Problems and Possibilities: Tensions and Identity in Student Teaching

• In Event: The Stories We Tell: Identity, Action Research, and Ethnography in Teacher Education

Abstract

The student teaching internship is the capstone of most traditional teacher preparation programs; however, placing interns into internships with quality mentors is an ongoing challenge for universities (Matsko, 2018). We take a qualitative comparative case study approach to investigate two middle school teaching interns, Alexa (science) and Tina (math), as they navigated internships steeped in tension with their mentors. As interns are just beginning to develop their teacher professional identities, we frame our analysis through Helms’ (1998) professional identity framework. We suggest the tensions with mentors made interns identities salient, reinforced them, and provided opportunities for reflection on good teaching.

Authors

• Jennifer Elizabeth Mesiner, University of Maryland - College Park

• Daniel M. Levin, University of Maryland - College Park