Postgraduate student teachers’ developing conceptions of the place of theory in learning to teach: ‘more important to me now than when I started’

Knight, Rupert

Abstract

Integrating theoretical knowledge within teacher education has often been portrayed as difficult, with previous studies reporting student teachers’ ambivalence, or even scepticism, about the value of research findings and theory to classroom practice. Moreover, the nature of teachers’ professional knowledge is itself uncertain and highly complex. This paper reports on the developing conceptions held by a group of postgraduate student teachers about the relationship of theory to classroom practice in learning to teach. The data are drawn from a small-scale longitudinal case study. They capture participants’ preconceptions about theory before beginning training and subsequent developments through the course and into the first teaching post. The research finds these students to be far from naïve at the outset, entering training open to a range of forms of learning, with a positive view of the potential contribution of theory to practice. Alongside a growing appreciation of the complex, situated and contested nature of theory, the data suggest that theory comes to be increasingly valued over time. As newly qualified teachers, the participants not only see theory as integral to their practice, but recognise the important, largely unanticipated, role of the university in this process. As a result of these insights, potential considerations for course design are offered, at a time when teacher education in many countries is becoming more school-based and new forms of partnership are being developed.

Citation

Knight, R. (2015). Postgraduate student teachers’ developing conceptions of the place of theory in learning to teach: ‘more important to me now than when I started’. Journal of Education for Teaching, 41(2), 145-160. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2015.1010874

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Feb 13, 2015
• Publication Date: Mar 15, 2015
• Deposit Date: Jul 25, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Education for Teaching
• Print ISSN: 0260-7476
• Electronic ISSN: 1360-0540
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 41
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 145-160
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2015.1010874
• Keywords: theory; student teacher; conceptions; teacher education
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4783657
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02607476.2015.1010874?scroll=top&needAccess=true
• Additional Information: Peer Review Statement: The publishing and review policy for this title is described in its Aims & Scope.; Aim & Scope: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?show=aimsScope&journalCode=cjet20