that participants’ expressed beliefs centered around Effective Instruction and The Nature of Reading. Participants overwhelmingly expressed beliefs in accordance with a code-based view of reading, aligning with the authoritative voice of the Science of Reading (SoR), the perspective on literacy instruction that is required to be taught in their EPP. I raise the significant concern that there was no evidence participants in this study had the opportunity to experience heteroglossia (opposing viewpoints), which is a necessary component of ideological becoming (Bakhtin, 1981). Participants were not afforded the opportunity to engage with other perspectives because legislative policies promoting the same ideology about literacy instruction were prescriptive about what and how literacy could be taught in both the EPP and the PK-5 school context. This invites the question of whether the expressed beliefs were truly internally persuasive for participants. A framework understanding ideological becoming is proposed, suggesting there are three essential elements that interact with and influence each other in the process of ideological becoming: beliefs, concepts, and practice. Recommendations are provided for EPPs, who are encouraged, despite legislative mandates, to find ways to prepare TCs with a comprehensive perspective and knowledge of teaching literacy.

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