Disciplinary Literacy: Successes and Challenges of Professional Development

Literacy research has investigated disciplinary literacy for over a decade. The focus on disciplines as cultures of distinct literacy practice has been integrated into national standards and classroom implementation. Yet, research exploring the professional development in-service teachers receive specific to delivering disciplinary literacy instruction remains limited. This systematic literature review addresses this gap by analyzing 58 articles using the search terms professional development, disciplinary literacy, and content area literacy. The researchers discuss four focused themes that have emerged in disciplinary literacy research in relation to professional development (PD): disciplinary literacy as strategy instruction, differentiation and disciplinary literacy, measures of disciplinary literacy, and a PD model. The authors conclude discussing theoretical codes demonstrating both successes and challenges for PD in disciplinary literacy with implications for future PD.