Teaching Reading without “Teaching Reading”: Content-Area Reading Instruction in the Mainstream Classroom

Abstract

Research has shown that the implementation of content-area reading strategies is beneficial for secondary students. The purpose of this study was to discover the perceptions and experiences of content-area teachers regarding reading comprehension strategies in mainstream classrooms to help struggling readers. Interviews were conducted with seven secondary teachers of social studies and science classes. The interviews were designed to discover what kind of training teachers have received for implementing reading comprehension strategies within their standard curriculum, what continuing support is available to them, and what specific strategies they are using. Findings in this study suggest that more reading training is becoming available, though many teachers remain unaware of how to appropriately utilize their school’s reading resources, and that teachers are using a small number of comprehension strategies.