Teacher Dispositions as Dialogism: A Bakhtinian Analysis of Teacher Perceptions and Pedagogical Practice

• In Event: 30.080 - Roundtable Session 10
  In Roundtable Session: 30.080-13 - Redefining Dispositions: Alternate Methods for Examining Teacher Characteristics

Abstract

This presentation examines how Bakhtin’s concept of dialogism might shift our understanding of teacher dispositions away from egocentrism and identity construction toward representations of relational participation. Dispositions are primarily used in education as specific expressions of teacher characteristics. Whether described as behaviors, actions, or reflective awareness, the focus remains on the individual. Dialogism provides an opportunity to examine dispositions relationally, as existing outside the individual. In this sense, dispositions become representations of the pedagogical relationship itself rather than characteristics of one particular individual. The study explored teacher perceptions of dialogism, how it influences their understandings of dispositions and their pedagogical practice.

Author

• Jeffry King, Texas State University