Date of Award

6-30-2016

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Educational Studies

First Advisor

Diane Stephens

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to construct knowledge about the intersections between a teacher educator’s discourses and pre-service teacher identity performances in a university classroom. The researcher used Mills’ (2011) action research design to examine the ways she intersected with the identity performances of 24 pre-service teachers in a literacy methods course. Data collection included audio recordings and transcriptions of class sessions, a teacher journal, written communication between teacher and students, and course assignments. Thematic analysis and methods of discourse analysis were used to identify patterns across pre-service teachers’ performances in the classroom. Findings revealed multiple, fluid, dynamically evolving, and sometimes conflicting performances of student and teacher identities, and reoccurring tension points at intersections between the researcher and pre-service teachers. Analysis of the data supported the construction of a theoretical model that elucidates the ways in which multiple intersections contributed to various and fluid identity performances, and the ways generative dissonance influenced identity performances and classroom pedagogies across the semester. A discussion of metaphors to understand dissonance in teacher education and implications for K-12 and teacher educators is provided.

Rights

© 2016, Elizabeth McCall Bemiss

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