Relationship Between Teacher Theoretical Orientation to Reading and Endorsement of Developmentally Appropriate Practice

Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) and theoretical orientation to reading appear conceptually congruent—a conclusion supported by this study. The Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile (TORP) and the Primary Teacher Questionnaire (PTQ) were given to 66 primary teachers. The PTQ and both the TORP and Whole Language subscales were correlated; the PTQ and the Phonics and Skills subscales were inversely correlated. Reading background was correlated with the TORP but not with the PTQ, and early childhood background was correlated with the PTQ but not with the TORP. Two-way ANOVAs showed that reading background was significant for the PTQ, the TORP, and its subscales (except Whole Language), but early childhood background was not significant for the PTQ. One-way ANOVAs showed grade significant for PTQ scores but not for TORP scores.