An Analysis of the Critical Reading Levels of Pre-service Turkish and Literature Teachers

Abstract

Problem Statement: Critical reading refers to individuals’ thinking about
what they read, assessing what they have read, and using their own
judgment about what they have read. In order to teach critical reading
skills to students, a teacher is expected to have knowledge about text
selection, use of appropriate methods, preparation of functional learning
and teaching processes, among other qualities; teachers must display
critical reading skills as well.
Purpose of Study: The aim of the study was to determine the critical reading
levels of pre-service teachers of Turkish language as well as Turkish
language and literature in terms of several variables in order to make
inferences about pre-service teachers’ potential to develop their students’
critical reading skills.
Method: The study group, which was selected using the descriptive survey
model, consisted of a total of 173 students attending Balikesir University
Necatibey Faculty of Education. A personal information form and the
Critical Reading Achievement Test (CRAT) were used as the data
collection tools. CRAT employs a multiple-choice format, and its KR 20
reliability was determined to be .81 and its mean difficulty.64. The data
were analyzed using a t-test and variance analysis1.
Findings and Results: The study revealed that pre-service teachers’ have
moderate critical reading skills. In addition, in the analysis examining the
relationships of pre-service teachers’ critical reading levels to their
department, a difference emerged in favor of students from the Turkish
Language and Literature Department. In contrast, the analysis revealed
that the variables of gender, achievement level, number of books read
annually, the preferred book types, and the effective use of social media
did not influence students’ critical reading levels. 

Conclusions and Recommendations: Critical reading education constitutes an important dimension of language teaching programs that aim to improve comprehension and expression skills. It is important that pre-service teachers have critical reading skills and know how to teach critical reading. Therefore, critical reading practices and ways of teaching this skill should be included in appropriate courses (reading education, special teaching methods, etc.) in both Turkish language as well as Turkish language and literature teaching programs; additionally, these programs should be supported with optional courses such as critical reading and media literacy.
Keywords: Critical reading, reading skills, language teaching, literature teaching, pre-service teacher