Examining the relationship between teacher reading education, perceptions of student behavior, and in-class independent reading environments: insights from the 2016 PIRLS dataset

Today’s students must acquire the necessary reading skills and strategies for active engagement in a fast-paced, information-laden, globally connected society. One opportunity imperative for gaining these skills and strategies is participation in independent reading. As facilitators of the learning environment, teachers play a critical role in providing high-quality independent reading environments. Therefore, this study evaluated whether selected items from the PIRLS United States teacher dataset effectively measured the constructs teacher reading education, teacher perceptions of students, and independent reading environments and further examined the relationship among these constructs. All items were significant, except for the item measuring professional development. The empirical findings revealed that while teacher reading education was not directly related to the independent reading environment or perceptions of student behavior, teachers’ perceptions of student behavior were significantly related to the independent reading environment, suggesting that they may play a crucial role in fostering effective independent reading opportunities for students.