Exploring a preservice teacher’s literacy knowledge and positioning

• Published in: Social sciences & humanities open 2023, Vol.8 (1), p.100526, Article 100526
• Main Author: Borti, Adeline M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Case study; Literacy; Positioning theory; Preservice teacher; Teacher knowledge
• ISSN: 2590-2911; 2590-2911
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100526

Existing literature shows the importance of teachers’ knowledge about literacy and its influence on teachers’ beliefs, pedagogy and students’ literacy development, and students’ general academic achievement. Despite the importance of teacher knowledge about literacy, research still shows varied and limited knowledge of teachers about literacy. Further, qualitative research in preservice teacher knowledge using positioning theory is limited. In this qualitative case study, I used interviews and observations to explore how a preservice teacher at a university in a Rocky mountainous part of the northwestern region of the United States of America conceptualizes and enacts literacy and how she positions herself in relation to literacy knowledge. Based on the interview and observation data, the analysis shows that the preservice teacher has displayed satisfactory knowledge about literacy content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, knowledge of the learner, and knowledge of the literacy curriculum, and the implications of the findings are discussed. •Teachers’ literacy knowledge influences teachers’ pedagogy and students’ literacy development and academic achievement.•A preservice teacher’s literacy knowledge gives insight into a future teacher's knowledge.•A preservice teacher’s positioning of herself and her students impacts literacy development of multilingual students.•More attention must be paid to a comprehensive conceptualization of literacy that includes social-cultural perspectives.