Abstract

Beliefs and representations influence action, so it is not unfeasible that teacher interventions made in the classroom depend on their reading background and their conceptions of reading. Thus, the objective of this study was to characterize the beliefs of pre-service teachers in training regarding reading, as well as their relationship with personal learning and professional development. To this end, four focus groups were conducted with pre-service teachers in two regions of Chile (n=23), in which their beliefs about reading in general and as an aspect of teaching were investigated, as well as their own relationships with personal and professional reading. The results show dissonant definitions, where in spite of participants' predominantly positive regard for reading, such as its value and benefits for development, there is a disconnect between such affirmations and the practices of participants. On the one hand, participants claim to read for pleasure, but do not demonstrate literary knowledge, nor do they express preferences. On the other hand, they identify difficulties in reading because of their excessive teaching loads. At a professional level, even though participants acknowledge their role as reading mediators, they recognize that this is not a task exclusive to teachers. This paper discusses the implications of these findings for preservice teachers and for new readers.