Knotty articulations: Professors and preservice teachers on teaching literacy in urban schools
Abstract
In this qualitative study, we examined preservice teachers’ articulations of what it meant to teach literacy in urban settings and the roles that we as university instructors played in their understandings of the terms urban, literacy, and teacher. We framed the study within extant studies of teacher education and research on metaphors. Data indicated that the participants metaphorically constructed literacy as an object that could be passed from teacher to student and that was often missing, hidden, or buried in urban settings. Implications of the study suggest that faculty members are one factor among several important influences in preservice teachers becoming professionals, and the metaphors faculty use in teaching preservice teachers deserve careful consideration.
Reference
Zoss, M., Holbrook, T., McGrail, E., & Albers, P. (2014). Knotty articulations: Professors and preservice teachers on teaching literacy in urban schools. English Education, 47(1), 38.
Journal
English Education
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
Geographic Setting
- Southeastern United States
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
- Graduate and undergraduate
Preservice Sample Size
26
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- assignments
- projects with final reflections
- reflections
Data Analysis Tools
Researcher Positionality
Research Questions
What understandings of the terms urban, teacher, and literacy did
preservice teachers articulate?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
What roles did we, as university instructors, play in guiding preservice
teachers’ developing understandings of these terms related to teaching literacy to students in urban schools?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes