Living in, learning from, looking back, breaking through in the English language arts methods course: A case study of two preservice teachers
Abstract
Examines the use of a writers notebook in a methods course with a focus on two preservice teachers. Data analysis came from the construction of themes from two interviews with the participants, from their written literacy autobiographies (a firstday homework assignment that required them to reflect back on their lives as writers), from memos recorded in my researcher log, and document analysis of writers’ notebook entries of participants. I used a constant comparison analysis to identify categorical relationships and themes. I arrived at one salient theme with four clear dimensions: acquiring an image of self as writing teacher. There were four major ways in which the participants acquired a self-image. They lived in the experiences of keeping and using the notebook; they learned from an environment that included demonstrations; gradual building of concepts, and sharing of writing voices; they looked back at their histories and what they believed and perceived; and they broke through to new beliefs and images of themselves as writers, teachers, and organizers of writing environments that would be their future classrooms.
Reference
Stockinger, P. C. (2007). Living in, learning from, looking back, breaking through in the English language arts methods course: A case study of two preservice teachers. English Education, 39(3), 201-225.
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
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
- undergraduate preservice teachers
Preservice Sample Size
2
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- assignments
- Interviews
- researcher memos
- writer's notebooks
Data Analysis Tools
- Constant comparative analysis
- Spradley’s (1979) semantic relationships
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
Research Questions
How can a teacher educators affect the prior and developing
beliefs of her/his preservice teacher students about writing and writing instruction?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? No