Prospective teachers’ perceptions of development during fieldwork: Tutoring as a vehicle for professional growth
Abstract
This study examines elementary and secondary prospective teachers'
perceptions of the ways in which their experiences as tutors in school-based tutoring programs influenced their professional development. Data collected from a survey questionnaire, reflective papers, and individual and focus group interviews revealed five main ways that these undergraduate and graduate education students perceived the tutoring experiences contributed to their professional growth. They described development in the following understandings: school students, pedagogical strategies, relationships with colleagues in school settings, the teaching/learning process, and reflective practice. All of these understandings were reported as increasing their self-confidence as developing educators.
Reference
Sabatini McLoughli, A. & Maslak, M.A. (2003) Prospective
teachers’ perceptions of development during fieldwork: Tutoring as a vehicle for professional growth, The Teacher Educator, 38:4, 267-284, DOI: 10.1080/08878730309555323
Journal
The Teacher Educator
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
- outside of school tutoring program
Preservice Participants
- Graduate and undergraduate
Preservice Sample Size
25
Other Participant Data
- Students in tutorial setting
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Classroom Discussion
- Informal conversations
- Interviews
- Observations
- Questionnaires
- Reflective journals
- Standards for Beginning Teacher Licensing and Development (Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium, INTASC, 1992)
- Tutoring plans
- University coursework assignment (e.g. writing/project done for a grade)
- written reflections/class papers
Data Analysis Tools
- Content analysis
- Inductive analysis
- Triangulation
Researcher Positionality
- Outside (not directly invested in the program or operations)
Research Questions
"...examines elementary and secondary prospective teachers' perceptions of the ways in which their experiences as tutors in school-based
tutoring programs influenced their professional development." (p. 267)
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes