Beginning Teachers' Conflicting Intentions and Perception of the Problem of Enactment Within Moments of Classroom Decision

• In Event: 29.069 - Selected Dimensions of Teachers' Lives

Abstract

Classroom teachers may sometimes enact instructional practices that belie their espoused beliefs. In part, this problem of enactment may be due to the fact that teachers possess multiple – and potentially conflicting – intentions. The current study investigated the conflicting intentions of three novice teachers and how these intentions manifested themselves as teachers taught. Teachers rated how well their enacted classroom decisions aligned with their ideal vision of classroom practice. The results of this study suggest that this alignment is significantly lower when teachers articulated having considered multiple intentions within any given decision. The study, thus, illustrates an important dimension of novice teachers’ classroom experience. Implications for teacher education are discussed.

Author

• Aaron Samuel Zimmerman, Michigan State University