Essential but Invisible: Collegiate Academic Reading Explored from the Faculty Perspective

Abstract

The advancement of college reading abilities from novice to expert is not an automatic outcome of an undergraduate education. Faculty play a large role in the undergraduate academic reading experience through course curricula and in-class instruction. However, descriptions of faculty beliefs about collegiate academic reading and pedagogical practices are notably absent in the literature. This article explores college faculty’s open-ended comments about academic reading in the undergraduate experience. Our research reveals a paradox: while faculty across disciplines believe that academic reading is essential for undergraduates’ success, they typically do not engage in academic reading pedagogies. Constraints cited include perceived tradeoffs between academic reading and course content, and views of academic reading as a static, undifferentiated skill. The invisibility of reading within course pedagogy is further exacerbated by context: faculty’s epistemology and the institutional culture of the university in which faculty teach.