Two Preservice Teachers' Conceptions of Literature

A case study examined two preservice teachers' attitudes about literature and the teaching of literature, and examined whether a "Teaching of Literature" course for secondary English education majors influenced their attitudes. Data included in-depth, semi-structured interviews, participant observation, written artifacts (learning logs, portfolios, etc.) and the researcher's ongoing, reflective log. One subject enrolled in the program after a short career as a business executive in a major computing firm. He began the course wanting to learn "techniques" for teaching literature in secondary English classrooms and was uncomfortable with the response-centered literature curriculum presented in the course. Throughout the course, he persistently questioned the purposes of literature for what he called "non-English majors. " Neither his conceptions of literature nor his attitudes towards students changed as a result of his experiences in the course. Unlike the first subject, the second subject (a member of a minority group) willingly struggled in the course to make sense of his previous encounters with literature and gradually began to view literature and the teaching of literature in new and powerful ways. The course offered the second subject a chance to develop his own voice as a future teacher. Findings suggest that teacher educators: (1) must become models of the kind of teaching they encourage; (2) should provide opportunities for prospective teachers to identify and examine their beliefs; and (3) should realize that their good intentions do not guarantee results. (Contains 38 references.) ***************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. * *********************************************************************** What Is Literature? Two Preservice Teachers' Conceptions of Literature . o and of the Teaching of Literature A Dana L. Fox University of Arizona Office Address: Education 515 University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona 85721 (602) 621-1488 or 621-1311 FAX Number: (602) 621-8407 Ethernet Address: dfox@mail.ed.arizona.edu A paper presented at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the National Reading Conference in a Symposium on "Teacher Beliefs and Conceptual Change in the Teaching of Literature in Middle and Secondary Schools," Charleston, South Carolina, December 1-4, 1993. This research was funded by the University of Arizona Foundation and the Office of Vice President for Research at the University of Arizona. Project title: Constructing a Case Literature for Teacher Education: Exploring and Enhancing Teacher Knowledge in Secondary English. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Offce of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Vls;This document non been reproduced as oceived from the person or organization originating it 0 Minor changes have been Tad* to imP,Ore reproduction quality POInts of view or opinions Mateo in this docu . mint dO not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy 2 -PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY V;X TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)"