Examining the Unexpected Sophistication of Preservice Teachers’ Beliefs about the Relational Dimensions of Teaching
“This article was published in Teaching and Teacher Education, Vol. 25 number 6,
Author: Michelle Bauml, " Examining the Unexpected Sophistication of Preservice Teachers’ Beliefs about the Relational Dimensions of Teaching", Pages 902-908, Copyright Elsevier
(August 2009)”.
Research on preservice teachers’ beliefs about professional teaching capabilities indicates strong attention to the relational dimension; these studies have contributed to a portrayal of preservice teachers as simplistic and overly optimistic about the teaching profession.
In this article, the author positions preservice teachers’ attention to teacher–student relationships as a form of professional knowledge.
Drawing from findings of a qualitative study of U.S. elementary (prekindergarten-Grade 4) preservice teachers who were asked to describe professional characteristics of effective teachers, the author suggests their beliefs reveal surprisingly nuanced understandings about the complex nature of teaching.