Academic Mothering in the Supervision of Preservice Teacher Education

• In Event: 30.080 - Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: 30.080-5 - Cooperating Teachers and Supervisors: Voices From the Field

Abstract

This qualitative research study examines instances of academic mothering in the supervision of pre-service English teachers at a large, Research I institution in the Northeast. The research question was: How do university supervisors of pre-service English teachers use an academic mothering approach in their practice? Current female university supervisors who are retired classroom teachers and who have children were interviewed using semi-structured responsive interviews. Findings indicate that university supervisors use modeling techniques, tough love, and caring in their supervisory approaches. When analyzed from a feminist mothering perspective, implications arise from the study around the patriarchal and sexist structures that limit and burden women in the university.

Author

• Sarah Capello, Radford University