Learning to Teach at the Middle Level: Perceptions of Professional Growth in Early Courses and Internships

• In Event: Roundtable Session 7
  In Roundtable Session: Issues in Middle-Level Teacher Preparation

Abstract

To examine ways that pre-service middle-level teachers views of themselves as professionals change with early internships, this study analyzed data from course assignments and interviews across two semesters. Building on earlier studies, researchers focused on the articulation of self-knowledge and perceptions of agency. Researchers identified 227 text segments from 10 course assignments with 10 participants that explicitly addressed research questions, then analyzed these in reference to interviews. Although participants articulated the language and values of the program in their papers, interviews revealed ways they negotiated values in a more interactive fashion. Although limited by sample size, insights will guide a continuation of the study that will focus on participants teaching practices and generate suggestions for improving middle-level teacher education programs.

Authors

• David B. Strahan, Western Carolina University

• Kim K. Winter, Western Carolina University