Revisiting and revising the apprenticeship of observation

Abstract

The article discusses the study on the apprenticeship of observation in students' experience of programs at research universities in the U.S. The study reportedly involved secondary English education students and elementary education students. The results revealed that education researchers must continue studying apprenticeship of observation and monitor its impact on newer generation of teachers to stay relevant with the changes in schools.

Reference

Smagorinsky, P., & Barnes, M. E. (2014). Revisiting and revising the apprenticeship of observation. Teacher Education Quarterly, 41(4), 29-52.

Journal

Teacher Education Quarterly

Analysis

Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?

Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?

Research Approach

Qualitiative

Geographic Setting

Southeastern United States
Southwestern United States

Institutional Context

University based

Certification Level

Elementary
Secondary

Programatic Focus

English
language arts

Research Location Context

University

Preservice Participants

Masters of Arts in Teaching
Undergraduates (university based program)

Preservice Sample Size

Duration of Data Collection

one sitting

Data Sources

Interviews

Data Analysis Tools

coding (non-specific)

Researcher Positionality

not stated

Research Questions

1. Separated by program attended, to what areas of schooling (Pre-K/elementary, secondary, college) did the participants in the three programs studied (Southwestern Elementary Education, Southwestern Secondary English Education, Southeastern Secondary English Education) attribute their positive and negative experiences with teachers; what balance did their characterizations indicate about the relative influence of positive vs. negative examples; and what trends were evident in the levels of schooling most frequently invoked to characterize their positive and negative experiences with teachers?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes

2. In interviews prompting participants to describe their apprenticeships of observation in their K-16 education, how did the preservice teachers characterize good and bad teachers from their past?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes

3. What conceptions of teaching did the preservice teachers claim to aspire toward based on their apprenticeships of observation?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes