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Teaching and Teacher Education 25 (2009) 798–804

Contents lists avai

Teaching and Teacher Education

journal homepage: www.elsevier .com/locate/ tate

Field-based preservice teacher research: Facilitating reflectiveprofessional practice

Paul T. Parkison*

University of Southern Indiana, Department of Teacher Education, 8600 University Boulevard, Evansville, IN 47712, USA

a r t i c l e i n f o

Article history:Received 23 June 2008Received in revised form21 November 2008Accepted 27 November 2008

Keywords:Reflection and inquiry paradigmTeacher trainingDiscourse communitiesDemocratic pedagogyTeacher education/curriculumPractical inquiry

* Tel.: þ1 812 461 5416; fax: þ1 812 465 1029.E-mail address: pparkison@usi.edu

0742-051X/$ – see front matter � 2008 Elsevier Ltd.doi:10.1016/j.tate.2008.11.017

a b s t r a c t

Preservice teachers enrolled in a middle level endorsement block provided evidence of their professional,affective, and collaborative dispositions as they reflected upon their conception of early adolescents,appropriate instruction practice, and the empowerment of teachers and students. Research indicates thatempowering future teachers as reflective professionals requires teacher education programmes tostructure learning experiences that model reflective practice and facilitate the development of engagedlearning communities. Through case study research this group of preservice teachers was able to gaina contextual understanding of early adolescents that not only impacted their perception and under-standing of the target age group but also allowed them to negotiate their preconceptions, the theoreticalunderstanding presented in their course work, and the authentic observations in the middle schoolclassroom.

� 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Knowledge construction through preserviceteacher research

As individuals choose to enter the profession of teaching, theybring with them a body of learned professional, affective, andcommunicative dispositions and knowledge that relate to the jobthat teachers do. This background provides motivation and helpsthe individual engage with the required learning experiences asthey study to become teachers. Many times the funds of knowledgedeveloped within this background that preservice teachers bringwith them to the teacher education programme do not align withthe professional, affective, and collaborative dispositions of effec-tive teachers. Becoming a reflective practitioner requires a realign-ment of the preservice teacher’s orientation and attitude towardthe role of professional teachers. Having experienced schoolingfrom the perspective of the student, preservice teachers have tolearn to view the classroom from the perspective of the teacher.Preservice teachers hear multiple and mixed messages regardingwhat the teacher’s role should be within a schooling context (Par-kison, 2008a, 2008b). Negotiating these messages in an effort toform a personal teacher identity creates one of the largest chal-lenges for the preservice teacher.

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2. Structure of the research study

Teacher directed research represents a progressive approach toteacher and preservice teacher engagement in an activity system.Reis-Jorge (2007), in a case study of transition to teaching preser-vice teachers in Britain, identifies two orientations to teacher andpreservice teacher research: 1) an academic perspective orientedtoward teachers’ academic skills and theoretical knowledge; and 2)a professional development perspective oriented toward reflectivepractice (Reis-Jorge, 2007). These competing perspectives providea framework through which many teacher education programmesattempt to address the issue of professionalization using theeducational research tradition. In a study sponsored by the Centerfor Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) at the University ofSouthern Indiana, a professional development perspective wasadopted to determine the degree to which a group of 12 preserviceteachers developed an orientation favourable to reflective practicegrounded in research.

In the spring of 2006, a comparative study of field experiencemethodologies was conducted. This research demonstrated thestatistically significant difference between a series of Clinical Obser-vations and immersion within the Middle Level schooling contextusing Peer/Cognitive Coaching (Parkison, 2008a). Immersion withinthe field and the facilitation of research and assessment methodol-ogies present a combination of factors that enable the developmentof a constructionist teacher education experience. As a follow-up,a case study of twelve preservice teachers participating in a middle

P.T. Parkison / Teaching and Teacher Education 25 (2009) 798–804 799

level block consisting of the Early Adolescent Growth and Develop-ment course, Middle Level Curriculum and Instruction course, anda 36 h practicum experience completed a scaffolded action researchcase study assignment. In the sample of preservice teachers partici-pating in this study, 5 were elementary majors, 6 were secondarymajors, and 1 was a K-12 physical education and health major.Content area focus for the sample group allowed for collaborationwithin the subject areas: five social studies; one science; one physicaleducation/health; two language arts; and three mathematics majors.

The participants were paired with a preservice teacher whoshared a common content area focus. These preservice PeerCoaching teams (Parkison, 2008a) also had the opportunity todevelop a level of trust that facilitated honest, formative critique asthey began to conduct their action research studies. A set ofreflection guides have been developed to facilitate the PeerCoaching relationship. This series of reflection guides facilitatedpreservice teacher collaboration as they completed their researchand reflections. The science and health majors were paired andworked together in the same classroom. Small sample size doesrestrict the power of the qualitative analysis. However, the practicalimplications of the data remain relevant.

This case study aimed to explore the impact of field-basedresearch on preservice teachers’ professional dispositions followinga scaffolded research project. In order to guide the preserviceteachers through a deconstruction of their taken-for-grantedassumptions, a series of assignments were completed that requiredthe preservice teachers to observe middle level students in theschool context, reflect upon their preconceptions, and develop anaction plan for addressing a personal interest or concern. The seriesof assignments include:

� An Ethno history of the Partnership School: the preserviceteachers are asked to observe and document the culture of theschool and the community that inhabit the school.� Case Study Biographical Sketch: Several standardized obser-

vations are used to develop a biographical sketch of the studentbeing shadowed. Preservice teachers describe the case studystudent’s physical, social/emotional, and cognitive develop-ment and consider the basic human needs of early adolescents.� Literature Review: The Literature Review is meant to provide

a critical account of the information that has been accumulatedby professional scholars and researchers within the field beingstudied. Each preservice teacher identifies a topic of interestbased upon the ethno history observations and the biographyobservations.� Gather and Report the Data: Each preservice teacher designs an

observation instrument that will facilitate reaching

Fig. 1. Preservice Teach

a conclusion regarding the specific characteristic they hadchosen to study.� Conclusions and Recommendations: The final write-up pulled

together all of the work the preservice teachers had done tothis point.

Each assignment within the Growth and Development componentof the block was directed toward providing the preservice teacherswith the opportunity to reflect upon their perceptions and under-standings of both the teacher’s role and the students’ role and needs.

Learning within such a heuristic required that the preserviceteachers participate in meaningful dialogue with each other, withtheir instructor, with their cooperating teacher, and with theprofessional research literature. Each participant created a field textconsisting of field notes and documents of their observations andreflection activities. A ‘‘thick’’ verbal description in the field text wassupplemented with video and audio recordings of the debriefing andconferencing sessions. Data sources for this research include:

� Open-ended Preservice Teacher Questionnaire (see Fig. 1)� Peer coaching conferencing notes and audio recordings (Par-

kison, 2008a)� Whole class debriefing video recordings� Open-ended Preservice Teacher Debriefing Questionnaire (see

Fig. 2)

The data gathered through these sources was analyzed froma grounded theory perspective in which the concerns and insightsof the preservice teachers were allowed to emerge.

Considerations of three themes that emerged from initialreflections gathered from the Open-ended Preservice TeacherQuestionnaire (Fig. 1) were pursued as the preservice teacherscompleted their case study research. As the preservice teachersshared their thoughts at the beginning of the block these commonconcerns emerged:

1. Scepticism with regard to the advice of ‘‘experts’’ and theinstruction provided within teacher education programmes;

2. Curiosity about learning and the processes that facilitatestudent engagement utilized by professional teachers; and

3. Concern over power relations within the classroom – who haspower and Authority? – largely framed as a classroommanagement concern.

These themes provide the focus for the case study researchpresented in this article. The preservice teachers, through theiraction research studies, were given the opportunity to critically

er Questionnaire.

Fig. 2. Open-ended Preservice Teacher Debriefing Questionnaire.

P.T. Parkison / Teaching and Teacher Education 25 (2009) 798–804800

examine their preconceptions and the experiences that framedtheir expectations for the middle level classroom (van Huizen, vanOers, & Wubbels, 2005).

Considerations of the reflective and transformative processesutilized by preservice teachers as they attempt to accommodate thematerial being investigated in their teacher education programmeare shared. Preservice teachers enrolled in the middle level blockwere asked to reflect upon both the source of their pre-conceptionsof early adolescents and what they consider appropriate classroompractice. Each of the concerns expressed by the preservice teachersat the beginning of the study reflects this group’s willingness toinvestigate the Authoritative voices they have confrontedthroughout their pursuit of a teaching career.

3. Impact of experts on classroom practices

Preservice teachers come to teacher education programmesfrom differing perspectives. Some look to their professors andinstructors as sources of all the information that they will need tobe effective teachers (van Huizen et al., 2005). One preserviceteacher demonstrates this perspective in the Open-ended Preser-vice Teacher Questionnaire (Fig. 1) by asserting:

‘‘Teachers that teach in a teacher education programme mustreally know what they are teaching to be willing to teach futureteachers. The teacher education programme is a great lead-upfor the main activity of teaching.’’ (Preservice Teacher H)

Drawing upon the expertise of the university faculty to helpenable the future teacher’s success, from this perspective, is theprimary role of teacher education. An alternative view of teachereducation is expressed by a preservice teacher in their PeerCoaching Conferencing notes as follows:

‘‘I am much more curious about situations. I tend to ask a lot ofquestions because I know how important it is to be aware ofmany different situations when becoming a teacher.’’ (Preser-vice Teacher J)

Consideration of the role that context plays in the developmentof professional competence, from this perspective, leads preserviceteachers to focus on adapting to the classroom context. Within anycourse in a teacher education programme, preservice teachers willbe working from these two perspectives as well as perspectives inbetween.

Looking to outside experts to resolve classroom dilemmas hasbecome common (Wong, 2006; Zellermayer & Tabak, 2006). The

P.T. Parkison / Teaching and Teacher Education 25 (2009) 798–804 801

measure of teacher effectiveness is increasingly viewed as theefficient execution of preplanned and pre-packaged curriculumprogrammes provided by experts. These programmes do notnecessarily reflect the needs of the specific students being engagedin the classroom (Beane, 2005; Connelly & Clandinin, 1999). Thereliance on standardized test scores to indicate teacher effective-ness magnifies this dependence on ‘‘Best Practice’’ methodologiesand affects the focus of professional development (Parkison, 2008a,2008b, in press). Schooling is managed by outside experts who holdteachers accountable for the curriculum and instruction that hasbeen developed without the input of the teacher. This New Man-agerialism (Apple, 2006; Wong, 2006) has made educationa commodity. The culture of performativity that this focus on effi-cient implementation of pre-packaged curricula affects limits theresponsiveness effective teachers need in order to meet the needsof the students in their classrooms (Wong, 2006). Teacher educa-tion programmes that attempt to provide a cafeteria-style curric-ulum in which preservice teachers are able to pick and choose froma menu of ‘‘Best Practice’’ instructional, assessment, and manage-ment strategies fall within this new managerial, ‘‘expert’’ driven,paradigm.

Facilitating the development of preservice teachers’ competen-cies in constructing professional practice within an eco-epistemo-logical and living system context requires alternative methods ofteacher education (Kansanen, 2003; Tillema & van der Westhuizen,2006). Hamilton and McWilliam (2001), in their study of alterna-tive approaches to teacher development, emphasize that the ‘‘tell-it-like-it-is’’ approach is unproductive. Preservice teachers requirethe opportunity to connect the theory learned in the classroom tothe experience of seeing the theory in the faces of actual students.In an article focusing on teacher educators, Lunenberg and Wil-lemse (2006) recommend the use of self-study as an effectiveconstructivist practice. They indicate that this form of reflectiveexperience encourages 1) a systematic approach to understandteacher practice, 2) attention to questions of generalizations andusing professional literature to support findings, and 3) requires thediscipline of noticing (Lunenberg & Willemse, 2006). Similarpractices should be part of the development of professional,affective, and collaborative dispositions in preservice teachers.

Preservice teachers who complete the intensive action researchstudies within the middle level block that formed the basis of thiscase study indicated similar views. Interestingly, the group ofpreservice students observed for this case study acknowledged thepersonal benefit of their research study experience but were hesi-tant to assert that all preservice teachers should be required tocomplete such an assignment. One preservice teacher wrote thefollowing in response to question 6 of the Open-ended PreserviceTeacher Debriefing Guide (Fig. 2):

‘‘This case study made me think deeper about student’sbehaviour than I ever had before. I exposed myself to profes-sional journals which I never would have read otherwise.Overall, I think it was a good assignment, but I have doubts thatall of the education students would be able to successfullycomplete it. Many students, including myself at one time, thinkthat being a teacher is loving kids and being creative. I havelearned that there is a whole other side to being an educatorand that is also continuing educating yourself.’’ (PreserviceTeacher B)

The discipline this preservice teacher sees as required tosuccessfully complete a detailed research study, complete withliterature review, is not perceived to be a common dispositionamong his peers in teacher education. Moving beyond loving kidsto studying and understanding what they need to learn representsa higher level of commitment on the part of the preservice teacher,and I would assert the in-service teacher.

Preservice teachers, acting as researchers, have demonstratedpotential for influencing their dispositional preparedness (Parki-son, submitted for publication). Providing preservice teachers withthe opportunity to participate in knowledge construction thatimpacts classroom practice in a practical and immediate way leadsto a change in the image of professional practice being discussed.Preservice teachers begin to see the role of the teacher as that ofa theorizer, activist, and leader within a professional community oflearners (Zellermayer & Tabak, 2006). As one preservice teacherasserts in her response to question 3 of the Open-ended PreserviceTeacher Debriefing Guide (Fig. 2):

‘‘Before the case study I have never taken a true interest in theneeds or development of early adolescents. Understandingthese needs will help me understand certain actions mystudents will have. Early adolescents are facing many changesand each day can be an emotional journey. I understand thatthese students can’t just ‘check it at the door’ but they bringthese issues into the classroom.’’ (Preservice Teacher D)

In the process the preservice teachers gain a sense of theirempowerment and their ability to act as transformative intellec-tuals. In the long run participants gain the requisite skills to identifya problem, research solutions, and implement appropriateprocesses and curriculum to meet the demands of the specificcontext being engaged (Atweh & Burton, 1995). Embedding solu-tions within the particular contexts and problems they were meantto resolve makes them more appropriate and more likely to beimplemented than those imposed by outside experts.

Changes in classroom practice will occur as preservice and in-service teachers begin to view themselves as agents within theschool process. Rather than becoming complicit in the pre-structured reality of schooling, as described and prescribed by theprocesses and curricula of ‘‘experts,’’ professional teachersbecome active constructors of the schooling context. The skillsnecessary to become active, constructive agents differ from thosenecessary to be implementers of pre-packaged practice. This shiftin perspective also requires that the relationship betweenteaching and learning receives new direction. Without digressingtoo far into an ontological dialogue, it is important to recognizethe Heideggerian influence on the discussion of openness and themove away from a pre-structured (enframed) technologism thatseeks to limit teachers to the function of content providers(Thomson, 2001). Teachers have to be expert learners in order tobe constructive agents within a context dependent dialogueregarding the desirability of processes and curricula for theschooling context.

4. Professional identity and pedagogical orientation

Developing and maintaining a professional identity, an identityinfused with self-efficacy, presents preservice and in-serviceteachers with an on-going challenge. Teacher education pro-grammes take on the responsibility of helping preservice teachersdevelop the professional, affective, and collaborative dispositionsand abilities necessary to maintain their professional identity (vanHuizen et al., 2005). Creating connections between theory andpractice through preservice teacher field-based research facilitatesconstructivist engagement as well as a professional developmentperspective oriented toward reflective practice. A great deal of whatteachers feel they know about teaching and learning is based upontaken-for-granted-assumptions (Tillema & van der Westhuizen,2006). These assumptions present a significant area of inquiry forthe development of an authentic teacher identity (Parkison,2008b).

One preservice teacher participating in the study demonstratesthe challenge that prior knowledge and lack of exposure and

P.T. Parkison / Teaching and Teacher Education 25 (2009) 798–804802

confidence with scholarly research presents. In a response toquestion 4 on the Preservice Teacher Questionnaire (Fig. 1) sheasserts:

‘‘I don’t know if I understand the teaching profession wellenough to respond to scholarly research. I feel like I’ve taken allof these classes, yet I am still very intimidated about getting intothe classroom. I couldn’t comment on scholarly research, simplybecause I’d be afraid that without having done any myself I haveno real voice in anything anyone in the classroom has said.’’(Preservice Teacher I)

As preservice teachers come into and through teacher educationprogrammes, they bring with them a willingness to engage, but donot feel confident in their ability or competence to participate inthe dialogue regarding scholarly research. For many preservice andin-service teachers, the sense of professionalism that extends toresearch and the identification of the best practices for theirspecific classroom are lacking. Deferring to ‘‘experts’’ in the form ofimmediate supervisors and administrators has become commonand is based on the type of low self-efficacy voiced by the studentquoted above.

Recent shifts in epistemology and learning theory point toimportant considerations for teacher educators who wish to facil-itate reflective practice and more professional, affective, andcollaborative dispositions for preservice teachers (Streeter, 2006;Tillema & van der Westhuizen, 2006; van Huizen et al., 2005;Wong, 2006; Zellermayer & Tabak, 2006). Horn and Wilburn (2005)characterize this shift as a move toward ‘‘Eco-epistemology’’ inwhich the role of reflective capacity and knowledge constructionimpact the learning that continuously occurs within an activecontext. Drawing upon the work of Francisco Varela (1999), Hornand Wilburn describe the impact of this shift:

Learning, within this eco-epistemology, is not conceived asincreasingly sophisticated capacities for receiving what is ‘‘outthere’’ or even constructing a world from what is ‘‘in here’’.Learning, rather, is conceived as acts of observing and describingthat are both inwardly (centripetally) and outwardly (centrifu-gally) directed to signify the ongoing maintenance (stability)and growth (creativity) of learners as they articulate theirworlds and reflect on how those articulations occur and change(Horn & Wilburn, 2005, p. 749).

Learning is embedded in experiences that provide emergentopportunities for self-directed, self-produced, and constructiveconsolidation of knowledge. The role of the learner is respected asthe essential component in the phenomenon of learning.

One preservice teacher participating in this study demonstratesher appreciation of the learner and the development of her owneco-epistemology. In the Open-ended Preservice Teacher Debrief-ing Questionnaire (Fig. 2) she asserts:

‘‘When I told other education students about my research someagreed with my findings while others did not believe me. Thosethat did not believe me had not completed many observationhours at the time, so they did not have a feeling of how earlyadolescents act. Telling others about my findings through thisproject made me feel important. It made me feel as though Iknew what I was telling them was true, because I hadresearched it and knew it was true.’’ (Preservice Teacher E)

As the research study was conducted, this student moved froma reliance on experts to ownership of the knowledge she will use inher future classroom. Through focused observation, the group ofpreservice teachers demonstrated the development of an apprecia-tion of their ability and responsibility to develop their own expertise.

Identity and the consolidation of knowledge (whether disposi-tional or pedagogical) require active participation (Horn & Wilburn,

2005). Creating contexts in which individuals can participate inauthentic learning experiences that support identity formation andknowledge consolidation become essential (van Huizen et al.,2005). Cultivating the capacity to grow and develop as authenticindividuals requires that students, in this case preservice teachers,are offered the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions ofclassroom practice. These discussions are not hierarchic mono-logues in which the professor or instructor tell what is the rec-ommended intervention or treatment in a given situation. Like allcultural dialogues, discussions of meaningful classroom practicesare socializing processes through which teachers acquire theresources, tools, and strategies necessary to participate as fullyautonomous participants in school decision-making and problem-solving.

One preservice teacher who fully immersed herself in the courseassignments asserts an ideal outcome in her response to question 4of the Preservice Teacher Debriefing Guide (Fig. 2):

‘‘I for once felt like I was able to learn about a topic that I foundinteresting and form theories based on my experience thatcould help others. I did not have to be told exactly how to handlea situation, or even what situation that I was ‘‘supposed’’ tonotice in adolescent children. I formed this question on my ownbased on my observations and took the necessary steps to learnmore about it. This enhanced my personal development asa future teacher.’’ (Preservice Teacher F)

These discussions are contextual and dynamic – changing ascontext and the make-up of those participating evolves andchanges (Alfred, 2002). Professional teachers are not simply exec-utors of out-of-the-box, ‘‘expert’’ developed processes andcurricula. Professional teachers develop and implement processesand curricula appropriate to unique classroom contexts and uniquestudent populations. As preservice teachers learn within an activitysystem context they develop this professionalism.

The learner is an active participant in the living system thatlearning requires (Horn & Wilburn, 2005; O’toole, 2008; van Hui-zen et al., 2005). Viewing learners as embedded within opensystems helps to facilitate teaching within an active learningsystem. When discussing preservice teachers, this requires that thepreservice teachers have the opportunity to interact with theclassroom context. Taking their understanding of the classroomcontext from the perspective of the student seriously and allowingthem to experience the unique cycles of learning required to gainthe perspective of the teacher changes the pedagogy of the teachereducation programme (Horn & Wilburn, 2005).

Recognizing that teaching is not exclusively a managerialendeavour requires a pedagogical shift. The preservice teachersparticipating in this case study developed an appreciation of thecomplexity of teaching. Moving beyond an exclusive focus oncurriculum content to a recognition of the context and interrela-tionships that are essential to effective classrooms demonstrate thisdevelopment of teacher disposition. As students, the preserviceteachers’ focus was on the complexity of the content, but asteachers they began to recognize the significance of context andrelationship to successful learning. As one preservice teacher statesin their response to question 2 of the Open-ended PreserviceTeacher Debriefing Questionnaire (Fig. 2):

‘‘Becoming a teacher is a greater responsibility than justteaching students an understanding of the curriculum. Middleschool teachers have to support and nurture their students toallow them to become independent high-order thinkingadolescents, with appropriate social skills and a sense of caringfor the community. The end result is to prepare them to besuccessful high school students and knowledgeable citizens.’’(Preservice Teacher C)

P.T. Parkison / Teaching and Teacher Education 25 (2009) 798–804 803

In a schooling climate where students’ performance andadequate yearly progress based upon standardized test scoresdominate discussions of classroom activity and effectiveness,having a group of preservice teachers see beyond subject areacontent to the larger social role of schooling was significant.

Teachers, both preservice and in-service, are encouraged toplace the learner at the centre of the learning experience (Beane,2005; Davis, Sumara, & Luce-Kapler, 2008; Kansanen, 2003;O’toole, 2008; Odora Hoppers, 2000). These complex classrooms,classrooms in which students are encouraged to investigate, reflectupon, and consolidate convergent and divergent experiences, pointto a need to adopt an ecological or living system perspective.Recognizing that teaching and learning are complex, emergentphenomena leads to a changed perception of the context in whichteaching and learning takes place.

5. Democratic teachers/democratic education

Power within the classroom impacts all aspects of teacherpractice. As preservice teachers express their concern over effec-tive pedagogy and their scepticism with regard to the advice andrecommendations of experts, they are expressing their perceptionsof power within the schooling context. Creating discoursecommunities within teacher education courses serves to modeldemocratic pedagogy that can then be implemented within theprimary and secondary classroom. Peter Mayo (Mayo, 2004)asserts that this embodies a move beyond the ideology ofaccommodation:

The educator enables this process to occur not by ‘‘depositing’’knowledge but by engaging the learner’s critical faculties.Rather than dispense knowledge, the educator poses questions,problematizes issues. In this problem-posing education, thepedagogy applied is not that of ‘‘the answer’’ but that of ‘‘thequestion’’ (Bruss and Macedo, 1985). It may be argued that thispedagogy is counter hegemonic in the sense that it stands incontradistinction to the prescriptive model of education fav-oured in alienating and dehumanizing learning settings (Mayo,2004, p. 55).

During the research studies conducted by the preserviceteachers during the middle level block, a shift in the perception ofthe role and needs of students was evident. The preservice teacherscommented about the necessity of reflecting upon the teacher’sinfluence on student behaviour, how instructional strategyimpacted student engagement, and the necessity of recognizingstudent voice and interest in the classroom. As one preserviceteacher states in her response to question 3 of the PreserviceTeacher Debriefing Guide (Fig. 2):

‘‘Through observation and research, I have learned that middleschool students get bored easily and need learning activitiesthat are interesting and apply to their lives. In my future class-room, I plan to incorporate regular hands-on and real worldexperiences in order to better apply the curriculum to thestudents and their lives. This will assist the student to makeconnections with their education and increase interest andmotivation. This will also allow the students to realize why theconcepts being taught are valuable to learn, and allow thestudents to see multiple disciplines incorporated together inorder to see relationships between concepts.’’ (PreserviceTeacher C)

Though the preservice teachers continued to express concernwith regard to classroom management and discipline, the recog-nition of the critical impact of relationships within the classroomcontext was an important development. Initially this group ofpreservice teachers was authoritative in their orientation to

classroom relationships: the teacher was the boss and the studentsobeyed the teacher’s just authority. By the end of the case studyexperience, after having completed focused observations andanalysis of the research literature, this group demonstrated a moredemocratic view of power.

6. Conclusion

Openness to diverse perspectives, orientations, and interestswithin the classroom represents one of the key challenges to thepreparation of future teachers. In an educational climate (both ink-12 education and in higher education) dominated by a focus onoutside expertise and functional efficiency on the part of teachers,helping facilitate the development of professional reflectivepractice is difficult. Through case study action research this groupof preservice teachers was able to gain a contextual under-standing of early adolescents that not only impacted theirperception and understanding of the target age group but alsoallowed them to negotiate their preconceptions, the theoreticalunderstanding presented in their course work, and the authenticobservations in the middle school classroom. As one preserviceteacher advises future preservice teachers participating in themiddle level block:

‘‘I would just advise students to be organized and open-minded.Don’t rule out ideas too soon. In my case just when I thought Icould draw a conclusion my case study would prove me wrong.’’(Preservice Teacher D)

Embedding an understanding of teacher responsibility withinthe context of the classroom helped this group of preserviceteachers reflect upon the contingent nature of their understandingof the profession and their future students. They became morewilling to question, critique, investigate, and reflect upon what theybelieved teachers’ responsibilities should be.

As the preservice teachers completed their case study researchthey had the opportunity to address their curiosity about learningand the processes that were effective and ineffective in the class-room context, reflect upon the messages that they had receivedfrom the ‘‘experts’’ within their teacher education programme, andto recognize the embedded nature of power within the classroom.Through this process the preservice teachers took significant stepstoward developing their teacher identity and developing reflectiveteacher professional, affective, and collaborative dispositions. Eachasserted their willingness to question the Authoritative advice ofexperts, the taken-for-granted assumptions of their experience asstudents, and the role of schooling in the lives of early adolescents.The development of a community of learners, comprised of indi-viduals striving to accommodate a variety of experiences andtheoretical knowledge, was one of the most interesting outcomes.As another preservice teacher advises in the Preservice TeacherDebriefing Guide (Fig. 2):

‘‘My only advice to future students is to use their classmates asresources. They may have an insight on something you wouldn’thave thought of.’’ (Preservice Teacher J)

The creation of this sense of community through the empow-ering participation in applicable research is one of the mostimportant professional development outcomes of this process.

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