Early field experiences offered to and valued by preservice teachers at sites of excellence in reading teacher education programs

Abstract

The importance of a highly qualified teacher for student learning is undeniably the most important factor in political and research circles today. The question is not "do we need quality teachers?" but "how do we prepare quality teachers?" In this article, we report on the early field experiences offered to pre- service teachers at 8 universities and the valuing that graduates of these programs held about their early field experiences. We then use these findings to re-think the features of strong field-based teacher preparation programs.

Reference

Sailors, M., et. al (2005). Early field experiences offered to and valued by preservice teachers at sites of excellence in reading teacher education programs. Teacher Education & Practice, 18:4, p458-470.

Journal

Teacher Education and Practice

Analysis

Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?

yes

Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?

yes

Research Approach

Qualitiative

Geographic Setting

United States

Institutional Context

University based

Certification Level

Not stated

Programatic Focus

reading specialization

Research Location Context

University

Preservice Participants

Undergraduates (university based program)

Preservice Sample Size

Other Participant Data

Syllabi from teacher preparation program

Duration of Data Collection

Data Sources

Interviews
Questionnaire
Syllabi from University courses

Data Analysis Tools

Constant comparative analysis

Researcher Positionality

not stated

Research Questions

"The purpose of this article is to bring together two very different but closely related studies: first, a study that investigated the valuings held by first-year teachers as they reflected on the early field experiences related to reading that they received during their teacher preparation programs and, second, a study that examined the features of the early field experiences related to reading that were offered to these beginning teachers during their preparation program" (p.458).
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes

How do we best prepared quality teachers before they enter the classroom, especially in the area of teaching?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes