An Examination of Preservice Teachers' View of Multiliteracies: Habits, Perceptions, Demographics and Slippery Slopes

This research study examined the values and perceptions of prospective teachers relative to a series of issues in what has become known as the New Literacies, the way youngsters read, seek information, and react to it through use of new technologies. The findings of this research reveal significant differences between female and male prospective teachers' attitudes toward the benefit of using technology to improve educational achievements and to increase literacy achievements among young people. Another noteworthy finding is that female prospective teachers feel equally as skilled at using electronic technologies as their male counterparts. Additionally, significant correlations were found between the amount of texting/emailing students did and their valuing of statements about the contributions of digital technology to youngsters' literacy lives. The more disquieting view of these findings may be that heavy texting and emailing is associated with a rather rosy view of what technology can deliver to literacy education.