Changing Through Relating: The Transformation of Preservice Teachers' Perceptions of Young Homeless Children

• In Event: 31.050 - Transformative Teaching for Social Justice

Abstract

Drawing on a cross-sectional qualitative study of 30 pre-service teachers (PSTs) before, during and after their experience in an early childhood/ESL teacher education program, the overall purpose of this paper is to report on PSTs’ attitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and self-perceived skills in supporting young homeless children (HC) in schools. Findings suggest that supporting PSTs in developing positive teacher-student relationships is critical to fostering teacher self-efficacy and the resilient functioning of homeless children. By illuminating the processes through which PSTs make sense of children’s experiences of homelessness and their perceptions of how homelessness influences childrens’ experiences in school, these findings have important implications for the design of more effective professional development opportunities for PSTs.

Authors

• Travis S. Wright, University of WIsconsin- Madison

• Ilana Nankin, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Kathryn Boonstra, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Elizabeth E. Blair, University of Wisconsin - Madison