Factors influencing the personal pedagogical theory building of a first-year early childhood teacher.

Abstract

This case study addressed the ways in which Lisa, an early childhood first-year teacher, thought about teaching and learning. This investigation involved Lisa's theory-building process, rooted in her educational biography and extending into the first year of her teaching career. Lisa's evolving personal pedagogical theory was closely examined to identify factors that most strongly affected her beliefs about teaching and learning. Interviews (formal and informal), videotaped classroom observations, and the participant's reflective journal entries were the sources of data collected in this study. The data suggested that Lisa's life experiences played a dominant role in building her theory. Those experiences included her days as a student, a control-orientation to her environment, and interaction with her Residency Team---with an emphasis placed on the mentoring relationship. It was determined that Lisa entered a university teacher education program with a personal pedagogical theory already formulated. The elements of her theory included: (1) learning is external, (2) teachers transmit knowledge to students, and (3) following instruction leads to success. She was not aware of her deep-rooted theory, yet she consistently based classroom practice decisions in light of the three elements. Lisa's theory reflected an interesting mix of romanticism and cultural transmission ideologies. Research studies examining the thought processes of classroom teachers are relatively limited. The complexity of the influencing factors and the thought processes of first-year teachers---how each affects the development of a personal pedagogical theory---needs further exploration.