Prospective teachers’ reflection: Strategies, qualities, and perceptions in learning to teach reading
Abstract
This study examined and documented mental strategies used by prospective teachers to guide reflections on course content and teaching experiences. The 30 prospective teachers were enrolled in a literacy methods course and accompanying practicum at three university sites. Double-entry journals and oral interviews were analyzed using open coding procedures, analytic induction, and cross-subject pattern analysis. Across sites, prospective teachers relied primarily on directing their attention to personal experiences and values to guide their reflective work and they indicated the value of their own perspective to help them remember information and make sense of course content. Implications for instruction are drawn from an analysis of the power of personal experiences, the developmental nature of reflection, and noted tendencies to adopt new strategies as the semester progressed.
Reference
Risko, V., Roskos, K., & Vukelich, C. (2002). Prospective teachers’ reflection: Strategies, qualities, and perceptions in learning to teach reading. Reading Research and Instruction, 41(2), 149-175. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19388070209558363
Journal
Reading Research and Instruction
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
- Elementary
- Secondary
- Special Education
Research Location Context
- Literacy methods course
- University
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
30
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Interviews
- written reflections/class papers
Data Analysis Tools
- coding (emergent categories)
- cross-case analysis
- Inductive analysis
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
Research Questions
Our goal was to (a) identify the mental strategies our students used over time (one semester) when they were asked to reflect in writing on course activities, (b) determine if these patterns of strategic activity change over time and across sites, and (c) interpret what these strategies reveal about intellectual qualities of their reflective thinking.
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes