Exploring Teacher Candidates Views on their Instructors’ Professional Dispositions in the Conditions of Transformational society: the Case of Ukraine

Author(s):

Nadiya Hapon(presenting / submitting)Tetyana Koshmanova(presenting)

Conference:

ECER 2012

Network:

10. Teacher Education Research

Format:

Paper

Session Information

10 SES 09 B, Parallel Paper Session

Parallel Paper Session

Time:

2012-09-20

11:00-12:30

Room:

FCEE - Aula 2.2

Chair:

Judith Harford

Contribution

Integrative processes which characterize European teacher education are influenced by globalization which slowly promotes deep changes in the essence of teacher education in Eastern Europe. Reforms can be effective, provided that society clearly envisions their goals. In Ukraine, the process of moving toward democracy and envisioning its goals, is extremely difficult and controversial (Koshmanova, 2006; 2007). The main contradiction in the development of teacher education in Ukraine lies in the inadequate reflection of European educational values in teacher professional training. Another contradiction concerns the influence of the authoritarian educational paradigm. Negative stereotypes of authoritarian education inherited from the Soviet period are deeply ingrained in the minds of Ukrainian teacher educators at the level of philosophy, theoretical assumptions, and teaching discourse. In the face of European integration, the complex issues of democratic discourse are acquiring a new dimension and create challenging goals for educators (Koshmanova & Ravchyna, 2008).There is a general presumption among educational policy makers that democratic discourse and relationships between students and their instructors’ are essential for the creation of democratic classrooms (Hapon, 1998; Koshmanova, Hapon, & Carter, 2007). Tetyana Koshmanova and Gunilla Holm (2007) believe that, a democratic classroom is essential if we want to build a democratic society. Students learn democratic discourse by practicing it. The intellectual virtues that would promote open communication include encouraging questioning, listening carefully and respectfully, and analyzing statements in order to better understand others. Students need to learn that it is safe to take a stand and to evaluate positions. Teachers need to model critical thinking and expressing their views. Generally, researchers believe that the formation of teachers’ positive view of the world and practicing peaceful mode of life are significant factors for the creation of democratic discourse (Bulatova, 2004).

This study examined the psychological processes of teacher candidates evident in their narratives while they were in teacher training at a Ukrainian university. The students’ narratives were responses to the question on the specifics of students’ visions of democratic dispositions of their instructors. Relevant to our field of teacher education, there is a pedagogical value of using narrative analysis (Koshmanova, Carter, & Hapon, 2003). As a social construct, this method displays social learning, which illustrates the content of the studied phenomenon. When changes of the sociocultural situation lead to formation of different narratives about a studied event, deeper and pluralistic learning can occur through analysis of narrative data. Recognizing the value of narrative to examine context and identity bases of understanding, which Connelly and Clandinin (1999) identify through personal experience stories, we considered those factors in the writings of teacher candidates on their visions on professional dispositions of their instructors conducive for democratic classrooms. Based on qualitative analysis of students’ narratives, the study argues that teacher dialogical, democratic nature of their discourse combined with professional self-reflection are crucial factors that allow their perceiving themselves through students’ eyes while developing significant democratic professional values. The study suggests practical recommendations on democratic teacher discourse to inform the field of teacher education.

Method

We collected information from a variety of sources to construct the analysis for the present study. Primary data sources consisted of students’ narratives. For literature review and elaboration of theoretical framework, we used international research findings including those published in Ukraine, Russia, and USA.The narrative analysis was grounded in the works of Barclay (1996) and Gergen, & Gergen (1988). Like Gerden & Gerden (1988), we coded narrative forms, and from Barclay (1996), who measured narrative information and organization, we derived information codes. Our study occurred at a national university of Ukraine that prepares. Student diversity was mainly economic although they were predominantly of the middle class with very few ethnic and racial differences. There were more female N=52 participants than males N= 50. The students ranged in age from 17 to 23 years, with an average age of 20. The student participants (N=102) were undergraduates enrolled from the Department of International Relations who were prospective social studies teachers. The Ukrainian students voluntarily participated in the study during regular class periods when the data was collected during the week of May 2011. Students present in the class were asked to write about their visions of democratic professional qualities of their instructors.

Expected Outcomes

We argue that teacher educators and teachers themselves can actively contribute to building democratic discourse by practicing democracy in their classrooms, and young people and children will learn what democracy is. The study showed that democratic relationships are characterized by psychological structure which includes motivation, mutual cognition, self-reflection, emotions and feelings. Students’ narratives indicated to students’ need in trustworthy relationships with their instructors based on respect, equality, justice, high expectations, cognitive interest and intellectual curiosity. Students’ narratives allowed defining common themes which can contribute to democratic discourse, such as instructor’s personality; content and strategies used; kinesthetic aspects; prosodic aspects of explanation; instructors’ age; gender; communication skills and a dress code. Socialization factors such as gender were evident in the variation of responses the students displayed in their narratives. Analysis of the narratives on the basis of the form gave a richer sense of the students’ reactions to the question and illustrated the differences in responses along personality, gender, religion, and social orientations. Social-cultural factors were evident in the students’ cognitive processes displayed through their narratives. Values and beliefs are derived from experience with culture. Culture influences the construction of cognitive and behavioral gender-role expectations within societies.

References

Barclay, C. R. (1996). Autobiographic remembering: Narrative constrains on objectified selves. In D. C. Rubin (Ed.), Remembering Our Past: Studies in Anthropological Memory. (pp. 94-125). Cambridge: University Press. Bulatova, L. (2004). Psychological and Pedagogical Problems of Gender Relations Higher Schools. Kyiv, Ukraine: Foliant. Connelly, F. M. & Clandinin, D. J. (1999). Shaping a professional identity. Stories of educational practice. New York: Teachers College Press. Gergen, K. & Gergen, M. (1988). Narrative and self-relationship. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 21, 17-56. Hapon N. (1998) Psychologiczne aspekty formowania tozsamosci pedagogicznej studentow. Uniwersyteckie ksztalcenie nauczycieli a psychopedagogiczne czynniki rozwoju ucznia. , 54-58. Lublin: Wydaw. Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej. Koshmanova, T. S. & Hapon, N. P. (2007). Exploratory study of changing ethnic stereotypes of Ukrainian teacher candidates. Journal of Peace Education, 4 (1), 75-95. Koshmanova, T. S. (2006) Teaching for democracy in Ukraine: Activity-based developmental and dialogical education. International Journal of Educational Reform, Vol.15, 1, Winter, 80-96. Koshmanova, T. S. (2007). Vygotskian scholars: Visions and implementations. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 45 (2), 61-95. Koshmanova, T. S., & Holm, G. (2007). Post-Soviet reconstruction in Ukraine: Education for social cohesion. In: Z. Bekerman & C. McGlynn (Eds.). Addressing ethnic conflict through peace education. Jerusalem: Palgrave-Macmillan, 231-244 Koshmanova, T. S., & Ravchyna, T. V. (2008) Teacher preparation in post-totalitarian society: An interpretation of Ukrainian teacher educators’ stereotypes. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 20 (2), 137-158. Koshmanova, T. S., Carter, C. C., & Hapon, N. P. (2003) Crisis-response discourse of prospective teachers. Academic Exchange Quarterly, 7.4, 250-256. Koshmanova, T. S., Hapon, N. P., & Carter, C. C. (2007). Extreme social situations in the narratives of Ukrainian teacher candidates. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23 (4), 215-225.

Author Information

Nadiya Hapon (presenting / submitting)

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosohy, Ivan Franko National University of L'viv, Ukraine, Ukraine

Tetyana Koshmanova (presenting)

TLES, College of Education and Human Development, Western Michigan University, MI, U.S.A.

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