Preservice Special Education Teachers' Reflections on Their Developing Professional Awareness Via In-Context Learning (original) (raw)

2018, The Teacher Educator

The highly complex demands of the profession often overwhelm new teachers. Burnout and attrition are known consequences of inadequate preparation, burdening the education system with costly turnover and schools with disproportionate numbers of inexperienced teachers, including special educators. Many teacher preparation programs embed field experiences as a formative aspect of professional development with the intention of exposing candidates to the realities and demands of the profession. Little is known, however, about the ways in which preservice teachers' professional awareness develops via in-context learning through field-based experiences. Using an exploratory, qualitative approach we analyzed end of course reflections of 31 special education preservice teachers for insights into the development of their professional awareness (professional roles and responsibilities) following a strategically aligned field experience. Findings suggest that participants expressed a growing understanding of professional practices, teacher dispositions, and professional relationships. A discussion of the findings and implications for teacher preparation are presented. According to Billingsley (2004), "Many special educators do not survive the path from hopeful beginner to highly qualified, experienced teacher" (p. 372) and teacher attrition is a major contributor to personnel shortages (Keigher, 2010). Misperceptions surrounding the realities and complexities of the profession can lead to stress, burnout, and eventual resignation (Billingsly, 2004; Brunsting, Sreckovic, & Lane, 2014). As a result, preparation programs often seek to develop teacher candidates' (TCs') awareness of their professional roles and responsibilities, henceforth referred to as professional awareness, prior to their first year of teaching. To these ends, preparation programs routinely incorporate field-based experiences, henceforth also referred to as in-context learning. Field experiences serve to bridge the gap between coursework and practice (Allsopp, De Marie, Alvarez-McHatton, & Doone, 2006) while addressing the mandates of state and national accreditation. Ideally, these experiences are designed to promote development of knowledge, skills, and dispositions expected of inservice teachers (e.g., Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, 2016; Council for Exceptional Children, 2012). Field experiences have also