What English/Language Arts Teacher Candidates Learn During Coursework and Practica: A Study of Three Teacher Education Programs
Abstract
This study investigates the learning reported by a set of volunteer participants from three university teacher education programs: from one Southwestern U.S. University, the program in secondary English/Language Arts Education and the program in Elementary Education; and from one Southeastern U.S. University, the program in secondary English/Language Arts Education. Based on interviews conducted between the end of coursework and the beginning of student teaching, this study uses a sociocultural perspective to consider not only the manner in which the teacher candidates’ learning was mediated by a host of factors, including formal teacher education courses and mentor teacher guidance, but also a wide range of factors that introduced competing conceptions of effective teaching. The interviews were analyzed collaboratively by the two authors, who relied on a sociocultural analysis attending to the pedagogical tools, attribution of learning to specific sources and the settings in which they were located, the areas of teaching in which the tools were applicable, and goals toward which the pedagogical tools were deployed. Findings suggest that even with the three programs having radically different structures and processes, the teacher candidates reported very similar learning, yet with variations conceivably following from their program structures. Furthermore, teacher education emerged as one of several sites of learning named by teacher candidates, rather than serving as their sole or even primary source of learning. The study concludes with a consideration of the many factors that contribute to teacher candidates’ conceptual understanding of effective teaching and the role of teacher education programs within this vast complex of goals, epistemologies, and practices.
Reference
Barnes, M. E. & Smagorinsky, P, (2016). What English/Language Arts Teacher Candidates Learn During Coursework and Practica: A Study of Three Teacher Education Programs, Journal of Teacher Education, 67(4), 338-355.
Journal
Journal of 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
- programmatic research
- Qualitiative
Geographic Setting
- Southeastern United States
- Southwestern United States
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
- English Language Arts (ELA)
Research Location Context
- Multi-sited (across universities)
Preservice Participants
- Masters of Arts in Teaching
- Undergraduates (university based program)
Preservice Sample Size
19
Other Participant Data
- curriculum documents and planning books
- Syllabi from teacher preparation program
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- Document Analysis
- Interviews
- Syllabi from University courses
Data Analysis Tools
- Collaborative Coding (Smagorinsky, 2008)
- Document analysis
Researcher Positionality
- A combination of their own students and students from other programs
Research Questions
1. What pedagogical tools—that is, the conceptual and
practical means by which instruction is carried out,
such as scaffolding, group work, journal writing, and
other instructional means—did the TCs report learning
about during their teacher education programs,
including both coursework and fieldwork?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
2. What pedagogical areas—that is, the responsibilities
within a teacher’s purview, such as assessment, curricular
strands, classroom control, and other focuses
and duties—did the TCs’ pedagogical tool knowledge
fall within?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
3. To what sources—that is, the people or texts from
which the TC reported having learned an idea, such
as a mentor teacher (MT) in practica, a professor in
teacher education courses, a course reading, or other
informant or resource—did TCs attribute their
knowledge about how to teach the English/Language
Arts curriculum or Language Arts strand of the elementary
school curriculum?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
4. What did the TCs report that they did not learn from
teacher education and practicum experiences?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes
5. To what extent were the three programs, each with a
unique structure, similar to and different from one
another in the participants’ construction of their experiences?
To what extent did the availability of stated
goals for program graduates influence TCs’ reports of
what they learned during their teacher education
programs?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Yes