This paper reports on a study of the expectations of preservice music teacher education students about the problems faced by beginning teachers. The findings are presented against a background of studies of the unrealistic optimism of teacher education students. In this study, there was a consistent tendency for students to express high levels of confidence in their ability to teach, and to believe that they would experience less serious problems as beginning teachers than the "average first year teacher". This optimism is suggested as one reason for teacher education students' reluctance to use theoretical constructs to guide their classroom teaching during the practicum.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Berliner, D. (1986). In pursuit of the expert pedagogue. Educational Researcher, 15(7), 5-13.
2.
Book, C., Byers, J. & Freeman, D. (1983). Student expectations and teacher education traditions with which we can and cannot live. Journal of Teacher Education , 34(1), 9-13.
3.
Brookhart, S.M. & Freeman, D.J. (1992). Characteristics of entering teacher candidates . Review of Educational Research, 62, 37-60.
4.
Britzman, D. (1986). Cultural myths in the making of a teacher: Biography and social structure in teacher education. Harvard Educational Review, 56(4), 442-472.
5.
Buchmann, M. (1987). Teaching knowledge: The lights that teachers live by. Oxford Review of Education, 13, 151-164.
6.
Calderhead, J. & Robson, M. (1991). Images of teaching: Student teachers' early conceptions of classroom practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 7, 1-8.
7.
Clark, C.M. (1988). Asking the right questions about teacher preparation: Contributions of research on teacher thinking. Educational Researcher, 17(2), 5-12.
8.
Crow, N.A. (1987, April). Preservice teachers' biography: A case study. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC.
9.
Goodman, J. (1988). Constructing a practical philosophy of teaching: A study of preservice teachers' professional perspectives. Teaching and Teacher Education, 4, 121-137.
10.
Holt-Reynolds, D. (1992). Personal history-based beliefs as relevant prior knowledge in course work. American Educational Research journal , 29(2), 325-349.
11.
Howey, K. (1983). Teacher education: An overview. In K. Howey & W. Gardner (Eds.), Teacher education: a look ahead. New York: Longman.
12.
Mertz, N.T. & McNeely, S.R. (1991, April). Cognitive constructs of pre-service teachers: How students think about teaching before formal preparation. A paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Chicago.
13.
Munby, H. (1982). The place of teachers' beliefs in research on teacher thinking and decision making, and an alternative methodology. Instructional Science, 11, 201-225.
14.
Nespor, J. (1987). The role of beliefs in the practice of teaching . Journal of Curriculum Studies, 19, 317-328.
15.
O'Loughlin, M. & Campbell, M.B. (1988). Teacher preparation, teacher empowerment, and reflective inquiry: A critical perspective. Teacher Education Quarterly, 15(4), 25-53.
16.
Pajares, M.F. (1992). Teachers beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62(3), 307-332.
17.
Richards, C. (1993). Doctoral research in progress. The University of Newcastle, Australia.
18.
Ryan, K. (1979). Towards understanding the problem: At the threshold of the profession. In K. R. Howey and R. H. Bents (Eds.), Towards meeting the needs of beginning teachers. Lansing, MI: Midwest Teachers Corps Network. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED206581.)
19.
Skuja-Steele, R.V. (1993, July). Theory vs practice: Pre-service approaches to teaching. Paper presented at the 13th Annual International Seminar for Teacher Education, Schwabisch-Hall , Germany.
20.
Schmidt, W.H. & Kennedy, M.M. (1990). Teachers' and teacher candidates' beliefs about subject matter and about teaching responsibilities. National Centre for Research on Teacher Education: East Lansing, MI. ( ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED320902.)
21.
Veenman, S. (1984). Perceived problems of beginning teachers. Review of Educational Research, 54, 143-178.
22.
Weinstein, C.S. (1988). Preservice teachers expectations about the first year of teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 4(1), 31-40.
23.
Weinstein, C.S. (1989). Teacher education students' preconceptions of teaching. Journal of Teacher Education, 40(2), 53-60.
24.
Wubbells, T. (1992). Taking account of student teachers' preconceptions . Teaching and Teacher Education, 8(2), 137-149.
25.
Zeichner, M. & Tabachnick, B.R. (1981). Are the effects of university teacher education washed out by school experience?Journal of Teacher Education, 32(3), 7-11.
