Objects, Not Agents: Gun Violence, Gun Reform, and the Patterns of (Dis)Quiet in Teacher Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: Making Teacher Education Responsive to Changing Contexts (Table 13)

Abstract

In this paper, I present findings from a qualitative study on teacher candidates’ experiences with dialogue and inquiry regarding gun violence and gun reform in the context of their teacher education program and field experiences. Beginning the day following the school shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL and extending to June 1, 2019, I engaged 108 teacher candidates in interviews and focus groups. Through coding and thematic analysis, the data revealed two core themes: 1) Teachers are actively silenced from discussing gun violence and gun reform with their students and 2) The students of the teacher candidates created their own space in the classroom for talking about gun violence.

Author

• Brittney L. Beck, California State University - Bakersfield