Abstract
While writing scholarship framed by sociocultural theory illuminates the complexity of writing, writing in schools is frequently presented in simplistic ways. For this to change, teacher educators must support future teachers to develop complex understandings of writing. The purpose of this multi-state study was to investigate teacher candidates’ changing beliefs about writing and to consider the implications for teacher preparation. Data sources were written responses from 113 teacher candidates to questions about good writing and the purposes of writing that were collected at the beginning and end of semester-long literacy courses in six institutions across the United States. The responses were examined using thematic and discourse analysis. Findings indicate that, almost all teacher candidates changed their beliefs related to writing as a social, personal, and/or school practice, although changes were minor. Responses centering writing as a school activity were pervasive, and certain key sociocultural understandings, such as the connections between writing, context, culture, and power, were absent. Implications highlight ways that teacher educators might work to disrupt and broaden teacher candidates’ beliefs about writing, so teacher candidates might expand how writing is taught in their future classrooms.
Recommended Citation
Raskauskas, Jenn; Kline, Sonia M.; Wall, Amanda; Kang, Grace Y.; Ikpeze, Chinwe H.; Myers, Joy; Scales, Roya Q.; Smetana, Linda D.; and Tracy, Kelly
(2022)
"“I Think Writing is…” A Multi-State Study of Teacher Candidates’ Changing Beliefs about Writing,"
Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education: Vol. 11:
Iss.
3, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/wte/vol11/iss3/3
Included in
Educational Methods Commons, Language and Literacy Education Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons