Expectation shift of student teachers and their cooperating teachers

Date

1988-08

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Publisher

Texas Tech University

Abstract

As students enter the student teaching experience, many view the role of the student differently than the cooperating teacher. Evidence accumulates regarding the disparate attitudes and role expectations of and between student teachers and cooperating teachers. A majority of workers feel students abandon the teachings of the university adopting instead the attitudes and views of the cooperating teacher.

The purpose of this work was to investigate shifts in role expectations of student teacher/cooperating teacher pairs. Forty-seven pairs participated in the study. Pairs completed pretest and posttest instruments. Instruments administered were the Student Teacher Expectation Scale and the Cooperating Teacher Expectation Scale given to student teachers and cooperating teachers respectively. The Frequency-of-Change-in-Product-Moment technique was used to identify both the direction and source of pair expectation influence. A matched pairs t-test was used to identify pretest-posttest shifts of expectations for students and cooperating teachers.

Results indicate cooperating teachers to be the source of congruent pair expectations regarding professionalism. However, the cooperating teacher was the source of incongruent influence in the area of decision making skills. Cooperating teachers exhibited very stable pretest-posttest mean scores indicating the view of the student's role did not significantly change. Student pretest-posttest expectations shifted in two instances, interpersonal communication skills of professionalism and decision making skills. Both shifts reflected a moderated expectation from the pretest to the posttest.

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