This dissertation reports the findings of a study on teacher narratives recorded at a German Studies department over the course of one semester. Specifically, the study investigated co-construction of narratives among four groups of TAs during their weekly coordination meetings, focusing on the larger social processes and the local participation frameworks established in the process of co-narration. Furthermore, it explored the images of teachers and students, and the themes co-constructed in the narratives. The study involved fifteen TAs and one supervising faculty member. Narratives emerging in the course of their meetings were identified. For this purpose, a typology was developed which took into consideration not only past time narratives, but also those tellings which focused on anticipatory, hypothetical or generically occurring events. After emerging themes were tabulated, the co-constructed social projects and participation frameworks were explored using a microethnographic approach. Student and teacher images were investigated based on the evaluative devices employed. The results indicated that narratives were mainly told during the meetings to accomplish the sharing of experiences, the requesting and giving of advice, as well as the shaping of policies. The main themes addressed in the course of the tellings concerned grading and test-taking issues. TAs co-constructed themselves as group members as well as autonomous individuals. While generally displaying alignment with colleagues who were challenged by their students, the TAs also occasionally identified themselves as student spokespersons in opposition to their peers. When seeking advice, TAs were mostly reluctant to acknowledge their peers as givers of advice, and instead turned to the faculty member for help. TAs were generally portrayed in the narratives as competent speakers of the foreign language; understanding, engaged, communicative teachers; and facilitators for opportunities for learning. Students, in the majority of the narratives, were portrayed as lazy, cheating or unreasonable. This dissertation took into account the practices of co-construction which are at work when teachers narrate their professional experiences. So far, research on teacher narratives has mainly focused on data collected in contexts constructed by researchers. The contribution of this study is thus as research on naturalistically occurring teacher narratives.

There is a growing interest in the study of the moral qualities of teachers. Many studies emphasize empirical techniques without attention to the philosophical features of moral conduct or focus on the philosophical features without connections to the actual conduct of teachers. This dissertation combines philosophical and empirical inquiry to study the moral conduct of teachers. Using Fenstermacher's distinction among teaching method, style, and manner, the technical and personality characteristics of teachers are distinguished from teacher conduct that expresses moral virtue. This conduct is known as the manner of the teacher. This dissertation investigates how manner may be made explicit, as a philosophical concept and an object of empirical inquiry. The philosophical part examines the conceptual nature of moral action in the classroom, using an Aristotelian ethics as the framework for analysis. The empirical part is a case study of three classroom teachers, whose moral conduct is examined using the Aristotelian framework. This dual philosophical/empirical approach permits inquirers to observe and analyze selected moral dimensions of teaching, then draw conclusions about how the teachers express moral virtue. The empirical part is a qualitative study of three teachers, each interviewed and observed over a one year period. Case studies illustrating the teachers' expressions of moral virtue were developed, followed by a cross-case analysis that revealed common and distinct elements in the teachers' manner. The cross-case analysis suggests that the teachers express virtues in similar ways according to the Aristotelian framework and in particular ways according to their individual style. Further, teachers express more than one virtue simultaneously. The main conclusion one may draw from this study is that it is possible to systematically observe and describe manner in teaching. Suggestions for further research include (1) situations in which the expression of one virtue appears to conflict with another, (2) the difficulties of analyzing the intellectual virtues, and (3) clarifying the relationship between manner and teachers' context, content, and students. A significant implication of this study is that it is possible to attend to manner in ways that permit the development of moral virtue in teaching.

Fifteen undergraduate music education majors enrolled in an introductory music education course at a major university in the Southwestern United States participated in this study. Students constructed concept maps on the topic teacher effectiveness as a measure of their cognitive schemata. They completed two microteaching lessons in two different settings which were videotaped and subsequently analyzed using the Survey of Teaching Effectiveness and a time sampling procedure using criteria from teacher intensity research. Following their microteachings students constructed a second concept map on the same topic. Students were interviewed to explore the nature of their thinking about effective teaching. Quantitative analyses were conducted using data from the concept maps and both measures of teacher effectiveness. Results of a dependent t-test showed no significance difference between map scores either for total score or component scores of extensiveness and coherence. Spearman Rank Correlations were calculated between map scores and subjects' scores on both the STE and TI measures. No significant correlations were found to exist. Qualitative analyses were completed based on data from concept maps, self-evaluations, and interviews. Frequency responses by categories and data source indicated subjects' responses fell into two main areas: teacher effectiveness and skills and strategies. Within these two areas four sub-categories were targeted for further analysis: knowledge, teacher traits, delivery and instructional skills. Frequency responses for all but delivery skills were quite high. The following conclusions were drawn: (1) Preservice teachers have a clear picture of what it means to be an effective teacher. They describe an effective teacher as knowledgeable, possessing a variety of personal characteristics, and engaging in specific teacher actions. (2) Preservice teachers' cognitive structure does not change after the completion of two microteaching experiences. There is some indication that changes in the content of their thinking arise following their microteachings. (3) There is no relationship between preservice teachers' cognitive structure and their ability to demonstrate effective teaching behaviors. However, qualitative analyses suggest a possible connection between the content of their thinking and their ability to teach effectively. Implications for education and future research are discussed.

The study examined the 23 most frequently cited areas of concern to new teachers from the existing literature, how frequently these topics were discussed during the induction mentoring process, and if their discussion improved participant satisfaction with the outcomes of the process. Additionally, it examined several characteristics of mentors and inductees to learn whether they effected the discourse between mentors and inductees during the induction process. A questionnaire based on the research literature in the area, was distributed to all members of inductee mentor pairs in the school district studied. A total of 272 questionnaires were returned in scorable condition, yielding a return rate of 96.4 percent. Data from the survey was used to answer a total of six research questions. Major conclusions were that there is: (1) a limited interaction between the length of time that a mentor has been teaching and the frequency of discourse. (2) A substantial interaction between the length of time that an inductee has been teaching and the frequency of discourse. (3) A minor interaction between the educational background of the mentor and the frequency of discourse. (4) A minor interaction between the educational background of the inductee and the frequency of discourse. (5) Frequent discussion of all 23 of the topics by the majority of induction mentoring pairs. (6) Significant interaction between the frequency with which the various topics of the study were discussed and the participants' satisfaction with the outcomes of each area of the induction mentoring process.

This study investigated the principal's perceived effectiveness of preservice teaching education and training in the state of Arizona. An in-depth interview methodology was used to explore, describe, and analyze the perceptions of twelve principals serving in K-12 schools located in Southern Arizona. The following questions guided this study: What attitudes, skills and knowledge competencies do principals want new teachers to demonstrate and how do these perceptions compare with profiles developed in the literature? What type of course work do principals want in teacher preservice training programs and how do these perceptions compare with those currently offered in Arizona Colleges of Education? What strengths have principals observed in new teachers and which of these strengths do they attribute directly to preservice training programs in Arizona? What weaknesses have principals observed in new teachers and which of these weaknesses do they attribute directly to preservice training programs in Arizona? What recommendations do principals have for improving preservice training programs in Arizona Colleges of Education? This study was limited in terms of generalizability because only the perceptions of 12 principals serving schools in Southern Arizona were utilized. Qualitative data was collected utilizing individual in-depth interviews with the 12 principals selected for this study. Response data gathered in this study were analyzed inductively in an attempt to develop and identify significant themes, concepts, and dimensions describing the principal's perception of the effectiveness of preservice teacher training. The following findings emerged from this study relative to the principals' perceptions of preservice training: principals have a specific profile of the competent new teacher and this profile parallels the research; principals want teachers to take course work in classroom management, communication and methodology with a emphasis on theory to practice methods; principals characterized new teachers as enthusiastic and strong in content knowledge; principals characterized new teachers as weak in classroom management skills and their ability to deliver instruction; principals recommended that schools of education become more practitioner focused, provide earlier and longer field service, provide immersion type student teaching experiences, and become less isolated and more interdependent in their relationship with K-12 schools.

The purpose of this study was (a) to determine if there was a significant relationship between the interpersonal communication skills of music education students and teaching effectiveness, (b) to determine if there was a significant relationship between the interpersonal communication skills of music education students and conducting/rehearsal technique, and (c) to determine if there is a significant difference between the conductor and ensemble perception of the conductor's interpersonal communication skills. Subjects were 30 music education students who had taken at least one semester of conducting instruction. Subjects completed three 10-minutes micro rehearsals with an ensemble. Each micro rehearsal was videotaped. Upon completion of the third micro rehearsal, members of the ensemble completed the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction for each subject to determine the subject's perceived interpersonal communication style profile. Each subject completed the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction using his/her ideal responses to determine an ideal interpersonal communication style profile. Three judges evaluated videotapes of the first and third micro rehearsal for each subject using the Survey on Teaching Effectiveness to determine teaching effectiveness and the Conductor Observation Form to determine conducting effectiveness. Data were analyzed using two Two-way Analysis of Variances with Repeated Measures to determine if significant differences existed between interpersonal communication skills, teaching effectiveness, and conducting effectiveness. A quotient of agreement was calculated to determine the degree of association between ideal interpersonal communication styles and perceived interpersonal communication styles. Eleven subjects were identified as having helpful/friendly interpersonal communication styles, 11 subjects were identified as having understanding interpersonal communication styles, and 8 subjects were identified as having strict communication styles. Significant (p ≤ .05) differences were found to exist between interpersonal communication skills, teaching effectiveness, and conducting effectiveness. A low (quotient of agreement = .10) degree of association was found between ideal interpersonal communication styles and perceived interpersonal communication styles.

This correlational study examined the relationships between undergraduate music education students' early field experiences and student teaching performance. Subjects were 40 music student teachers from eleven universities. Student teaching performance was determined from video samples using two teacher effectiveness forms, the Rehearsal Effectiveness Scale and the Survey of Teaching Effectiveness. Two independent judges were used and interjudge reliability was found to be .73 on the Survey of Teaching Effectiveness and .69 on the Rehearsal Effectiveness Scale. Reliability between forms is .88. Subjects were interviewed to collect data on both curricular and non-curricular undergraduate field experiences. These data were correlated with each subject's score on the teacher effectiveness forms. No significant correlations were found between total early field experience and student teaching performance. Significant correlations were found between early field experiences with feedback and student teaching performance (r = .439 and .507; p < .01). A significant negative correlation was found between early field experiences without feedback and student teaching performance (r = -.316, p < .047). No significant correlations were found to exist between the non-curricular index and student teaching performance. Based on their average student teaching performance ranking, five subjects were identified as a subsample for closer analysis. Data on dieir backgrounds, high school experiences, curricular experiences, and non-curricular experiences is presented. Conclusions include the following: 1. Early field experience widi feedback and peer microteaching are positively related to student teaching performance. 2. Early field experience regardless of feedback, non-curricular experience, degree type and student background are not related to student teaching performance. 3. Early field experience without feedback has a negative relationship with student teaching performance. 4. A methods/conducting lab is an effective setting for microteaching experiences. Implications for education and future research are presented.

A supplemental Saturday Youth Arts Program was examined to determine whether or not its implementation into a preservice art education program better prepared students for student teaching. This work presents two case studies. Data from the first study, which looked at sixteen preservice art teachers, found that: (1) students lacked adequate knowledge on how to write discipline-based lesson plans; (2) community outreach was undervalued by students and (3) there was a lack of sufficient preparation time to take on all the variables involved in operating the lab school. The second study followed one of the students into her student teaching to look for professional growth in four areas: (1) classroom management; (2) curriculum and lesson planning; (3) community outreach and (4) organizational skills. Findings indicated that students can achieve high levels of professional growth as a result of this kind of experience, thus they are better prepared for student teaching.

This is a study of six elementary school teachers' personal constructs about learning. I used ethnographic methods to interview each teacher twice. The questions guiding this study are: How do these teachers believe learning happens? How clearly do they express these beliefs? And who are these teachers as learners themselves? My premise is that teachers must also be learners, and must be aware of their own learning if they are to help others learn. Besides being interested in whether or not these teachers were familiar with their beliefs, I was interested in their view of knowledge, whether constructivist (knowledge created by the learner) or objectivist (knowledge transmitted to the learner). I found that some teachers were more familiar with their beliefs about learning than others. This seemed to be related to the kinds of opportunities they had had for discussion and reflection: workshops and inservice sessions, or long-term training programs.

This thesis stemmed from the idea that the museum can be used as an educational resource for both teachers and students. It examines how preservice art education majors worked with classroom teachers and students as part of a museum/university collaboration. The study was guided by three questions: (1) How did the student docents feel the experience enhanced their preservice teacher education? (2) How were student docents able to adapt activities developed around a museum exhibition to fit the needs of the host teacher and their class? (3) How can the museum and preservice teacher education programs collaborate to bring a variety of experiences to future art educators? Findings indicate that preservice teachers found classroom experiences and opportunities which link them with community resources beneficial as part of a teacher training program. The study asserts that programs which offer preservice teachers opportunities to work with teachers in schools should be included in preservice teacher course work.