Matching Items (2)
Description
Emotional competence is the capacity to handle emotional situations effectively. A teacher's emotional competence influences the choices they make both pedagogically and during student interaction. This qualitative multiple case study examines the lived experiences of four elementary general music teachers for the purposes of exploring emotional competence as related to perceptions and practices in the classroom. Research questions included: Is it possible to observe a music teacher's emotional competence in action? If it can be observed, what is the relationship between emotional competence and teaching practices, including a teacher's decisions about music, interactions with children, and his or her own emotional self-management? What is the relationship between a music teacher's self-perceived emotional competence and observed emotional competence in teaching practices? Four elementary general music teachers were observed four times within typical music teaching situations at their respective schools, and three interviews were conducted with each teacher. Teachers completed three self-report inventories drawn from the literature and revised by the researcher. An administrator and three students for each teacher were interviewed as secondary participants. Data were coded for emotional intelligence branches as outlined by Perry (2004), emotional competence skills as outlined by Saarni (1999), and "adaptive coping styles" described by Gottman (1997), and presented as individual cases. A cross-case analysis was conducted. Findings suggest that elementary general music classrooms are emotional places. Music provides students with unique emotional experiences. Effective teaching within this context has an emotional ebb and flow in which music plays a vital role. Interactions between teacher and students may result in a feedback loop in which exchanges of emotional reactions occur and where teachers may be called upon to manage their own emotional responses. When adverse situations arise, a music teacher may choose an adaptive coping style suitable for the circumstance. These choices are influenced by their knowledge, skills, and emotional competencies. Teachers' perceptions of their emotional teaching practices are not always congruent with their observed emotional teaching practices. When the knowledge and emotional abilities of music teachers are used effectively, they can have a positive influence on the emotional climate of the classroom, which may, in turn, impact learning.
ContributorsMcConkey, Michelle Stephan (Author) / Stauffer, Sandra (Thesis advisor) / Bush, Jeffrey (Committee member) / Schmidt, Margaret (Committee member) / Sullivan, Jill (Committee member) / Tobias, Evan (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2012
Description
Teacher candidates completing their senior year student teaching practicum as part of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College at Arizona State University are expected to graduate as professional, high-quality teachers who are classroom-ready and dedicated to the profession. One lacking component of the program is the opportunity for teacher candidates to have personalized learning experiences that develop professional teacher identity in addition to the development of enhanced teaching skills. To address this, an intervention of an Action Research Project (ARP) was added to the final semester of the student teaching practicum. The goal of the project was to increase professional teacher identity, which would lead to increased teaching practices and a more favorable outlook on real-world problem solving in teaching elementary students.
This mixed methods action research study included data collection methods to measure how integrating action research into a cohort-based student teaching experience improved teacher candidates’ teaching practices, how it affected their professional teacher identity and how they perceived the project contributed to the formation of their professional teacher identity. Frameworks that guided the study included principles from the Theory of Self-Organized Learning and Social Identity Theory.
The participants of the study were seven teacher candidates completing their student teaching experience in an Arizona school district. Data gathered included teacher evaluation scores, results from a “Teacher Candidate Experience Questionnaire,” narratives collected from Teacher Learning Conversations and written responses on a Final Reflection.
Results suggested that teacher candidates’ teaching scores either slightly improved or stayed the same following the intervention. Professional teacher identity increased through the integration of the project, while student identity decreased. Through narratives collected from the participants, observations of other teachers and classrooms emerged as the most impactful component of the intervention. Participants perceived that observations contributed to their growth as teachers by providing exposure to more diverse situations, prompting them to feel engaged and inspired, encouraging high expectations and fostering ways for them to make personal connections. Observing in other classrooms did not always provide the examples and structures the participants had hoped for, yet this disappointment also added value to their growth as teachers.
This mixed methods action research study included data collection methods to measure how integrating action research into a cohort-based student teaching experience improved teacher candidates’ teaching practices, how it affected their professional teacher identity and how they perceived the project contributed to the formation of their professional teacher identity. Frameworks that guided the study included principles from the Theory of Self-Organized Learning and Social Identity Theory.
The participants of the study were seven teacher candidates completing their student teaching experience in an Arizona school district. Data gathered included teacher evaluation scores, results from a “Teacher Candidate Experience Questionnaire,” narratives collected from Teacher Learning Conversations and written responses on a Final Reflection.
Results suggested that teacher candidates’ teaching scores either slightly improved or stayed the same following the intervention. Professional teacher identity increased through the integration of the project, while student identity decreased. Through narratives collected from the participants, observations of other teachers and classrooms emerged as the most impactful component of the intervention. Participants perceived that observations contributed to their growth as teachers by providing exposure to more diverse situations, prompting them to feel engaged and inspired, encouraging high expectations and fostering ways for them to make personal connections. Observing in other classrooms did not always provide the examples and structures the participants had hoped for, yet this disappointment also added value to their growth as teachers.
ContributorsAbrams, Toya Boudreaux (Author) / Gee, Elisabeth B (Thesis advisor) / Carter, Heather (Committee member) / Schenk, Matthew (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019