Positive classroom climates set a foundation for equitable educational opportunities and, ultimately, social change (Whipp, 2013). This multi-modal two-phase study examined teacher candidate orientation of knowledge authority in creating a classroom environment marked by respectful relationships and genuine rapport at differing thresholds of field…

Preservice teachers (PSTs) in teacher education programs frequently experience a disconnect between coursework and fieldwork, often referred to as the theory-practice gap. This study considered the mediated field experience (MFE) as a pedagogy that may help to bridge this divide in mathematics education by encouraging the creation of a hybrid…

According to the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future (1996), "... learning cannot occur in college classrooms divorced from schools" (p. 31). University coursework that is paired with carefully coordinated field experiences as well as being supported by university faculty that are skilled in helping the teacher candidate…

Effective classroom management is critical in the creation of learning environments that foster academic success for all students. Preservice teachers must develop an awareness and understanding of all aspects of classroom management and their relation to the two main classroom management approaches: the discipline based approach and the…

Cognitive Coaching is a method of instruction that recognizes the strength in thinking about thinking and fosters independent learning. Cognitive Coaching is one method of instruction that can help to better prepare teachers for the classroom. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact that Cognitive Coaching had on teacher candidates…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the clinical fieldwork educator role in the community college from the perspective of the clinician. While there are numerous fieldwork studies from the perspectives of the students and the academic institutions, there is a paucity of literature regarding the meaning that fieldwork educators…

The purpose of the study was to investigate the nature of the preservice teachers' (PSTs) reflections on their practices in the context of the Iterative Model Building (IMB) approach. Participants were elementary PSTs enrolled in a field experience course in the spring of 2009. The field experience included formative assessment interviews,…

This study implemented a qualitative approach to examine the phenomenon of "inquiry-based science pedagogy or inquiry instruction" as it has been experienced by individuals. Data was collected through online open-ended surveys, focus groups, and teacher reported self-reflections to answer the research questions: 1) How do middle level…

Despite the fact that early childhood preservice teachers are typically being prepared to work with children from birth through age 8, preservice field experiences with infants continue to be largely missing in early childhood teacher preparation programs Since the education and care of infants often takes place in vastly different settings than…

The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experience of 12 missionaries living in the Countries of Kenya and Tanzania who had participated in various field based orientation programs in order to determine their perceptions of personal success and make recommendations for future field based orientation programs for missionary personnel.…

I investigated eight preservice teachers' understandings about culturally responsive pedagogy as they participated in a writing methods course in which they tutored children from different ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds in an afterschool program at a local community center. I also investigated how these preservice…