Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of preparedness final interns held toward their ability to teach literacy as they completed their internship and prepared for graduation. This mixed methods study, utilized the “Ready, Set, Read Survey” at a university located in southwest Florida. Within the study, both the extent to which the course work and the internship were perceived as preparing interns was measured. Along with this, both the interns and their final supervisor were surveyed on the perception of preparedness to teach fifteen literacy components in both whole group and small group structures. The quantitative research questions were analyzed using descriptives, Pearson Correlation, and t-tests, which aimed to discover what relationships existed between the responses of both the interns and their supervisors. The research findings suggest there was a statistically significant difference in the perception of the intern as compared to their supervisor. The qualitative section of this study consisted of two open-ended questions included at the beginning of the survey. These questions were included in the survey to help provide a deeper understanding of the interns’ foundational knowledge of literacy education as it applies to whole group and small group instruction. The common themes that emerged helped the researcher develop a deeper understanding of the quantitative findings of the survey regarding perceptions of preparedness to teach literacy.