Preservice teachers’ interpretations of a field-based reading block
Abstract
This study examined 28 preservice teachers’ interpretations of a 9-hour, field-based reading block. Qualitative analyses of varied data sources, including surveys, journals, and interviews, revealed that during the block experience the students (a) became more prepared and confident to teach children who experience reading difficulties, (b) developed new conceptions of teaching and learning processes, and (c) gained a more positive attitude toward and respect for the teaching profession.We argue that these preservice teachers’ professional growth was facilitated by an integrated block of courses that affords time, intensity, and richness of experience, and by a learning context consistent with the social constructivist principles.We further suggest that it is possible to design and implement a coherent curriculum that is at once “intensely academic” and “intensely practical,” one that emphasizes the cultivation of professional knowledge and wisdom without losing sight of the need for skills development.
Reference
Fang, Z., & Ashley, C. (2004). Preservice teachers' interpretations of a field-based reading block. Journal of Teacher Education, 55(1), 39-54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022487103259814
Journal
Journal of Teacher 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
- Elementary school
- field-based methods course
Preservice Participants
Preservice Sample Size
28
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Interviews
- Observations
- Survey
- written reflections/class papers
Data Analysis Tools
- Constant comparative analysis
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
- Inside (studying their own practices)
Research Questions
"The present study builds on and extends previous research by examining preservice teachers’ construction of professional knowledge, skills, and insights in a 9-hour, field-based, intradisciplinary reading block.... In the present study, we were interested in understanding the sense our students made of the new curricular experience. Their sense making
was shown through patterns of thinking and action that can be gleaned from various course artifacts" (p. 40)
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes