What are Teachers Reading and Why?: An Analysis of Elementary Read Aloud Titles and the Rationales Underlying Teachers’ Selections

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although reading aloud to elementary students is a common practice, few studies have focused on the actual texts read, beyond considerations of fiction versus nonfiction, and few studies have included a line of inquiry exploring teachers’ rationales for text selection. In this mixed-methods study, we pair a content analysis of the reported read aloud titles of over 1000 teachers with interviews of a subset of teachers to understand the rationales behind their choices. For the content analysis, we analyzed the titles for multiple features (e.g., text type, publication year, inclusion in a series, etc.). Results suggest teachers still prefer fiction for read aloud events and the titles read are, on average, 25 years old. Our interviews with 14 teachers revealed that a myriad of factors inform their decisions for selecting the texts that they read in their respective classrooms. Overall, teachers’ reasons tended to focus on instructional, affective, or contextual rationales. Although teachers acknowledged the importance of context and representation, there is an apparent disconnect between what teachers said mattered and what were represented in the analysis of titles. Implications for future research and classroom practices are included.