| Summary: | This study explored student teachers' level of problem representation over
the course of the practicum experience in the face of instructional problems
specific to the domains of teaching. The purposes of this study were: (1) to
analyze the growth and development of student teachers' levels of problem
representation during their practicum in the areas of adaptation of instruction to
individual differences among learners and classroom/ behaviour management
through an application of Case's (1991) neo-Piagetian theory of intellectual
development, (2) to use these levels to compare student teachers' representations
of hypothetical teaching dilemmas and their representations of their own teaching
problems, and (3) to explore how student teachers represent and re-represent their
teaching challenges during the practicum through the use of concept maps and
reflective interviews.
Eighteen elementary level student teachers and their six faculty advisors
completed written and oral output measures during the practicum. Student
teachers' responses were rated according to the levels of problem representation
derived from Case's neo-Piagetian theory of intellectual development. Faculty
advisors' ratings and observations provided a means of assessing whether student
teachers translated their representations into action. Student teachers' concept map drawings and reflections about their teaching challenges provided insight
into how they represented their challenges.
The results verified previous research conclusions (Newman, 1992, 1993,
1994) that student teachers' level of problem representation and description of the
problem increases in complexity over the course of the practicum experience.
Student teachers' level of problem representation is more complex for their own
teaching problems than for hypothetical case scenarios. Also, the findings
supported that Case's neo-Piagetian conceptual framework does provide a useful
theoretical tool for describing the development of student teachers' ability to
represent classroom/ behaviour management and individual differences teaching
problems. Concept maps and structured interviews provided very interesting
insights into student teachers' representation of teaching challenges associated
with classroom management, instructional planning, teaching, and assessment,
and student needs. Implications for teacher education and future studies of
teacher thinking are discussed. === Arts, Faculty of === Psychology, Department of === Graduate
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