Teachers' Decisions in the Planning of Reading Instruction

A CONCEPTION of teacher decision making is presented and several questions about the planning of reading instruction, suggested by this conception, are identified. For example, what information about students do teachers seek when forming reading groups? Do teachers use all of the available information about students to form reading groups? On what basis do teachers form reading groups? Do groups constitute the basis for further decisions about teaching reading? Do teachers' decisions about reading instruction affect student learning? Several methodologically different studies about grouping students for reading instruction are then described. These studies are examined for the answers they provide to the questions about the planning of reading instruction. Finally, implications of the conception of teacher decision making and the studies for future research and teacher training are discussed.