ABSTRACT
This chapter is a record of interpretations of fourth, fifth, and sixth grade teachers as they considered the teaching of reading comprehension. It traces changes in their beliefs about reading comprehension and text, and also changes in their teaching of reading comprehension and use of text. Teachers’ changing beliefs regarding comprehension led to a distinct change in their instructional practices. As teachers changed their beliefs about reading comprehension and their instructional practices, however, new ways to assess comprehension were needed. The chapter focuses on teachers’ beliefs about text and their instruction of text. It describes two broad categories of literature. The first is the literature regarding teacher beliefs, particularly with regard to beliefs about teaching reading comprehension. The second is the literature regarding text, especially as related to the teaching of reading and also the role of reading in the content areas.
