Abstract
The article explores the potential for enhancing the methodological support available to future teachers as they develop the functional reading skills of elementary school students. The study's objective is to explore the relevance of methodological support for teachers during their professional training and to identify potential discrepancies between the theoretical underpinnings of reading instruction and the practical readiness of teachers to implement modern strategies in their teaching practice. The study examined the main aspects of methodological support, analyzed the existing barriers in pedagogical practice, and suggested ways to overcome them to improve the quality of future teachers' training. The methodological basis of the study was the method of thematic analysis applied to process data from semi-structured interviews with teachers. This method has a high degree of flexibility, which allows it to be adapted to different types of data and research tasks. Thematic analysis allowed us to identify the key challenges faced by future teachers in mastering functional reading techniques, as well as potential solutions for addressing these challenges. The study underscores the significance of integrating practice-oriented methods, digital technologies, and modeling pedagogical situations within the training framework for future teachers. The collaboration among educational organizations, pedagogical universities, and practitioners is vital for nurturing the competencies of future elementary school teachers. The findings of the study could be a valuable addition to the existing scientific base on the issues of functional literacy. They could inform future developments in the field of pedagogical methodology.