Special Educators’ Knowledge of Foundational Reading Skills: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

Teachers’ knowledge of foundational reading skills (e.g., phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension) and the impact of this knowledge on the ability to provide effective reading instruction has been a topic of interest in teacher preparation for decades. Given the number of students with disabilities with significant instructional needs in reading, understanding the knowledge and skills of special educators and effective approaches for improving teachers’ knowledge is especially critical. Therefore, a systematic narrative review of the literature was conducted to identify studies that employed survey methods to examine special educators’ knowledge of foundational reading skills. The results of 18 studies published between 2001 and 2020 revealed that most investigations focused on assessing knowledge of the phonological aspects of reading. Furthermore, inconsistent performance and knowledge gaps were identified both within and across studies. Detailed summaries of studies are provided and recommendations for future research and practice explored.