Toward Lifelong Inquiry: Sustaining a Teacher Inquiry Project Across Changing Contexts in Teacher Education

• In Event: 65.079 - Roundtable Session 23
  In Roundtable Session: 65.079-1 - Preservice Teacher Reflection on Praxis and Growth

Abstract

We explore teacher candidates’ development of an inquiry stance through a course-assigned field inquiry project. Data for this study were collected from three different teacher education programs, and included analysis of written course assignments and interviews. We interviewed participants at the conclusion of the course(s) about how (or if) conducting field inquiry in their practicum sites enhanced their development as teachers. Findings, elaborated upon in the form of individual case studies, revealed the following themes: (1) Teacher Candidates developed disciplinary literacy, (2) Field inquiry projects helped teacher candidates examine social inequities and provided opportunities to develop methods for responding to those inequities, and (3) Field inquiry is context dependent.

Authors

• James R. Carlson, University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse

• Jessica Gallo, University of Montana

• Bailey Herrmann, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh