The Questions Prospective Teachers Ask: Problematizing the Present to Create Possibilities for More Equitable Classrooms

• In Event: Roundtable Session 52
  In Roundtable Session: Action Research in Teaching and Teacher Education

Abstract

This study examined pre-service teacher action research projects to determine how the questions they asked, their understandings of teaching and learning, and the contexts in which they were situated influenced not only their practice, but also the identities/positionings they created, accepted, and/or resisted. Findings revealed that their research questions focused on a) student learning needs, b) contextual dilemmas, c) motivation/engagement, d) pedagogy, instructional strategies/methods, e) integration of technology, and f) assessment. We also found our prospective teachers’ questions/studies were influenced by their apprenticeships-of-observation, university coursework, prior field experiences, school/district contexts, and mentor teachers. While our pre-service teachers pursued their research for more practical purposes, we identified places/spaces where we could support them in challenging current arrangements and creating equitable classrooms.

Authors

• Sharon B. Hayes, West Virginia University

• Harrison Ntabo Oonge, West Virginia University

• Barbara Wierzbicki, West Virginia University