Pre-service Teachers’ Metaphors of Teaching and Literacy
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine pre-service elementary teachers' metaphors of teaching and literacy and then relate their metaphorical images of literacy to content presented in the reading methods course. Specifically, 52 participants generated responses to open-ended statements, “Teaching is … ” and “Literacy is … ” Results indicated that the pre-service teachers' metaphors could be grouped into 11 themes for teaching and 14 themes for literacy. Two themes of teaching that arose in previous research—nurturing and guiding—were evident in the responses of this population as well, illustrating their commonality and perhaps universal nature. The primary literacy theme was the parts/ingredients metaphor (N = 8). Four dominant metaphors of literacy were identified: sequence of knowledge and skill, parts that come together as a whole, foundation of life, and journey. Twenty-three (or 44%) of the pre-service teachers wrote metaphors that related to content presented in the reading methods course. We advocate that future research should solicit pre-service teachers' metaphors of literacy early in the teacher preparation program and students should be taught to examine their metaphors throughout the course of study. Further, novice teachers should be followed into the classroom and monitored as they engage in learning to teach. We believe the metaphor will continue to be a powerful conceptual means for framing and defining teachers' awareness of their beliefs.
Reference
Shaw, D. M. & Mahlios, M. (2008). Pre-Service Teachers' Metaphors of Teaching and Literacy. Reading Psychology, 29(1), 31-60.
Journal
Reading Psychology
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
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
52
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Document Analysis
- University coursework assignment (e.g. writing/project done for a grade)
Data Analysis Tools
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
- Inside (studying their own programs)
Research Questions
1. What patterns exist among the metaphors pre-service teachers used to describe teaching?
(Question repeated among findings that begin on p. 41)
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Unknown
2. What dominant metaphorical views of literacy did pre-service elementary teachers possess?
(Question repeated among findings that begin on p. 44)
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Unknown
3. How Did Pre-Service Teachers’ Metaphors of Literacy Compare to Their Teaching Metaphors?
(Question repeated among findings that begin on p. 48)
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Unknown
4. How Do These Metaphorical Views of Literacy Correspond With the Content Presented in the Reading Methods Course?
(Question repeated among findings that begin on p. 50)
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Unknown