Influence of Initial Teacher Training on Reading Habits and the Concept of Literary Education

The objectives of this work are to investigate the reading profile of future Primary Education teachers and to reflect on their concept of reading and literary education. In this case, we are analysing and contrasting the answers given by the students of first and fourth Year in Primary Education in order to verify their learning and the change of perspective between the students who begin and what they are finishing their education. The informants, a total of 291 students, 137 students are in first year and 154 students are in fourth year of the Primary Education degree at the University of Cadiz during the academic year 2018/2019, were asked to answer a questionnaire on motivation for academic reading. Qualitative items were added to this questionnaire in order to describe the future teacher as a didactic reader. The results reflect a poor reading population whose concept of literary education is poor and does not respond to the expected specialization as one progresses in the formation of the degree. These findings make us reflect on the design of the initial training in order to guarantee that the students have access to the exercise of teaching with a solid epistemological framework and dominating a series of strategies to carry out an effective reading and literary mediation.