The English Methods Class Matters: Professor D and the Student Teachers
Abstract
The primary question that guided this year-long study was "To what degree do student teachers use principles and methods from their university-based methods class in their student teaching experiences?" To respond to this question, the secondary English methods class was studied, and the prevailing theme and concepts were identified as points of emphasis. The student teaching experience in secondary English was explored through case studies of four students from the methods class. An analysis of the data revealed that the methods class and the methods professor matter, as do the student teachers' own personal themes, which became their guiding teaching principles.
Reference
Jobe, L. & Pope, C. (2002). The English Methods Class Matters: Professor D and the Student Teachers. Reading Research and Instruction, 42(1), 1-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19388070209558378
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
Research Location Context
- Courses related to English language arts
- Multi-sited (high schools)
Preservice Participants
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
4
Other Participant Data
- Cooperating teachers
- curriculum documents and planning books
- Syllabi from teacher preparation program
- University Professor
- University Supervisor(s)
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Audio recordings
- Course Handouts
- course materials
- fieldnotes
- Interviews
- journal entries
- lesson plans
- Observations
Data Analysis Tools
- Analytic memos
- coding (emergent categories)
- Constant comparative analysis
- cross-case analysis
- Likert Scale
- Triangulation
Researcher Positionality
- Outside (not directly invested in the program or operations)
Research Questions
"To what degree do student teachers use principles and methods from their university-based methods class in their student teaching experiences?" (p.2)
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes