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Thesis advisor: Marilyn Cochran-Smith / Beginning in 2000, a number of new graduate schools of education (nGSEs) have been established in the U.S. in response to increasing calls for more effective teachers. Among these are programs affiliated with “No Excuses”-style charter schools, which are focused on closing the achievement gap in urban K-12 schools. Teacher education programs at nGSEs affiliated with “No Excuses” schools were designed to prepare teachers specifically for these schools. Although these nGSEs have been applauded by the press and by education reform advocates, there has been almost no independent research about them. Systematic study of the goals, practices and beliefs of teacher educators and candidates at these programs is necessary to understand the impact “No Excuses”-affiliated nGSEs may have on teacher preparation for urban schools. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to analyze teacher preparation from insiders’ perspectives at the Sposato Graduate School of Education, which is connected to the Match Education charter management organization. For this study, the Sposato GSE was regarded as an illustrative and an instrumental case of the nGSE phenomenon. Drawing on multiple data sources and using qualitative data analysis methods, this dissertation found the Sposato mission was to create “jaw-droppingly effective rookie teachers,” and it argues this mission was in large part realized due to the remarkable coherence of the program’s design, curriculum, and vision. However, this dissertation also argues the success of the Sposato teacher education program came at a cost. My analysis shows that Sposato leaders and faculty members zeroed in almost exclusively on two goals: (1) implementing a technical, moves-based epistemology of teaching in their teacher preparation curriculum; and (2) socializing teachers into a gradualist and technically rational vision of equity and justice consistent with the goals of “No Excuses” schools. This study has important implications for the practice of urban teacher preparation, research into the nGSE phenomenon, and policies related to improving teacher education program quality and the goal of closing the achievement gap.

abstract: Teacher candidates completing their senior year student teaching practicum as part of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University are expected to graduate as professional, high-quality teachers who are classroom-ready and dedicated to the profession. One lacking component of the program is the opportunity for teacher candidates to have personalized learning experiences that develop professional teacher identity in addition to the development of enhanced teaching skills. To address this, an intervention of an Action Research Project (ARP) was added to the final semester of the student teaching practicum. The goal of the project was to increase professional teacher identity, which would lead to increased teaching practices and a more favorable outlook on real-world problem solving in teaching elementary students. This mixed methods action research study included data collection methods to measure how integrating action research into a cohort-based student teaching experience improved teacher candidates’ teaching practices, how it affected their professional teacher identity and how they perceived the project contributed to the formation of their professional teacher identity. Frameworks that guided the study included principles from the Theory of Self-Organized Learning and Social Identity Theory. The participants of the study were seven teacher candidates completing their student teaching experience in an Arizona school district. Data gathered included teacher evaluation scores, results from a “Teacher Candidate Experience Questionnaire,” narratives collected from Teacher Learning Conversations and written responses on a Final Reflection. Results suggested that teacher candidates’ teaching scores either slightly improved or stayed the same following the intervention. Professional teacher identity increased through the integration of the project, while student identity decreased. Through narratives collected from the participants, observations of other teachers and classrooms emerged as the most impactful component of the intervention. Participants perceived that observations contributed to their growth as teachers by providing exposure to more diverse situations, prompting them to feel engaged and inspired, encouraging high expectations and fostering ways for them to make personal connections. Observing in other classrooms did not always provide the examples and structures the participants had hoped for, yet this disappointment also added value to their growth as teachers. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Administration and Supervision 2019

The roles and responsibilities of teacher leaders change as schools, districts, and states adopt new policies, procedures, and initiatives. However, little qualitative research has been conducted about how teachers develop leadership skills, particularly during preservice preparation programs. The purpose of this single case study was to explore how a community of practice prepared college graduates to be teacher leaders. The conceptual framework was based on the concepts of situated learning, communities of practice and legitimate peripheral participation. Four graduates from a state teaching program were purposefully selected as participants. Data were collected from multiple sources, including initial and follow-up interviews with program graduates, observations of their leadership activities in public schools, archival data, and program documents. Analysis consisted of multilevel coding, category construction, and determination of emergent themes and discrepant data to inform key findings. Findings suggested that the Southern State Teaching Program prepared its graduates to serve as teacher leaders through situated learning opportunities and the development, practice, and refinement of skills necessary for leading others. The program also offered peripheral participation in the program and the teaching profession. Implications for positive social change include the potential for including teacher leader development programs at the preservice level, which may ultimately improve teacher retention and student achievement.

This longitudinal qualitative study examined how four preservice elementary teachers used language to construct professional identities, learn within relationships, and take risks in the classroom during their final three semesters in teacher education coursework and field experiences. My female participants were former students of mine in the same section of Methods of Elementary School Reading and Language Arts. We developed rapport and established relationships with each other that revolved around our class experiences, including many critical discussions about teachers, teaching, and literacy. I employed feminist methods to maintain our established relationships by participating in conversations, meeting with small groups of participants, and developing shared meanings of teaching. An over arching question explored in conversations was how preservice teachers negotiated Discourses of teaching when coursework and field experiences offered new and often conflicting examples of teaching and teachers. The primary data source was conversation transcripts. Secondary data sources included participant generated documents and researcher generated documents for triangulation purposes. Analysis was multi-layered and included content analysis using N*6 computer software and Discourse Analysis questions. Analysis yielded five overarching codes: Nonteacher Identities, Teacher Identities, Relationships with Others, Discourses of Teachers, and Discourses of Teaching. Further analysis included locating I-statements and we-statements to link language with identities and relationships, respectively. Agency Tracing was introduced to historically trace agency in longitudinal language data. These four preservice teachers negotiated nonteacher and teacher identities to construct productive professional identities, learned to become teachers while embedded in relationships during their teacher education coursework and field experiences, and took risks during their culminating field experiences. This study reconceptualized agency to include five elements of rehearsals: hours of talk, supportive listeners, frustration, awareness of educational contexts, and appropriate timing to implement actions.

My study examined the belief development of three preservice teachers as they learned to teach writing in a one-semester elementary writing methods course. I also sought to identify significant episodes that contributed to the preservice teachers’ belief development. Two questions guided my inquiry: How do preservice teachers’ beliefs about writing and the teaching of writing develop while enrolled in an elementary writing methods course? and What episodes do preservice teachers, who are enrolled in an elementary writing methods course, view as significant in helping them negotiate their beliefs about writing and writing instruction? I collected survey data, conducted a series of in-depth interviews, and completed 12 classroom observations during the data collection phase of my study. From those data sources, I generated descriptive statistics and followed constant comparative methods to analyze my transcripts and fieldnotes. Using data from two surveys administered on the first day the writing methods course met, I employed stratified purposeful sampling strategy in order to select three case study participants with varied orientations toward writing instruction: Skylar, Natasha, and Samantha. I developed three case study descriptions and conducted cross-case analysis in order to answer both of my research questions. Based upon data from the Writing Instruction Orientation Survey, from classroom observations, and from in-depth interviews, I considered belief development along a continuum from product-orientation to process-orientation for each case study participant at the beginning of the semester and at the end of the semester. The belief development of all three case study participants moved toward a process-orientation of writing instruction by the end of the semester, which was the observed orientation of the instructor in the writing methods course. The three preservice teachers identified learning experiences that required the application of information from readings and class meetings as significant in their belief development. Those assignments included shared writing assignment and in-class writing time and creation of an original publishable piece of writing. One case study participant also identified small group activities conducted in class as significant. The case study participants varied in their application of author’s craft language that matched their emerging process-oriented beliefs. Skylar’s and Natasha’s beliefs about writing instruction evolved from an eclectic orientation at the beginning of the semester to a process-orientation at the end of the semester. They demonstrated a limited ability to apply author’s craft language to match their emerging beliefs. Samantha began the semester holding process-oriented beliefs about writing instruction and grew significantly in her application of author’s craft language that matched her beliefs. These three case study participants experienced varied growth in their ability to talk the talk of a process-oriented writing teacher. The experiences of these three preservice teachers suggest that preservice teachers acquire the ability to recognize teacher behaviors the match their beliefs about writing instruction before their ability to apply the language to accompany emerging beliefs develops. The acquisition of professional discourse to talk about emerging beliefs varied depending on the readiness level of the individual. Findings from my inquiry indicate that teacher educators should consider intentionally designing writing methods courses to include assignments and experiences that involve the application of presented information and developing understandings as a means to foster belief development. This type of opportunity might include field experiences directly related to course assignments, as was the case with the shared writing assignment in my study. Teacher educators might also create situations that allow preservice teachers to apply author’s craft language so that they grow in their ability to talk the talk of a writing teacher. The development of professional discourse is a marker of membership in any community of practice. As preservice teachers work to gain entry into the teaching profession, it should be expected that their ability to apply language of that community develop along a continuum.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of constructivist learning process on preservice teacher education students&amp / #65533 / performance, retention, and attitudes in Classroom Management Course. In this study, an experimental design and a case study design were used together. The sample (n = 144) were third year preservice teachers at the Foreign Languages Education program at Middle East Technical University, Turkey. The experimental group (n = 76) was subjected to social constructivist learning process, while the control group (n = 68) was subjected to traditional instruction for eleven weeks. Data were collected through qualitative and quantitative methods. Findings show that posttest scores were not statistically different between the experimental and the control groups. However, a significant difference was found in the retention scores in favor of the experimental group. The conceptual change the learners went through was evident in their metaphorical images which tend to change from a more controlling image to images that depict leadership, sensitivity to individual differences, and student learning. Descriptive findings indicate that retention was fostered through constructivist activities that mainly included reflective writing, critical thinking, and problem solving. Factors such as active learning, meaningful and enjoyable learning environment, and the attitudes of instructors had a positive impact on student learning. Nevertheless, the load of reflective diary writing and portfolio preparation tasks, and collaborative work could be overwhelming and discouraging and these impacted negatively on learners&amp / #65533 / attitudes towards the course.

The purpose of this case study was to examine how three undergraduate, preservice foreign language teachers' motives, sense of teacher identity, use and appropriation of teaching resources developed during the student teaching experience. Central to this study was an examination of participants’ beliefs about language learning and teaching, their motivations as language learners and teachers, and beliefs about target language use. Data were collected using student teachers’ interviews, blogs, lesson plans, and artifacts design from the student teachers. The cooperating teachers and a university supervisor were also interviewed. Triangulation and case study analysis (Merriam, 2009; Stake, 1995; Yin, 2009) revealed patterns in the student teachers’ backgrounds such as their successes as language learners, their high levels of motivation to become language teachers, and their desire to use a good deal of target language in teaching. Results indicated that the student teaching experience was highly impacted by individual differences among the student teachers, the role of the cooperating teacher and context of the host classroom, and the requirements of the student teaching program. The student teachers were highly reflective on their teaching beliefs and professional identity development throughout the student teaching experience and all three participants identified clear goals for their first teaching job. Additionally, the requirements of the university and certification considerations caused the participants to emphasize target language, cultural knowledge, and teaching behaviors during their student teaching experience. / text

The purpose of this study was to identify the value of early field experience (EFE) in choral methods courses, examine participants' likelihood to include EFE practice in choral methods courses, and determine the rationale for incorporating EFE. The study also explored the participants' preferences for activities related to early field experience, investigated possible relationships between EFE activities and participants' teaching experience or primary responsibility and perceived student outcomes of such participation. A survey instrument was distributed to choral music educators identified through the College Music Society. A total of 100 (after adjustments) responses were collected and analyzed employing descriptive and inferential statistics. The result displayed a high consensus among participants on the value and future implementation of EFE practice in choral methods. Participants declared that educational philosophy, personal experience, and requirements influenced their reason for implementing EFE, with personal experience receiving the highest positive response. The survey listed four categories of EFE activities--teaching, observation, evaluation methods, and other EFE activities. Highest rated activities from each categories were as follows: micro teaching at an elementary, middle, or high school; individual observation at an elementary, middle, or high school; reflection/self-evaluation and instructor feedback; and university choral ensemble participation. The result of Two-Way MANOVA to determine significant relationship between EFE activities and participants' teaching experience or primary responsibility reported no correlation in general with the exception of one activity. A significant difference was observed between attending choral seminars and conferences and participants' primary responsibility (p = .01, p<.05). Expected student outcome was measured through five skill types: personal, content, pedagogical, administrative, and communication skills. Of these, all participants agreed on personal skill (100%) followed by communication (95%), content (94%), and pedagogical skills (94%) as their highest expected EFE student outcome. Early field experience has gained notable recognition among music teacher educators in the past three decades. Numerous studies have verified the benefits of EFE and national organizations have actively supported the practice. The results of this study echoed the results of previous research with an overwhelming percentage of participants displaying a high enthusiasm for EFE practice in choral methods courses.

Recent trends in immigration in Manitoba and across Canada mean increasing classroom cultural diversity in all levels of the education system. In response to these trends, faculties of Education have tried a variety of ways to better prepare preservice teachers for this increasing classroom cultural diversity. An opportunity provided for preservice teachers in many teacher preparation programs is the chance to participate in international student-teaching practicums. This qualitative case study research explored the potential influence of the Elmwood international student-teaching practicum located in South-east Asia. The results shed light on the influence that personal dispositions have in the overall experiences and perceptions of the practicum participants. The study showed that international student-teaching practicums provide a variety of potentially challenging and valuable experiences. The study concludes with the claim that critically oriented parallel programming and supervision is necessary in the attempt to ensure that these experiences result in the positive personal and professional identity development in those involved.