From Silent Spectator to Intrepid Interventionist: A Study of Preservice Teachers' Bystander Narratives Regarding Social (In)Justice for English Learners

• In Event: 29.048 - Cutting Against the Grain: Moral Dimensions of Educator Development

Abstract

Preservice teachers develop and refine their storied knowledge of schools and students during their k-12 studenting days and teacher preparation programs. Using a bystander framework, this study analyzes narrated events in which preservice teachers witnessed the marginalization or bullying of English Learners. This paper explores how bystander experiences contribute to preservice teachers’ developing knowledge about English Learners and socially just schooling. Using iterative and thematic analysis techniques, plot patterns in the narratives were identified, including regret over remaining a bystander, vainly looking for outside intervention, and uncertainty about when to intervene in the future. These findings pose important considerations for the teacher education community regarding how we might rethink teacher education toward goals of equity and social justice.

Authors

• Amanda Sugimoto, The University of Arizona

• Kathy Carter, The University of Arizona

• Kathleen Jablon Stoehr, Santa Clara University