| Summary: | Feiman-Nemser and Floden (1986) described teacher socialization as
learning to be a teacher and negotiating between idealism and what is possible
in particular school settings. This study explored the influences of personal
history and idealisms on novice home economics teachers' images of
teaching. The second aspect of this study examined the ways in which these
influences are recognized and negotiated in teaching practices. The research
focus is of particular interest, because of the subject matter of home
economics education. The home economics teacher enables students to
define and solve problems within family dynamics and it is of interest to
study whether the home economics teacher's personal history influences his
or her practice of teaching.
One first year teacher and three student teachers participated in this
study. Life history and ethnographic interviewing were used to capture the
stories of the subjects. The conversations were audiotaped and transcribed
for analysis.
Two central themes were elicited from analysis of the interviews. The
themes centered on 1) personal history; and 2) being a good teacher. The
theme on personal history included the areas of family, family dynamics and
responsibility, and former teachers. The areas of family, former teachers, and
being a good teacher were common influences to all four subjects. The area of
responsibility applied to two of the subjects.
The findings of this study indicate that people of significance, that is,
parents, grandparents, siblings and former teachers, have some bearing on
novice home economics teachers' images and practices of teaching.
Although the novice teachers recognized these influences, they were not
always comfortable with these influences on their teaching practices. Novice
home economics teachers constantly strive within their practices to realize
their ideals of teaching.
These findings have implications in teacher education, classroom
practice and for future research. Curriculum and instruction courses in
teacher education programs need to provide ways for prospective teachers to
discuss and acknowledge and critically reflect on influences in their life
histories which have led them to teaching and shaped their images of
teaching and their teaching practice. It may be that family has been
particularly influential in the lives of home economics teachers because it is
also the subject matter they teach. Research with novice teachers in other
subject area specializations could provide data to compare with the home
economics teachers in this study.
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