SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER KNOWLEDGE OF LITERACY: AN ANALYSIS OF TWO PREPARATION PROGRAMS' EFFECTIVENESS IN INCREASING SUBJECT-MATTER KNOWLEDGE AND PEDAGOGICAL CONTENT KNOWLEDGE OF READING COMPREHENSION

Abstract

Special educators' knowledge of reading concepts are not only influenced by their understanding of the subject matter, but also by an amalgam of content and pedagogy that enables teachers to integrate this information to meet the diverse needs of students with disabilities. This study documented the conceptual knowledge that special education teacher candidates acquired during the certification process in special education across two preparation programs. The study used concept maps to determine how teacher candidates teachers enrolled in these programs visually represented their conceptual knowledge of reading comprehension. Further analysis supported how teachers enact this knowledge into reading comprehension scenarios in their classrooms.