scholarly journals Borderlands of Possibility: Exploring the Construction of Professional Identity With Intern Teachers

in education ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-25
Author(s):  
Sharon L. Allan

Students enrolled in Bachelor of Education degree programs engage in academic study and field experiences that both validate and challenge their existing understandings of who they are and who they are becoming: their professional identity. This interpretive case study explored the ways in which four intern teachers constructed professional understandings during the 15 weeks of their culminating field experience: a borderland space. Ecologically defined as an ecotone, this time in between—of being a student and becoming a teacher—is a zone of transition, a crossroads of being and becoming. Using a series of conversational interviews where the researcher and the participants explored the experience of living on the borderland, this study revealed the challenges of constructing a professional identity as well as the ways in which these intern teachers gradually assumed the subject position: teacher. Four essential aspects of this experience were distilled from the findings of this inquiry and arranged into a conceptual framework to assist teacher educators as they craft curriculum capable of engaging student teachers in the consideration of who they are becoming as teachers. By contributing to our growing understanding of the ways in which preservice teachers view themselves as emerging professionals, this inquiry suggests deeper investigation of the mentor-mentee relationship is needed in order to better support student teachers on the borderlands of their final field experience.            Keywords: professional identity; borderland space; intern teachers; field experience; interpretive case study

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Babak Khoshnevisan ◽  
Mojgan Rashtchi

Researchers have recognized pre-service teachers’ field experiences as a pivotal element for enhancing teaching practices. Research indicates pre-service teachers usually are optimistic about teaching. However, when pre-service teachers encounter complexities in classrooms, their optimism fades. There is little research about ESOL pre-service teachers’ perceptions of field experiences. In this inquiry, we focused on pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their first field experience with ESOL students in a southeastern United States public school. We selected a multiple case study to conduct this qualitative research. We collected the data through student interviews, field experience reports, and the participants’ journals before and after the field experience. Our discoveries through constant comparative analysis centered on ESOL pre-service teachers’ perceptions of field experience, teaching strategies and pedagogical competence, and development stages of teachers. The findings of the present study indicated that field experience serves as a catalyst to facilitate the learning process for ESOL pre-service teachers. Teacher educators can adopt field experiences to challenge preservice teachers. Field experiences can be helpful tools in the developmental stages of teachers. These experiences can help preservice teachers gain insight into the culturally sensitive strategies required for ESOL courses. The findings of this study proved Khoshnevisan’s (2017) developmental stages of teachers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (3 (253)) ◽  
pp. 173-193
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Brzosko-Barratt

This paper is a part of a larger instrumental case study exploring the process of creating a CLIL teacher education program for early primary level at the University of Warsaw. The paper identifies some challenges related to program design and describes areas of growth of student teachers specifically related to CLIL planning instruction. The data were collected over a period of five years and included interviews and focused groups with student teachers, teacher educators and mentor teachers as well as the analysis of CLIL units created by the student teachers.


2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reece Mills ◽  
Louisa Tomas

AbstractEducation for Sustainability (EfS) has been prioritised in the School of Education at James Cook University (JCU), Townsville, Australia. This article presents a case study that explores the ways in which teacher educators integrate EfS in their teaching in the Bachelor of Education (BEd) (Primary) at JCU, and their perceptions of enablers and constraints. Two key findings arose from the analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with four subject coordinators, and their subject outlines: (1) teacher educators at JCU integrate EfS in different ways through their choice of assessment, content and/or pedagogy; and (2) constraints operating at the school level, namely teacher educators’ perceptions and understanding of EfS, were perceived to be salient challenges to the integration of EfS in the program. Vision, leadership and funding at the university level were also identified as enabling factors that warrant further investigation. Findings contribute to existing literature regarding the integration of EfS in preservice teacher education, and serve to inform practice at JCU and universities more broadly.


Author(s):  
Urip Sulistiyo ◽  
Amirul Mukminin ◽  
Kemas Abdurrahman ◽  
Eddy Haryanto

This qualitative case study was conducted to gather information on the implementation of teaching practicum in order to improve the quality of the program in an English teacher education program at a state-owned university, Jambi, Indonesia. Information was gathered from five recent teacher graduates, five beginner teachers, five school principals, and five teacher educators on their perceptions of English Foreign Language Teacher Education Program (EFLTEP) graduates as beginner teachers. This qualitative study employed a background survey, document analyses and interviews for data collection. Document analyses were used to examine the aims and content of the English teacher education program and official Indonesian English teacher education curriculum and policies. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the main data from graduates and collect information from the beginner teachers. Interviews with principals and teacher educators were used to obtain further data and evidence about the beginner teachers’ knowledge and preparedness to teach. We organized our analysis, findings, and discussion around the implementation of teaching practicum. The analyses of the documents and texts revealed that major themes related to (1) the standards for implementing the teaching practicum in the program, (2) quality of the teaching practicum, (3) duration of the teaching practicum, (4) the roles of mentor teachers and teacher educators, and (5) selecting school partners for the student teacher practicum. Particularly, the findings indicated that teaching practicum projects undertaken during the program provided suitable but limited experience for student teachers to translate their knowledge learnt at university into the real practice of teaching at school levels. For future improvement of the program, the role of supervising teachers and teacher educators in assisting student teachers during the teaching practicum project should be a priority. The organisation and management of school–university partnerships for schools taking part in the teaching practicum require attention to maximise benefits to student teachers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-52
Author(s):  
Olivia Gail Tucker

Occupational identity development is an important, complex component of music teacher education. Preservice teachers may experience dissonance between and/or integration of their musician and teacher identities, and scholars have found early field experiences to be important in undergraduates’ transitions into the teacher role. The purpose of this instrumental case study was to examine the occupational socialization and identity development of preservice music teachers in an early field teaching experience with a focus on preservice teacher and P–12 student interactions. I conducted observations, interviews, and a demographic survey during a semester-long early field experience. Findings centered around (a) the dynamic nature of preservice teachers’ identities; (b) the importance of peers, music teacher educators, and students to preservice participants as they engaged in the process of becoming music teachers, and (c) the momentary embodiment of music teacher and student roles. I connect these findings to prior research and suggest implications.


Author(s):  
Anne T. Ottenbreit-Leftwich

The objective of this chapter is to describe a case study of an educational technology course that uses subject-specific contexts to address preservice teachers’ development of TPACK. Many have indicated that in order for technology knowledge to be transferred to the classroom, teachers need to find the knowledge being taught relevant to their future classrooms. This course uses various workouts and cases to develop preservice teachers’ technology abilities within the context of their future classrooms. Through these activities, preservice teachers showed improvement in technology knowledge (TK), technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK), and technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK). Recommendations are made to other teacher educators on how to apply such principles within their own educational technology courses.


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 256-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasiliki Brinia ◽  
Paraskevi Psoni

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reflect the multi-level mentoring practices of a Teacher Education Program in Greece and the mentors’ perceptions on them. The mentoring practices of the specific Program are unique in Teacher Education in Greece; and therefore, the paper examines the extent to which they are considered as capable of developing in mentors and mentees specific skills that contribute to the development of student-teachers’ professional identity. Design/methodology/approach The case study is based on qualitative research and 32 interviews with mentors of the specific Program who report their experience. Six mentees have also been asked to provide the researchers with comments, so as to observe whether their answers confirm the mentors’ perceptions. Findings The different types of mentoring of the specific Program are perceived as able to enhance the mentors’ and the mentees’ professional development and self-confidence as well as to the latters’ improved transition and engagement to the Program. The authors also contribute to the fostering of the mentees’ experiential learning and to the capitalization of knowledge in Teacher Education. The EES teacher mentoring is considered of important adding value to the formation of student-teachers’ professional identity, according to the mentors interviewed. Mentees comments were found to confirm the mentors’ perceptions. Originality/value The conclusions of the paper are of significant value, since multi-level mentoring as a holistic approach to teacher-candidates’ experiential learning and professional development examined in a single paper is rather rare. Moreover, the Program of the paper’s case study follows this multi-level innovative approach, which includes EES teacher mentoring, and which is of considerable adding value, according to the mentors and the mentees interviewed. It could, therefore, constitute a paradigm for other Teacher Education Programs in Greece and in other countries.


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 510
Author(s):  
Hosam ElDeen Ahmed El-Sawy

This study aims at investigating the relevance among three factors: preservice English teachers' preparation courses, their views about teaching and their real teaching behaviors. This is a case study focusing on three preservice teachers of English in Egypt. Data was collected through three tools: an observation sheet, a semi-structured interview and a focus group. Results of the study revealed that there is a gap between what preservice English teachers learn in their preparation courses, their views about effective teaching and their real behaviors in class. The reasons which the participants gave for not applying what they have learned theoretically include: insufficient preservice training, students' low level, insufficient class time, students' resistance of changing the way they are used to learn, insufficiency of equipment in schools, students' preference of using the native language in learning, and in one case the teacher herself preferred the traditional grammar translation method. The study recommends early coordination between teacher preparation institutions and schools. The study recommends the incorporation of senior teachers in teacher preparation programs to try to breach the theory-practice gap. The study also recommends that teacher educators should analyze the given causes of the theory-practice gap and develop the English teachers' preparation courses in accordance.


in education ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-126
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Ann Munroe ◽  
Jennifer Mitton-Kükner ◽  
Deborah Graham

As professors teaching courses in classroom assessment in a Bachelor of Education program, we engage in collaborative self-study as a means to understand the complexity of our preservice teachers’ learning. Here we describe two of the strategies we use in our teaching: purposefully introducing competing philosophies early in our courses, and guiding our preservice teachers’ to inquire deeply into their assessment histories. We examine our preservice teachers’ differing responses, which range from misunderstanding or resisting to thinking deeply about the course content. We conclude by identifying three protective factors that support us as we work with preservice teachers in the area of assessment education.Keywords: assessment education; preservice teacher education; self-study


2019 ◽  
pp. 1322-1338
Author(s):  
Ursula Thomas

This study sought to investigate the development of social justice dispositions in early childhood preservice teachers. The participants of the study included two preservice teachers assigned to a four-week prekindergarten field experience, one Black and the other White, both female. This was a qualitative study utilizing observational case study methods and open coding. Data were collected using the Cultural Fluency Survey, the annotated lesson plans of the preservice teachers, and the reflective journal the kept; as well as the recorded responses of the prekindergarten students during the literature lesson in pictorial form. The researchers found the early childhood preservice teachers who participated in this study exhibited strong social justice dispositions in development. The current study may help teacher educators consider what areas of the early childhood program could be changed to equip relevant preservice teachers with multiple opportunities and field placement.


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