First Advisor

Harding, Jennifer

Document Type

Dissertation

Date Created

8-2019

Department

College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Teacher Education, Teacher Education Student Work

Abstract

Schools of teacher education strive to prepare teacher candidates with the most effective dispositions. Qualitative case study was used to gather data from university coursework, teacher candidate fieldwork, fieldwork observations, coursework observations and teacher candidate interviews. The varied data collection and yearlong data collection period allowed the researcher to gain a holistic and longitudinal view of teacher candidate dispositions. The researcher is a teacher educator who serves as an advisor, fieldwork supervisor, and instructor in the initial semester of professional coursework for participants. Particular attention was given to rigor and quality, participant protection, and credibility through specific procedures and processes. Results describe the dispositions of elementary teacher candidates over their first year of professional coursework in the areas of dispositions related to self, dispositions related to students and dispositions related to teaching. When compared to the dispositions of effective teachers, this group of 13 teacher candidates exhibited many of the same dispositions overall with only a few dispositions revealing contradictory results. In longitudinal analysis, dispositions related to self remained consistent over time while dispositions related to students and teaching were more inconsistent. Individual teacher candidate results were much more varied as most candidates exhibited inconsistencies and contradictions in each area. These findings can help guide teacher education programs in assessing and supporting individual teacher candidates with dispositional contradictions, designing and delivering experience for teacher candidates which incorporate feedback to support growth and self-efficacy, assessing and addressing any unwanted trends in individual or group dispositions, and designing teacher candidate screening processes.

Extent

141 pages

Local Identifiers

Bartlow_unco_0161D_10742.pdf

Rights Statement

Copyright is held by the author.

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