Becoming Peer Tutors of Writing: Identity Development as a Mode of Preparation

Authors

Alison Bright, University of California-Davis

Abstract

Primary and secondary teachers of English are typically the subjects of research centered on writing teacher education. However, at the college level writing teacher education also includes individuals who instruct and support undergraduate writing instruction, and who do not always identify as writing teachers, such as graduate teaching assistants and peer writing tutors writing. Writing program administrators responsible for preparing TAs and tutors can benefit from the results of relevant research from the K-12 discourse community to improve their preparation programs. For example, research in primary and secondary teacher education programs indicates that when preparatory sessions highlight the concept of teacher identity in the preparation of K-12 teacher candidates, then the teacher candidates have higher levels of teacher efficacy, job satisfaction, and retention in the field (Danielewicz; Alsup; McKinney et al.). This article shares the results of a case study that examined how peer tutors of writing developed their identities as tutors in their preparation programs, using the concept of teacher identity as a theoretical framework. The resulting themes are presented as a heuristic of teacher identity characteristics along a novice-to-expert spectrum focusing on four characteristics: content knowledge and behaviors; flexibility in theory and practice, membership in a peer community, and engagement in reflective practices.

Recommended Citation

Bright, Alison (2013) "Becoming Peer Tutors of Writing: Identity Development as a Mode of Preparation," Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education: Vol. 2: Iss. 1, Article 6.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/wte/vol2/iss1/6