Exploring Classroom Realities in Changing Educational Contexts

• In Event: Strengthening Teacher Preparation: Retention Strategies, Culturally Responsive Readiness, and Community-Engaged Professional Development

Abstract

This study aims to bridge the gap between education research and classroom practice. By examining secondary classroom practices in two states with restrictive education policies, this study explores the concept of habitus, or the ingrained dispositions shaped by social environments, to understand how preservice teachers’ PSTs’ observations of their cooperating teachers influence their own teaching practices. Through a comparative analysis, the study reveals significant differences in teaching methodologies and resource utilization between the states, emphasizing the role of habitus in either perpetuating or transforming educational practices in restrictive policy environments.

Authors

• Sarah J. Kaka, Ohio Wesleyan University

• Taylor M. Kessner, University of Texas - Arlington