Teacher Reading as Professional Development: Insights from a National Survey

Abstract

Over the past four decades, a number of researchers have attempted to describe the reading habits of teachers. Some have investigated the impact of reading habits generally, while most have focused on some kind of loosely defined "professional reading." In relationship to this body of literature, the purpose of our descriptive survey study, which invited teachers from randomly selected schools in both large and small districts across the United States, was to both add to and update the available literature regarding teachers' professional reading habits. We found that reading for professional development appears to be a common activity for the classroom teachers who participated in our survey. We also found that that the bulk of the teachers' professional reading time was completed in the evenings and on weekends. We did not find statistically significant differences in reading preferences and behaviors when differences in degree were considered. Further, we did not find statistically significant differences in reading preferences when we compared the teachers' responses by years of experience. Teachers noted that limited time and lack of relevancy were two primary reasons for why they did not read. We discuss implications for professional development.