Mediating roles of teacher educators’ reading habits and preferences in determining the quality of instructions

Abstract

This study examined the mediating roles of teacher educators’ reading habits and preferences in determining the quality of instruction. Using mixed-methods triangulation design, data were collected from 385 sampled teachers using questionnaire and semi-structuredinterview. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple regressions. Results confirm the prevalence of instructional paradox, where high professional literacy coexists with a pedagogical translation gap. Descriptive findings reveal a pragmatic professional profile characterized by active digital primacy M=4.49 and professional literacy engagement M=4.00) compared to significantly low aesthetic preferences M=2.01. While 72% of respondents exhibit persistent engagement (daily or near-daily reading), this consistency fails to correlate significantly with reflexive instructional practices M<3.00. Multiple regression model confirms professional motivation is the strongest predictor of instructional quality (beta=0.54 p<0.001), yet it reveals a modality effect where fragmented digital consumption negatively mediates instructional depth (beta=-0.14 p=0.038). The study identifies a modeling deficit in the mediation model. Academic status and experience provide the potential for excellence, but the current mediating role of reading habits functions as a private scholarly shield. Teacher educators read primarily to enrich their own internal cognitive synthesis rather than external pedagogical modeling. In conclusion, instructional quality in higher education is not a crisis of competence, but a crisis of translation. There should be a shift from private literacy rituals to transparent pedagogy, where educators intentionally integrate their scholarly habits into the shared classroom experience.