Abstract
This research inquiry investigates the factors influencing chemistry teacher candidates’ development during their extended practica in the second and final year of an After-Degree Bachelor of Education at a university in central Canada. A variety of data sources are used to identify the risk and protective factors impeding and contributing to the achievement of their chemistry pedagogical aspirations. Two theoretical frameworks, both having their origins in the pioneering work of Kurt Lewin, are used to conceptualize how a complex amalgam of personal attribute and environmental factors and the interplay among these factors influence teacher candidate developmental trajectories. The tenets of both Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model and Learning Environment research provide insights into how the factors influencing teacher candidate development can be understood and systematically documented to provide a template for reflective consideration of the practicum experience for both teacher candidates and those involved in fostering the development of chemistry teacher candidates.
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Notes
Bronfenbrenner describes development as the sustained, progressively more complex interaction with and activity in the immediate environment (Bronfenbrenner 2005, p. 97). This description will serve as the meaning for this term in this paper.
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This research project is supported by the Centre for Research, Youth, Science Teaching and Learning (CRYSTAL) at the University of Manitoba which receives its funding from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada.
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Lewthwaite, B.E. Towards Treating Chemistry Teacher Candidates as Human. Res Sci Educ 38, 343–363 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-007-9053-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-007-9053-x