What do rural teachers read?

Abstract

In this swift-moving age with its modern, high-powered printing presses turning out books, magazines, newspapers, and other publications at marvelous speed and in great quantities, it is assumed that every teacher reads. Granting this assumption, this very pertinent question is suggested: Are teachers reading professional literature or are they merely reading for pleasure ? A study covering the first half of the school year 1930-1931 throws some light on this question. This study was based on the replies of nearly one thousand teachers in sixteen southern states. These teachers were asked to list titles and authors of books, names of magazines, and other publications from which they had sought or received aid in teaching and school management during the period under consideration. The study was limited to white elementary teachers in the open country and in towns of 2,500 population or less. The co-operation of state departments of education and of county superintendents was secured in obtaining a fair sampling of teachers in each state from which replies were solicited. Of the 978 teachers who returned usable replies, 9.4 per cent had less than a high school education; 14.5 per cent had a high school education with no work above high school; 20.2 per cent had one year above high school; 26.8 per cent had two years above high school; 19.4 per cent had more than two years above high school; and 9.7 per cent failed to report on this point. The returns were fairly well distributed among different sizes of schools. Of those reporting, 25.3 per cent were teaching in one-teacher schools; 15.7 per cent in two-teacher schools; 7 per cent in three-teacher schools; 29.4 per cent in schools with from four to nine teachers; and 22.3 per cent in schools of ten or more teachers.