Contrary to the norm in developed countries where teachers pursue undergraduate degrees and professional certification before they are employed, many teachers in Belize are employed as high school or junior college graduates and they often teach for several years before entering formal teacher preparation programs. Although there are no formal structures that provide professional support to these teachers in those early years, they undoubtedly develop a repertoire of knowledge, skills and beliefs about teaching and learning from on-the-job-experience and from resources available in their schools. While some of the knowledge they hold may be grounded in educational theories and practices, these teachers are not always aware of that fact. On the other hand, lack of professional training and support may lead to the development and use of inappropriate teaching and classroom management strategies and preconceptions and misconceptions about teaching and learning. This study examines the role that these teachers' early teaching experiences play in the development of a knowledge-base for teaching and their identities as teachers. The study also investigates whether instructors value and use students' prior knowledge in the development and delivery of their courses. I use constructivism as a learning theory (Fosnot, 2005), Beach's (1999) notion of consequential transitions, and Wenger's (1998) theory of identity development as a framework for conducting the investigation. Data were gathered over three months between November 2006 and March 2007 from two one-hour interviews with 14 pre- and in-service student-teachers and four instructors, and from three to four classroom observations in nine courses. Findings are presented following four major themes: early teaching experience and its influences on modality of learning; context as a frame of reference for learning; early learning and its influence on confidence, competence and identity; and instructors' use of students' early experience in the program. / A Dissertation Submitted to the the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy
Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of
Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2008. / May 21, 2008. / Identity Formation, Prior Beliefs, Prior Learning, Teacher Preparation, Early Experience / Includes bibliographical references. / Patrice Iatarola, Professor Directing Dissertation; Betsy J. Becker, Outside Committee Member; King Beach, Committee Member; Gary Crow, Committee Member; Douglas Harris, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_175907 |
| Contributors | Thompson, Cynthia T. (authoraut), Iatarola, Patrice (professor directing dissertation), Becker, Betsy J. (outside committee member), Beach, King (committee member), Crow, Gary (committee member), Harris, Douglas (committee member), Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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