Reading rocks: Creating a space for preservice teachers to become responsive teachers
Abstract
Set in a yearlong, school-based tutoring program, designed as a community of practice, we use qualitative methodology to examine how 14 preservice teachers learned to become responsive teachers. We focus on one question: In what ways does participating in a yearlong, supervised tutoring program mediate preservice teachers’ learning about responsive teaching? The preservice teachers described the ways they came to learn about their buddies and build caring relationships with them. They reported the importance of collaboration with their tutoring buddies, peers, families, and classroom teachers, and that through the yearlong tutoring experience, the preservice teachers gained confidence as teachers and a sense of efficacy as caring educators. This study is important because it uncovers how school-based tutoring programs, modeled as a community of practice, can provide opportunities for preservice teachers to grow professionally to become responsive educators.
Reference
Assaf, L. C., & Lopez, M. (2012). Reading rocks: Creating a space for preservice teachers to become responsive teachers. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education, 33(4), 365-381.
Journal
Journal of Early Childhood 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
- Qualitiative
- teacher research
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
- field-based methods course
- University
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
14
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- home visit reports
- lesson plans
- Observations
- Reflective journals
- Tutoring Journals
Data Analysis Tools
- Constant comparative analysis
Researcher Positionality
- inside (staying their own students)
- Inside (studying their own practices)
Research Questions
"In what ways does participating in a yearlong, supervised tutoring program mediate preservice teachers’ learning about responsive teaching?"
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes