Investigating the Impacts of Participating in a Virtual Literacy Clinic: A Case Study Exploring Self-Efficacy in Pre-Service Teachers

<p>This study describes how participation in a university literacy clinic impacts self-efficacy in pre-service teacher candidates. This study was conducted one and a half years into the global COVID-19 pandemic, creating the need for the clinic’s program, Literacy Camp, to be completed through fully virtual means. Thus, ways in which the pre-service teachers’ experience was impacted by the method of instructional delivery was also detailed. Despite the body of growing research related to virtual learning and efficacy outcomes, there was a gap in the literature related to pre-service teachers’ participation in a fully virtual university literacy clinic and its impacts on their self-efficacy. This study was designed with a need to fill this hole in mind.</p> <p>The unique and personal experiences of 23 elementary pre-service teacher candidates completing a yearlong internship and participating in a university literacy clinic were explored in this qualitative case study, framed through a social constructivist lens (Creswell, 2013; Vygotsky, 1978) so that the voice of the individual was elevated and carefully considered. A convenience sampling scheme was utilized to collect and analyze data compiled from three main data sources provided by pre-service teacher candidate participants: an efficacy pre-survey, an efficacy post-survey, and ten daily debrief forms.</p> <p>Four original themes emerged from the data: Building a Learning Culture, Tutor as the Learner, Student First Approach to Intervention, and The Virtual Environment. Findings from this study indicate that participation in the virtual literacy clinic allowed pre-service teachers to successfully plan and implement a full, individualized intervention related to literacy learning for one elementary or middle school student. Participants were able to reflect on their experience to grow as a learner and recognize the impacts they made on their Literacy Camp students. Despite the challenges faced through a fully virtual learning setting, pre-service teachers were able to overcome obstacles and complete their practicum experience, gaining self-efficacy throughout the process.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Year dc:date.available

2022

Author dc:creator

• Mahoney Spears, Caitlin

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Young, Heather D.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Elsass, Angela
• Goering, Christian Z.

• Literacy Clinic
• Pre-Service Teacher Education
• Teacher Self-Efficacy
• Adult and Continuing Education and Teaching

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/4421

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarworks.uark.edu:etd-5971